Smug Christians

 

 

Smug... having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one's achievements 

 

God the Father (Yahweh) did not "retire" when Yahshua (aka Jesus) came. The Whole Bible is the Gift of God’s Wisdom for the Guidance and Blessing of Mankind: What kind of self-sufficiency or egotism is it that would cast aside thirty-nine of the precious God-given books and say, “The New Testament is all we need, or that extra biblical books are necessary to understand God's plan of salvation?” ~ Revelation 22:18

 

The Old Testament was the Bible Jesus used: It was the only Bible then in existence. He not only quoted it and most marvelously applied it on all occasions, but endorsed, corroborated and enforced it throughout His Ministry. Jesus called the Old Testament “the Scriptures” (Matt. 21:42).  

 

It seems Christians are the easiest people for Satan to fool. He was able to persuade a third of the angels to rebel against God, so we should not be to hard on babes in Christ who cling to traditions of man. It is very difficult for immature Christians to understand the difference between Churchianity and Christianity. Satan is not stupid, he counterfeits the word of God and always makes disobedience seem like harmless fun.

 

Some Christians are so heavenly-minded they are no earthly good. I once was a smug Christian. I belonged to the "one and only church." I was saved, and everybody that did not worship like me was going to an ever-burning hell to be tortured for all eternity. What a warped view I was taught by preachers about my Heavenly Father's love, mercy, and forgiveness. Praise the LORD, He rescued me from Churchianity.

 

Christianity is not about being Catholic or Protestant, it has always been people who are trying as best they know how to seek God with their whole heart. Acts 7:38 tells us the ekklesia, assembly or church was founded in the wilderness centuries before Pentecost in 30 A.D. The Church has always been the people who follow Christ, not organizations. Pentecost in the New Testament was the giving of the holy spirit, not the founding of a new religion, or the Church of Christ, or the Catholic Church, or any other organization.

 

 

The Levitical, Apostolic, and Christian ministries are not competing offices, but are ministries of revelation and maturation, each serving the unveiling of Christ’s completed work until His life is fully expressed in sons. As it is written: For it was fitting for Him (Jesus), for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Read Ephesians 4, it explains God's plan to bring unity out of religious confusion. 

 

Christianity is not a religion, it's the government of God. The Body of Christ (the true church) is unified with judicial order and accountability to Yahweh, and each other. Organized religion has set itself up outside the judicial order of God creating man-made doctrines, creeds, and their own religious holidays. 

 

It is good to meet with other Believers but be careful not to mistake Churchianity for Christianity. The Church Jesus built is not an earthly organization, it's a Body of Believers who seek first the Kingdom of God. The Church that Jesus founded is also called "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people" (1 Peter 2:9), composed of people from every nation (Rev 7), regardless of denomination, or church affiliation. The Catholic Church and all its Protestant Daughters do not have a franchise on God or a monopoly on truth.

 

"Body of Christ" Believers who have the Holy Spirit are fully able to discern what the scriptures teach, as the Spirit shows them. It plainly tells us "the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things..." (1 John 2:27).

 

Christ is our Mediator, we don't need to go to a priest, or anyone else, to be able to understand the truth. When we seek God with our whole heart, the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to us.

When people speak in "tongues" and we don't understand a word they are saying it's because they are not talking to us. ~ 1 Corinthians 14:2 

 

Pentecostals are God's cheerleaders. Not everyone can be, or wants to be, a cheerleader. That's the reason the Body of Christ is made up of so many different parts. God is not concerned with the name of the church organization you attend. "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." ~ John 4:23   

 

Just as our physical body has many parts all working together, so our spiritual body consists of many parts. 1 Corinthians 12:12 states, "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ". This verse emphasizes that although the body has many different parts, they all work together to form one unified body. 1 Corinthians 12:21 in the Bible. It means that no part of a body (or, by extension, a community or organization) is superior to another, and each part is necessary and dependent on the others. The full verse reads, "The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” Churchianity competes for members, Christianity makes Disciples. It will be a great day when the children of God can meet together and not care what Church they attended.

 

As it is written: We are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness is like filthy rags (filthy menstrual cloth); We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities (disregard for the Law of God), like the wind, Have taken us away (from the truth).  ~ Isaiah 64:6

 

Christians have nothing to be smug about. We are not righteous (or saved) people telling other people they need to "get saved" and join the right Church, rather we are one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. 

As Paul wrote in Philippians 2:11-13... Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  

 

It's a 24/7 job minding our own business. As it is written, "Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand". ~Romans 14:4. What others do with the gift of salvation is their business. 

Many people are obsessed with "judging" and being "judged." However, the word "judge" also means condemn... as in “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”  ~ John 8:10-12. 

 

Some Christians don’t understand the difference between 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 and 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, between carnal 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 and spiritual 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. Carnal thinking will never stand against spiritual 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. Only God knows the intent of man's heart. The best man can do is try to evaluate his behavior according to the Biblical standard. 

