No Scripture Here

I was Face-timing with Wendy and we were discussing a post I had written. One issue was about the tone of the writing. I tend to be a little (okay, a lot) in your face. The other issue was the amount of scripture used in it...used, in fact, in all of my writings. Wendy, knowing the concentration level of most people in the church in the West, was gently suggesting that perhaps I might want to either back off on it, or maybe just rewrite some of the passages in my own words - kind of hide scripture so that readers wouldn’t necessarily know I was actually quoting scripture. Sounds bad when I put it that way, but I know what she was getting at. Christians don’t like taking time to read scripture. They would prefer someone read for them and then, in their own words, reveal biblical truths that God has shown them. These Christians would rather read a book from the Christian book store on the subject...whatever subject that is...than open the bible and do a study for themselves. The truth is, many Christians don’t really like to read scripture. They would prefer to read their one quote a day from their daily bible calendar. “Gotta get the word of God in ya.”

This isn’t Wendy's attitude of course. She loves scripture! She can’t get enough. She is in the Word daily. And the Word is in her. But she has been a believer for many years and she knows that, sadly, she is not the norm. Did you hear that? She is not the norm! How is that possible? We are talking about God's church, are we not? We are God’s people! Or so we say.

That’s right. I’m not so sure. Well, that is to say, I’m not so sure about you.

God repeatedly commands us in scripture to look in the mirror and see what we see. We must always be reflecting on our relationship with Him, on what our walk looks like, and on what our priorities are as they pertain to Him vs the world. If you say that He is your top priority and yet you spend little time in the word and in prayer, then you lie, and deceive yourself. The love of Christ is not in you. That is, the Holy Spirit. Don’t have time? That’s because the love of the world is in you. It is no more complicated than that.

If your attitude is that you will read your bible and/or volunteer your time, and/or pray, if time permits, then you are most likely a dead man walking. Your trust is in a salvation that you quite possibly do not have. You see, the difference between a true believer and a pretender is the Holy Spirit. A true believer is filled with the Spirit of Christ. And the Spirit of Christ is holy. Hence “The Holy Spirit”. If the Holy Spirit is now your spirit then you also have the Spirit of Christ. But how can you know? Well, that’s easy! If you have the Spirit of Christ you will have the character of Christ. Makes sense right? This is how we look in the mirror. By comparing ourselves to Christ...the character of Christ... we can know if we are His or not.

Well, what is the character of Christ? Now, if you don’t know the answer to this already, then you are probably a pretender. But let me spell it out for you anyway. The Holy Spirit is the third person in a trinity of persons who combine to form one god. Thee God. God. The Holy Spirit loves the Father and the Son (the two other persons in this trinity). In fact He is Love. Hence, “The love of Christ in you”. Now, because He loves the Father and the Son, He longs for fellowship with Them. He longs to talk to the Father. And if He is in you, then He for sure is calling you from within to talk to the Father. It will be a desire of yours, as well. It’s how you know.

Now we call talking with God, prayer. It’s how we talk with God. Simple, right? But that’s not all. The Spirit also thirsts for the Son. He desires to hear from the Son: to know the Son as only the Spirit can! And no, not to know about Him, but to know Him. And how does He do that? How does He hear from Christ the Son? Simple: through the Word of God. Christ is the Word of God! Get that? Jesus - The Christ - The Word - are one and the same. There is no distinction. You can’t have one without the other. Therefore you can’t have Christ without the Word. Stop listening to all your fake prophets out there. The Word of God (Jesus) is God’s chosen form of communication with us. Don’t like it? Too bad. And if you don’t like it, then guess what? The Spirit of Christ...the Christ you purport to love...is not in you. You see? That’s how you know! The Spirit craves the Word (Christ). When you look in the mirror, do you see a soul who craves the Word of God or not? You must examine yourself! This is too important! I am talking about your forever life and where you will spend it.

There are other attributes of the Holy Spirit that you will have if you are a child of God. The Spirit is holy. The Spirit is righteous. The Spirit is obedient to God. The Spirit seeks after good works. The Spirit of Christ, the same Spirit you claim to have in you, hates the world. Hates the world! And loves the things of God. Jesus the Christ, had no concern for His own life. He sought only to do the will of His Father in heaven. His same Spirit, if He lives in you, longs to do the same. It’s how you know. God has no use for Christians who have fallen back into the world. Christ hates lukewarm, apathetic Christians. And He has no interest in those “believers” who have no interest in Him. He is the Word of God. To be disinterested in Him, the Word, is to be disinterested in Him, the Christ. They are one in the same.

Don’t like writings that have too many scripture quotes in it? You would rather hear from me or someone else, then from God directly? You’re a dead man/woman walking. It’s how you know.

There, I made my entire argument without quoting or even referring to scripture. You’re welcome.