Living A Holy Life

Being holy is living a clean, godly, and pure life that is pleasing to God.  It is also having a pure heart, as well as reading the bible and trying to obey it.  Of course, no one is perfect and we all sin and have to ask God to forgive us.  I John 1:8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  I John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Another name for holiness is righteousness.  Proverbs 21:21: He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

The bible actually commands us to be holy.  I Peter 1:15: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16: Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Living a holy life is the exact opposite of what most people in the world are doing since most people in the world are unsaved and don't know God, our heavenly Father, or Jesus, our saviour.  So by living a holy life, you will be extremely different than the world.  That is why God calls his children a peculiar people.  Peculiar means strange and unusual, different than the norm.

The following are verses that tell us that Christians are a peculiar people.
I Peter 2:9: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; 10: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Titus 2:14: Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Christians are born of God and have the Holy Spirit living inside them, unlike the unsaved people of the world who do not have the Holy Spirit inside of them, which is why it says in I John 5:19: And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Furthermore, God is a god of extremes and there is a huge difference between good and bad.  For instance, heaven is extremely good and hell is extremely bad.  There's a big difference between light and darkness, foolishness and wisdom.  So there is also a big difference between holy and profane.  Profane means extremely filthy and unclean.
Leviticus 10:10: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
Ezekiel 44:23: And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
Discern means to know and understand and have wisdom to know the difference between what is good and what is bad.

The following are verses that talk about holiness.

Isaiah 35:8: And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
I Thessalonians 4:7: For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
Hebrews 12:14: Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
Luke 1:74-75; That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75: In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
Romans 1:4: And declared to be the Son of God with power; according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
II Corinthians 1:7: Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Ephesians 4:24: And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

The following are verses that tell us we should be separate from unclean and profane people.  In other words, don't be good friends with unsaved people.  We should definitely witness to them and try to get them saved, and tell them the gospel, but we should not be like them in their sinful life that they live.

II Corinthians 6:14-18: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath he that believeth with an infidel?
15: And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16: And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18: And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

It is a wonderful thing to be a child of God and one of his peculiar people, to be different than the world.  Children of God are by far in the minority. There are many more wicked and profane people in the world than holy people.  That is why God calls us a "peculiar treasure" in Exodus 19:5: Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Love Is The Most Important Thing

Love Is The Most Important Thing

Another word for love in the bible is charity.

I Corinthians 13:13: And now abideth faith, hope, charity; but the greatest of these is charity.
Colossians 3:14: And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
I Peter 4:8: And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

So charity (love) is the most important thing since it says above all and the greatest of all things.

It was because of God's great love for us that he sent Jesus to the world so we could have eternal life, and it was Jesus' love for us that made him go to the cross.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 5:8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

So in the same manner that Jesus loves us is the way he wants us to love one another.  He commands us to love one another.
John 13:34: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 15:12: This is my commandment that ye love one another, as I have loved you.
John 15:17: These things I command you, that ye love one another.
I John 3:23: And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

Love is not a feeling, like loving ice cream or candy, but as shown above, love is a commandment.  Love is not selfish, it is wanting what is best for another person, not our own self. We witness to people because we love them and don't want them to go to hell.  If it wasn't for God's mercy in saving us, we would be going to hell too.  But God loved us enough to save us and that is how he wants us to love others.

Other verses in the bible that tell us to love one another, our brothers and sisters in Christ, are the following.

I Thessalonians 4:9: But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
John 13:35: By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
According to John 13:35, even unsaved people who watch us will know that we are Jesus' disciples if we love one another since it says all men will know.  When we love one another it is a good testimony to the world.

I John 3:14: We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.  He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 
So according to I John 3:14, by having love in our heart for our brothers and sisters in the Lord, it gives us a great assurance that we are saved because God put this brotherly love in a believers heart.  It says we are passed from death unto life (saved).  Unsaved people do not have this kind of love; that is why the verse says that he that loveth not his brother abideth in death (unsaved).
I John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  Notice how again it gives us assurance of our salvation because every one that loves is born of God.

