True Christianity

When one is born again, one accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The concept of the lordship of Jesus Christ, however, has become largely overlooked in modern Christianity. This lack of understanding of the lordship of Jesus Christ on a personal level and its accompanying level of comfort with sin has produced an emaciated, weak, and powerless church which looks and acts just like the world. No wonder, since most of the church has become comfortable with sin through the acceptance of false doctrine.

Modern theology teaches that we are 'saved by grace' as if grace alone determines right standing with God and is that which determines eternal salvation. Paul, however, never taught this. He asks this question in Romans 6:1 – “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” He answers this question in the second verse. “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” He continues in the third verse asking this question; “Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” In this portion of scripture, Paul is agreeing with that which Jesus Christ reveals in Revelation 3:14-22; which is that we are called to overcome sin rather than continue in it.

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would that you were cold or hot. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue you out of my mouth. Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”.

Jesus is not addressing the world in these verses – He is speaking to a portion of the church; those of the body of Christ – those that claim to be His people. He is speaking to those who believe that they that are saved by grace and have need of nothing more, including Jesus Himself, since they believe they are already 'saved' and have 'eternal security'. They are comfortable in their sin. Jesus reveals that those who hold to this false teaching concerning salvation are deceived; they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Furthermore, these are of no value to the Lord in this condition because He is not Lord to them – therefore He will reject them if they do not repent and come to Him on His terms.

The Laodicean church represents the Harlot in the book of Revelation. Notice what the Harlot states in Revelation 18:7. “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” This is the response to the message of the Bride (represented by the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13). The message of the Bride is the message we are presenting here, which concerns the pathway to life being the way of the cross and death to self so that we may be raised up in the power of His resurrection fulfilling Galatians 2:20 where it is no longer us who live, but Christ in us. The Harlot rejects this message and pleads her justification through grace. She has not separated herself from the world because of her love for the things of this world. She sits a queen, believing she is part of the Bride and betrothed to the King. She is no widow, meaning she has not lost her husband who is Christ. And she shall see no sorrow for she has salvation firmly in hand because of grace.

In His goodness, Jesus is reaching out to His people to warn them of the consequences of their deception and give them the means of overcoming their deception – which is to get into right relationship with Him. He gives three solutions; each of which point to bowing to Him as Lord. (1) – “I counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich”. We must become a 'living sacrifice' and the 'refiner’s fire' which purges us of sin through the breaking of our will and the laying down of our lives which is what keeps us on the pathway to life, finding life and life more abundant. This pathway is filled with adversity and suffering which the carnally minded seek to avoid in favor of comfort and convenience. The spiritually minded will embrace this pathway as they come to understand sin as the vile, detestable entity that it is in its rebellion to God and will seek to overcome sin in obedience to God.

(2) – “and white raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear”. White raiment refers to righteousness and the glory of the Lord. The word of God reveals that the righteous and the sinner both reside in the body of Christ. The bible is not speaking to the world for the world is not reading it and have no way to understand it. Only those who are in the spirit, that is to say those who are born again, have access through the spirit to gain understanding of the word of God as it is revealed by the Holy Spirit. Think not that the Body of Christ is also the Bride of Christ. Jesus is not marrying His own body. We are commanded to 'grow up into Him which is the head', otherwise we are just disjointed parts of His body. Jesus is marrying a Bride prepared for Him, a Bride without spot or wrinkle, who has overcome or is in the process of overcoming sin through death to self. Those who will not seek to be prepared will be as those foolish virgins in Matthew 25 who found themselves rejected.

