It truly is an epidemic! Baptized but NOT saved; a tactic that the enemy uses to deceive people to believe
that by an emotionally charged journey to the altar at church, saying a prayer,
and being baptized, they are now saved and in right standing with God.
Now, i'm not saying that people don't come down to the altar and make a sincere
decision about Christ, but I am saying that many people have an inaccurate
view of the "why" and "how" of salvation and how to
"grow" in relationship with Christ. Unfortunately, It's one of
those foundational blocks of the Christian faith that is not given the
needed emphasis or presented often enough for people to have a clear
understanding. My goal over the next few post (with the help of God) is to
help individuals understand what it means to truly be a Christian.
I serve on the Decision Counseling ministry
at my church; this is the ministry that assists people who have made a decision
to accept Christ as Lord and Savior of their life. I also try to be intentional
about sharing the love of Christ with people by sharing the gospel with them
and offering relationship with the living God. The single most common thing
that I hear when people tell me that they are saved is "I was baptized
when I was (insert age here); i'm saved." When
I ask those same people about the change that they experienced when they
received Christ they can't offer anything. When I ask them about the contrast
of their life before Christ and after Christ they can't offer anything. When we
take a look at reality of if they live their lives as GOD teaches or as
THEY DESIRE, the favor is in THEIR side. This is the devastating
reality of what I come across 85% percent of the time. This breaks God's heart
because He is very protective of His glory and if people are living lives that
are contradictory to what God commands but yet they are calling themselves
Christians; then God is being misrepresented. Sure, we will all sin and fall
short, but our commitment as Christians should be that we are daily becoming
more and more like Christ by allowing HIM to transform our hearts and our lives.
This doesn't just happen by osmosis, it takes intentionality.
Another phrase that I often hear when asking
people about their salvation is, "I'm
saved, I grew up in the church". This is yet another tactic
that the enemy uses to convince us that we are right with God. We go to
church RELIOUSLY but see no evidence of God's power displayed in our lives. There
is little difference between our life and the life of those who are
unbelievers. So many find comfort and security in their relationship with God
(or lack thereof) because they ritually attend church and avoid what they deem
as the "major sins". God is clear that
true relationship with him causes a HEART/LIFE CHANGE! I'd venture to say that unless your life looks different
after Christ (meaning that your desire for righteousness is increasing, your
taste for sin is decreasing, and evidence of that is displayed in your life),
you must take a deep look at if you ever truly accepted Christ in the first
place. The book of 1 John has a great deal of information that will
help one to determine if they are truly in relationship with God (I'll cover
some of that soon but for starters, you can read it in a version of your
choosing that is simple to understand).
Now why am I so passionately talking about this?
Is it to point out this epidemic just for the sake of it? Absolutely not! My goal is to help people have an understanding of the
danger of claiming relationship with God without truly being involved in that
relationship. That is damaging to the Kingdom of God and an
extremely dangerous position for an individual to take. In the next few post I
would like to walk through some ways that the bible clearly teaches us in
identifying that if we are truly in relationship with Christ.
While salvation is a free gift
given to us by God through Jesus Christ, it is more than just saying words; it
is submitting to a heart change and committing to growing in the knowledge and
righteousness of Christ. We don't have the ability to do it in
our own strength, but by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit given to us
through Christ Jesus at the point of salvation, we can truly experience what it
means to have abundant life in Christ (John 10:10).
I pray over the next few post I am able to help
you or someone that you know see what God truly desires for us as His children.
His love is unfailing and unrelenting and he desires TRUE relationship with you
today. Come back and join me for more on understanding what it means to be a
born again child of God.
I love you all, but Jesus loves you SO much more!
Kristin Sarai