I John 3:15: Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
A saved person would never have murderous hate in his heart for his brother.  It is impossible, according to I John 3:15.

I Corinthians chapter 13 is called the love chapter in the bible, and this chapter tells us that everything we do for the Lord should be done in love or it profiteth us nothing.

I Corinthians 13:
1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2: And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge: and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4. Charity suffereth long, and is kind: charity envieth not: charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed us.
5. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease: whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

God wants us to serve him and labor for him with all our heart and he will reward our labor, but he wants us to do it all with love.  Even if we bestow our goods to feed the poor, or give our body to be burned, without love it profits us nothing.

God will reward your labor for him so abound in the work of the Lord.
I Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Works In The Bible

This is a bible lesson about the word “works” in the bible and the difference between doing no work to get saved and about doing works after you are saved.

The following are verses that show us that salvation is completely by faith alone without any works whatsoever on our part to be saved.  It is a free gift to us because it was purchased by Jesus's blood.  Jesus did all the work for us to be saved.  So for us it is free.  We pay absolutely nothing for it.  All we have to do is accept it and receive it.  It is just like when someone offers you a gift; it doesn't become yours until you receive it.  Once we receive it, it is ours forever, God will never take it back because it is everlasting life, and everlasting means never ending.  (John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.)  God is not an Indian giver.

Romans 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Romans 4:6  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works. 

You see how the bible says to him that worketh not, but believeth. When we have faith in Christ, God imputes his righteousness to us, meaning God takes Christ's righteousness to be ours.  Being justified means being declared not guilty because we are covered by Christ's righteousness.  When God looks at our heart he sees the blood of Jesus and not our sin.  That is why we get to go to heaven when we die, because Jesus made it possible by paying our way for us.  (Righteousness means goodness, godliness, holy, without sin, etc).  Christ is the only one perfectly righteous, and we receive his righteousness when we believe on him.

Other verses that say we are saved by grace through faith and that it is not of ourselves includes the following:

II Timothy 1:9: Who hath saved us and and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.  

Titus 3:5: Not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

Galatians 2:16: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no man be justified.

The purpose of this study is to show you that there is a big difference between doing works to get saved and doing works after you are saved.  There are many people and false teachers out there that preach a false gospel by saying you have to do something besides trust in Christ to be saved, like being baptized, repenting of all your sins, being really sorry for your sins, being willing to do this or that.  In Acts 16:30-31 it says “And brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  31: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house.”

So did you notice how it said what must I do to be saved.  There is only one thing you must do to be saved and that is believe on Christ.  Salvation is a free gift purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ.  If you had to pay one penny for it, it wouldn't be free.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9: Not of works, lest any man should boast.  Galatians 2:21 says “I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain”.  That tells us that if we could do something to earn our way to heaven, then Christ died for nothing.  

So now that we have established that salvation is free and not by works, lets examine another kind of works that the bible talks about.  It talks about works we do after we are saved because we love him and want to serve him for all he has done for us.  II Corinthians 5:14-15 says “For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead. 15: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them.  The bible also speaks of laying up treasures in heaven.  Matthew 6:20: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and were thieves do not break through nor steal.

The bible teaches that all the good works that we do for Jesus while living here on the earth, we will receive rewards in heaven for them.  Matthew 16:27 says “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.  

Revelation 22:12: And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Psalms 62:12: Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy, for thou renderest unto every man according to his work.

The things we do with our life that are not for the Kingdom of God will be burned up and no reward given, but for the things that we do for God and the furtherance of the Gospel we will receive a reward.  That is why it is so important to serve God with your life.

I Corinthians 3:13: Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

I Corinthians 3:14: If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward.

God wants us to walk with him and talk with him and to increase in knowledge of his Word so that our life will be useful to him (fruitful) and produce more Christians.  That is why it is so important to read your bible.  

Colossians 1:10: That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

I Timothy 6:18: That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.

I Corinthians 3:8: Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. (Labour means work.)

I Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.  (In vain means useless).  But our labour for the Lord is not useless, it will bring great rewards because God said it would.  

In conclusion, we receive salvation as a free gift (which is absolutely free, without doing any work at all whatsoever.) But after we are saved, we can live for the Lord and serve him because that is the way to have a useful life that God will bless and use to bring other souls to Christ.  It also brings great peace and joy.  Just to know that God is using you is the greatest joy ever possible in this life on earth.  

Another wonderful bible verse that talks about doing works for the Lord is in John 14;12, where it says “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my father.”  That means we can do even greater works than Jesus did because he went back to God, from where he came, and God now gives us his Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and do works like Jesus did.  For this reason it is so important to be close to God and Jesus and pray for the Holy Spirit power in your life, so you can witness for God and win souls to Him.  

Who Are God's Chosen People

Who Are God's Chosen People

This is a bible study on “who are God's chosen people.” There is a huge false teaching in the world today by a massive amount of churches, including baptist churches, that the nation of Israel is God's chosen people because they are the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the old testament.  Their religion is called Zionism and Judaism. The people are also called Jews.  But the truth is that they rejected Jesus, killed him, and greatly hate Jesus and blaspheme his holy name.  Blasphemy means to say terrible evil wicked things about God or Jesus.  In their book of teachings which is called the Talmud, some of the hateful things they say about Jesus are the following:

“He was a blasphemer and idolater, and although the Romans probably could not care less, we insisted that he get what he deserved.  We even convinced the Roman governor (or more precisely forced him to accept) that this heretic and imposter needed to be executed and we are proud of it.

“the mother of Jesus played the harlot with carpenters.”  Mary the mother of Jesus was a virgin, not a harlot.  "It calls Jesus a fool”.

Another quote in the Talmud says this “There is no reason to feel ashamed because we rightfully executed a blasphemer and idolater.  Jesus deserved death, and he got what he deserved. "  

They hate Jesus because they are children of the devil.  

Here is what Jesus said to the Jews in John chapter 8:

John 8:37: I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.  

8:38: I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 

8:39: They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father.  Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

8:40: But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God; this did not Abraham.

8:41: Ye do the works of your father.  Then said they to him, we be not born of fornication; we have one father, even God.

8:42: Jesus said unto them, if God were your father, ye would love me: for I proceedeth forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

The Talmud is a book of the doctrines of men and not the word of God as the bible is.  They say that the Jews killed Jesus is a myth.  But it is not a myth as it says in Acts 3:13: The God of Abraham, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.  

In I Thessalonians 2:15 where it is speaking of the Jews it says “Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:”

Can Jews be saved then? They can be saved just like anyone else can be saved and that is through believing on Jesus as their saviour.  In John 11:45 it says “Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him”.  Also, there are many other places in the book of John where Jews believed on Jesus and were saved.  God loves everyone in the world, Jews or non Jews; red and yellow, black, and white, they are precious in his sight.  II Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  Romans 2:11 says For there is no respect of persons with God. Galatians 3:22: But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise of faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.  So Christians are God's chosen people.  Whoever puts their faith in Jesus is one of God's chosen people.  The bible says those who believe on Christ are the spiritual children of Abraham as shown below.

Galatians 3:6: Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

3:7: Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

3:8: And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. (Notice how it says all nations, not just one nation as in the nation of Israel).  That is because Jesus died for the sins of the whole world.  

I John 2:2: And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

So salvation is available to people of all nations through faith in Christ, not just one nation.  I John 3:9: So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

The bible says he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, but inwardly.  Romans 2:28: For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh; 2:29: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. So that shows us that the real chosen people of God are the ones who have accepted Christ and have the holy spirit inside of them (inwardly).

The physical descendants of Abraham say they are Jews, but they are not Jews in the spiritual meaning of the word. The following verses in Revelation show us the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not.

Revelation 2:9: I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.  

Revelation 3:9: Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.  

Those that say they are Jews and are not are the physical descendants of Abraham that have not believed on Jesus. So a true Jew in God's eyes is a person who has put their faith in Jesus.