 

Evaluating people for their actions is completely Biblical. Jesus warns us about false prophets (which includes false friends) "you shall know them by their fruits (character and conduct)" ~ Matthew 7:20

 

Almost from the beginning of the Church, people wanted to follow a preacher instead of following Jesus. ~ 1 Corinthians 3:4-5. Criticizing and condemning people for their beliefs does not make one holy. Our relationship to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, is personal. God is the righteous Judge. Since most Christians don't speak Hebrew, using the names Yahweh and Yahshua is a matter of personal choice, not something to debate or condemn.

 

Churchianity is always trying to convert people from one denomination to another. Christian conversion is to God, not joining another Church. Churchianity has done horrible things in the name of God. 

We must love and forgive others in the same manner Christ loves and forgives us... no easy task since we humans are not divine. However, one of God's promises is to send His Holy Spirit to enable us to overcome the world even as Christ overcame and an example for us to follow.

Jesus did not speak from the cross and say, “Look, you guys, you still have a chance here. If you will just confess you were wrong, and tell me you are sorry, and get me off this cross, then I will forgive you.”  Instead Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” ~ Luke 23:34

 

Jesus Testifies to the Churches (The Called Out Ones)

 

“And behold (listen up folks), I am coming quickly (very soon), and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work" (not according to the denomination you joined).  ~ Revelation 22:12

 

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ~ Hebrews 4:12

 

Churchianity is fragmented into thousands of denominations and cults. With all the conflicting religious doctrines and customs it is no wonder people are confused about who and what to believe. Organized religion stopped seeking the Kingdom and only seeks members and money. Instead of the Church changing the world, the world changed the Church. 

 

A Bible believing follower of Jesus Christ will change when the Holy Spirit reveals new truth. An indoctrinated follower of denominational Churchianity will not change when presented with Biblical facts, nor will they search the Scriptures to see if it is true. God always gives us a choice. We can choose to believe the Truth of the Bible, or we can choose the lies of the  Adversary.

 

Based on the biblical definition of the word holy which means to be pure, physically sound, clear, unadulterated, pious, uncontaminated, morally righteous, or innocent, there is nothing holy about the country of Israel, the Vatican, Salt Lake City, Mecca, denominations of Churchianity, doctrines contrary to the Bible, or the creeds of religions. ~ Romans 3:23-24

 

The difference between a Church member and a Disciple of Christ is: a Church member follows the doctrines of their denomination, a Disciple follows Jesus Christ. ~ 1 John 2:3-6

 

If you would like to learn more about a genuine relationship with Jesus, You Are Cordially Invited to Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group... https://mlf1070.blogspot.com/2021/01/renew.html

The purpose of Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong.

 

Over the years, as Renew Your Strength has continued to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have recognized that some of the things we once held as true, in fact, are not; and therefore we will not “cast in stone” a statement of our beliefs. We reserve the right to be wrong and to repent of such error when we discover it.  

 

To learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you.

 

The Number 40 in The Bible

 

Significance of “40” in The Bible

In Scripture, the number “40” signifies new life, new growth, transformation, a change from one great task to another great task, etc. For example:

*The rain of the Great Flood – the Great Deluge – lasted 40 days and nights. Day 41 it stopped raining.

 

*Moses fasted for 40 days and nights to prepare himself to receive the Law.

 

*Moses was atop Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights receiving the Law.

 

*The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years after fleeing the Egyptians. Year 41 they entered the Promised Land.

 

*Manna rained down on the Israelites for 40 years. 
  
*The Prophet Elijah walked 40 days and nights to reach the Mountain of God, Horeb.  

 

*Goliath taunted the Israelites for forty days. Day 41 David shows up with a sling shot.

 

*Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights to prepare for His public ministry.

*Jesus Ascended into Heaven 40 days after His glorious Resurrection from the dead.  

*The Feast of Dedication is 40 days before Passover. 

 

*December 25, 5 BC is 40 weeks to September 4 BC, the birth of Jesus. Learn More

 

Synopsis of the Significance of “40”
in Scripture…

So it is, then, that  “40 means something”, as it brings to mind such qualities as repentance, newness, preparation (say, for an important work or task), self-examination, transformation, task fulfillment, escape from bondage or slavery (such as the bondage of sin), nourishment and growth (for example, in the spiritual life), and, finally, personal fulfillment, such as with redemption and salvation, and ultimately, new generation and new life. The number 40 is mentioned in Scripture over 150 times.

70 souls went down to Egypt, but 2 million came out. With God, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. As it is written: He that endures to the end will be saved. ~ Matthew 24:13

We must always maintain faith and hope in Christ to endure to the end, and among the many ways we do this are praying, fasting, and remembering Yahweh's appointed times. These practices fortify us against the subtle schemes and fiery darts of the adversary.

The number 40 symbolizes periods of testing, judgment, and redemption. Endure to the end means... hang in there, keep the faith, and never give up hope, your day 41 is coming. There are nine different 40-day periods noted in Scripture (the phrase itself occurs 17 times). Nine is the number for judgment in the Bible. It is worth noting that 40 is one-ninth of a 360, degree circle. We came from God and we return to God... full circle.    

 

The purpose of Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong.

 

Over the years, as Renew Your Strength has continued to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have recognized that some of the things we once held as true, in fact, are not; and therefore we will not “cast in stone” a statement of our beliefs. We reserve the right to be wrong and to repent of such error when we discover it.  

 

To learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you.