(3) – “and anoint your eyes with eyesalve, that you may see”. The Greek word used here has a base that means to 'stick' or 'cleave to'. It is only as we cling to Jesus and follow Him that we will have ears to hear what the Spirit says and eyes to see that which is of the truth – so that we will not be deceived. Apart from Jesus we can do nothing. Do not be of those who honor the Lord with their lips but their heart is far from Him. Love, seek, and trust Him with all your heart.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Although Jesus is rebuking the Laodicean church and has nothing good to say about them, He is expressing His love towards them. He urges them to be zealous rather than complacent. One who loves the Lord, is in right relationship with Him, fellowships with Him, and is growing in relationship with Him cannot help but be zealous about serving Him and following Him rather than serving sin. Complacency is the fruit of the flesh. If you are complacent about the kingdom of God and your walk with the Lord, then you are pursuing after the flesh instead of pursuing after the Spirit. Repent. Turn to the Lord with all your heart and learn of Him – taste and see that the Lord is good and all things that are of Him and by Him are good – they are things to be desired. The flesh can never satisfy – only the Lord can satisfy the soul that longs for peace and joy.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Jesus is still addressing the church. He says He is standing at the door and knocking. Those that believe they are eternally saved by virtue of being born again do not realize there is more. When you are born again you are in Christ. That is only the beginning. There is the opportunity to have Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Christ is standing at the door of your soul. Opening this door and allowing Jesus in is the only way to know Jesus and have true relationship with Him. If you are to “let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5), then you also must open the door and let Christ in to be Lord of your soul – your mind, will, and emotions. This is the meaning of Hebrews 10:38 & 39 which says; “Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul”.

In each of the messages to the seven churches, Jesus concludes with a promise to those who overcome. At the end of the message to the Laodiceans, Jesus says; “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am sat down with my Father in his throne”. So what did Jesus overcome? In John 16:33 Jesus said; “These things have I spoken to you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”. We are to overcome the world, sin, and the enemy of our souls just as Jesus did – who overcame by being led of the Spirit; doing only that that He saw the Father do and speaking only that which He heard the Father say. We are given the strategy for doing so in Revelation 12:11; And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death”. This scripture reveals Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

The Way: the blood of the Lamb. It is only by belief that Jesus shed His blood on the Cross as payment for our sins that we can be born again and enter into the kingdom of God. And it is only by virtue of having the kingdom of God within us that we can have access to the Spirit of God and be influenced by Him. And it is only by His influence, His grace (Strong's concordance defines grace as the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life), that we can be trained up by Him and 'the Way' through Him revealed.

The Truth: the word of our testimony. As we walk on the path that leads to life the Holy Spirit will discipline us, break us, and humble us, and teach us to be patient. He will add to our patience experience, and experience hope, and hope that makes not ashamed. Our experiences along the path build our trust in the Lord as we see Him provide for us, protect us, and deliver us from impossible situations. These things will not be experienced if we choose to take on the circumstances of life in our own strength and understanding, trusting in ourselves and being 'self sufficient' instead of being 'God dependent'. But if we choose to trust the Lord we will experience these things which become our testimony of the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. It is our testimony or our experiences with the Lord that will be an anchor for us in the storms of life as we remember how faithful the Lord was in the past and will continue to be because He will never leave or forsake us. We will come to know the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads and guides us into all the truth - revealing Jesus to us Who is the Truth.

The Life: loving not our lives unto the death. The death mentioned here is not physical, but is death to self and the entering into His rest where we cease from our own works as we are led by the Holy Spirit, the same way Jesus overcame. We all have the potential of becoming manifest sons of God and being one with Him, but only if we allow Him to thoroughly purge us of all that is of our carnal nature so that His nature fills us and His glory is manifest through us as vessels of honor fit for His use. This is the plan of the Lord, to create vessels through which He may build His kingdom on earth, set the captives free, and lead the many to righteousness. We abide in Him and He in us. We cease from our own works so that He may do the works through us and the world and an unbelieving church sees Him and hears Him - not us. He will be our Life and that more abundant.

Knowing God is a process – it is the path that leads to life – not accomplished all at once through the new birth experience. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we would no longer be conformed to this world. We must develop ears to hear what the Spirit says. We must learn to be led of the Spirit. We must overcome sin and all that pertains to this world; the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. All these are processes that take much time. That is why Jesus calls it a 'path' that 'leads' to life - and few there be that find it. Why? Because few are willing to pay the price required to know the Lord.

“He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”