Also, the bible says that whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ is an antichrist and a liar.  Anti means against, so an antichrist is against Christ. I John 2:22: Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is an antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.  2:23: Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. The physical Jews are liars because they don't believe Jesus is the Son of God.  If the physical Jews who do not believe on Jesus are God's chosen people, then what are they chosen for – to go to hell?  For no one can have eternal life except through believing on Christ.  John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

People will say you have to bless and help Israel so God will bless us and our country.  The verses they use for this are in Genesis chapter 12.  

Genesis 12:1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

12:2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

12:3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.  (Notice that it says all families of the earth, those who believe on Christ.)  When it says he will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee, it is talking about Christians, not the physical nation of Israel as some people proclaim.

Where it speaks of a great nation in verse 12:2 it is referring to believers in Christ.  In I Peter 2:9 it says “ But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.  

I Peter 2:10: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. So according to this, all believers in Christ all over the world are chosen and are a holy nation.  

The bible says if we bless the ungodly and help them that wrath is upon us from the Lord, not blessing.

II Chronicles 19:2: And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD?  Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.  So Christians should not be helping Israel because Israel hates Jesus.

In the book of II John verse 9-11 it says we should not bless people (bid them God speed) who do not abide in the doctrine of Christ and do not believe he is God's son.  

II John 9: Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.  

10: If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed.

11: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 

According to verse 11 if we bless the nation that is a Christ hating, blasphemous people, false Judaism religion, then we are partakers of their evil deeds.  So why would any Christian want to bless Israel.  

In the final analysis, anyone can be saved for it says in Romans 10:12-13: For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The reason I wrote this lesson out is so that you will not be confused about who are God's chosen people.  Just remember that Christians, believers in Christ, are God's chosen people, not the physical nation of Israel.

Marching To Zion Movie

The Fruit Of A Christian

The Difference Between the Fruit of a Christian and the Fruit of The Spirit:

A lot of people are confused between the fruit of the Spirit (Holy Spirit), and the fruit of a Christian.  Fruit always means reproducing after its own kind.  For example, an apple tree produces apples, an orange tree oranges, etc.  So the fruit of a Christian is another Christian, just like when people get married and bear children, they are bearing fruit by reproducing more people.  Genesis 1:27-28 says for example, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiple and replenish the earth. That is why children are called the fruit of the womb, where children are formed by God.  (That is one of the reasons why homosexuality is so wicked and vile, they cannot bear fruit as God commanded.) So, therefore, it only makes sense that the fruit of a Christian is another Christian.  As a matter of fact, that is the only way anyone in the world can ever get saved.  People hear about Jesus and the gospel because they heard it from another Christian, so you would be that Christian's fruit.  People who bear fruit for Christ are winning other people to Christ in many different ways. For example, a person witnessing with his mouth to tell other people about Jesus, preachers who preach about Jesus, people passing out tracts, missionaries going to foreign lands to tell people about Jesus, or maybe even just getting one person saved and then that person wins many to the Lord.  Since Jesus came into the world to save sinners, the most nearest and dearest thing to the heart of our precious saviour is getting people saved.  But to be able to do that, we have to abide in Christ, for without him we can do nothing the bible says.  The bible says we should be bold in witnessing.  Ephesians 6:19: And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.  

The main chapter about bearing fruit is John 15.

John 15:1: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  15:2: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  (purgeth means the Lord will draw us even closer to him and cleanse away sin in our life, and we will bear more fruit for him)

John 15:4: Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye,  except ye abide in me.  15:5: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. 

John 15:8: Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.  (The only way to be a disciple is to be concerned about the one main thing Jesus came to earth for, and that was to save souls from a burning hell.)

John 15:16: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

The fruit of souls being saved will remain because they will be saved for eternity.  Just think of the joy of abiding in Christ and being used to win someone to Him, the joy of saving a soul from going to the Lake of Fire and instead now having eternal life.  John 15:11: These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.  

