Live According to Scripture

The world has influenced the church. Many in the world follow or claim loyalty to just one man. Many do the same in churches today. When we follow just one man, that causes division in the church. We elevate that one person and neglect the other people in the ministry. We must look at them as one. We are the body of Christ and because of that we should be following Christ only.

Many of us can agree that we live in a divided world- the media, politicians, the internet, and teachers. But the one area where there should not be divisions is in the church. Satan tries to stop the church by causing divisions. He stirs up strife between believers so that they will divide and cease in the work of the Lord. And he is succeeding in many churches. Paul is calling the church to unity. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to be uniform in our testimony, which is the message of the gospel.

One of the things pastors like to see in the lives of the people is that they live like Christ gave them new life, that they are using their gifts to honor God, and that they are ministering to others. Believers are saints, and are sanctified in Christ. But they are allowing the world to influence them. But how can we allow that to happen when God has done so much for us? He has called us from our sin, so do not live as if He did not do so.

God intended for the church to be a witness to the community. The church was supposed to be a light in the dark. The problem with the church today is that it allows society to influence it. They allow sin in the church. Many people cannot see the difference between those who go to church and those who do not. They are not much different from society. Too many people say that the church needs to catch the spirit of the age. But the church today needs to correct the spirit of the age.

We are faced with many choices that begin early in our lives. There are always decisions to be made. Many choices will alter one's life and they will all have consequences. But our biggest choice or decision that we will ever make will be whether or not to trust in Christ for salvation. It will determine where you will spend eternity. This will be the most important decision that you will ever make.

Many people can say that they seek first the kingdom of God, but how many of them actually do? Too many people seek their desires first. They have no interest in seeking after God. We become hypocrites because we say we follow God, but live our lives contrary to Him. It is easy to point out the hypocrisy in other people. It may be easy for others to point it out in you. But how can you recognize it in your own life? How do you know if you are playing the hypocrite?

We see all kinds of wickedness in our world. We are surrounded by people who commit all kind of sin, including judging. For many people, they think they are qualified to judge others. Who gave us the right to do this? We need to let the Holy Spirit do His job, which is to convict people. And so, we need to see why we are not qualified to judge people.

It is hard to be content in the age in which we live. We see the wealthy, our neighbors, and the ads that make us want to change the way we are. Having an eternal perspective will help keep us from being discontent. Godliness and contentment go together. Godliness without contentment is useless. Godliness is holiness in one's life; but not just on the outside. They demonstrate a life that honors God in all that they do. We need to seek to honor God no matter what the world says.

Our salvation comes from God, and it is in Christ. It is nothing we have done, and there is nothing we can do. We would not have salvation if it were not for God sending His Son into the world. It is on the cross that Jesus died for us. The cross is a reminder of what Jesus did for us.

We live in a world of compromise. It seems that every corner you turn there is the temptation to turn from convictions. Whether they are personal or biblical convictions, the world does not want you to have them. They expect you to go with the flow and tolerate everything that comes your way. When do you take a stand or back down? We cannot back down from them when it comes to biblical convictions, those found in Scripture.