Not every Christian in the world bears the same amount of fruit.  Mark 4:20: And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.  It is just like when a husband and wife bear children, some have three children, some have 19; they are both fruitful.  There are some evangelists and preachers who preach the Word boldly and win thousands of souls to Christ, and then there are Christians who bear much less fruit.  But the important thing is to just abide in Christ and bear fruit.  Some of our fruit we don't even know about in this life, but we will find out in heaven, if we have faithfully tried to get the gospel out to people, like giving out tracts, or writing a blog to tell people about Jesus, or maybe one person you won to Christ could become a great preacher and win many souls.  All of these are ways to bear fruit.  But Jesus wants us to bear much fruit, so we should try our best to reach everyone we can with the gospel.  John 15:8: Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.  Jesus wants us to do the same works that he did, for it says in John 14:12: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.  Of course, the greatest work Jesus did was saving souls.

One section in the bible about fruit that is very often misinterpreted is Matthew 7:15: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16: Ye shall know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  17: Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  Matthew 7:20: Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  People will twist this scripture to say you can tell if someone is saved or not by looking at their fruit, like the way they live, act, etc., but that is not true.  It is talking about how we can tell if someone is a false prophet or not by their fruits, like if they are winning souls or not, preaching the pure gospel and not false doctrine.  The bible says that we are to discern between a true man of God and a false prophet so we can avoid false prophets, but if someone says they are trusting Jesus for salvation, we are not to judge whether they are saved or not by the way they live.  

Many people read the above passages about bearing fruit and then they jump over to Galatians 5:22 that says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith."  But that is not the fruit of a Christian, it is the fruit of the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is one part of the trinity of God, so the attributes of God are reproduced in our hearts.  God is love, he gives us peace, is gentle and good and patient, gives us joy because our sins are forgiven and we are heaven bound, etc.  When we get saved God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort us through our trials and tribulations.  In John 14:16 it says "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, 17: Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you.  John 14:26: But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.  So the Holy Spirit comforts us and teaches us.  That is the fruit of the Spirit. 

So how do we abide in Christ so our life can bear fruit for eternity.  The bible says Jesus is the Word.  John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  The Word made flesh is talking about Jesus.  Jesus is the Word of God, so to abide in Christ means we abide in the Word of God.  We have to read God's Word and let it sink into our hearts and mold us and make us more like Jesus.  John 15:4: Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.  John 15:7: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.  John 14:23: Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  John 15:3: Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  So that is how you abide in Christ, by staying in his Word continually, and that is how to bear much fruit for Christ.  John 15:5: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.  If we abide in Christ and his word abides in us, the bible says we will bring forth much fruit.  Shouldn't that be the goal of every Christian, to bring forth much fruit, not just a little.  The only reason God doesn't take us to heaven right when we get saved is because he wants to use us here on earth to get other people saved.

Would You Like To Be God's Friend

The word friend is a very heartwarming word.  When someone calls you a friend it gives you a good feeling inside.  But just imagine what it would be like to be called a friend of God, a friend of the one who created the whole universe and everything in it, created us, and knows the number of hairs on our head.  But that is exactly what God called Abraham in the bible.  James 2:23: And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called the Friend of God. 

So here we see that Abraham was God's friend because he believed God.  He didn't just believe about God, he actually believed God, believed whatever he said.  That is the reason he left his country to obey what God told him to do and went where God told him to go.  Genesis 12:1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram; Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee.  (Abram was Abraham's name before God changed his name to Abraham.)  Believing God is the same thing as having faith in God.  Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. God wants us to believe him and to not doubt him.  Doubting is the opposite of faith.  Mark 11:22: And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  23: For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

In John chapter 15 Jesus talks about us being his friend if we keep his commandments, and Jesus is God.  John 15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Jesus laid down his life for us, his friends.  He wants to be our friend.  He is our master, saviour, and lord, but he is also our friend. John 15:14: Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. You have to believe Jesus' commandments before you can do them.  Also, notice that having a friend means you know them, and Jesus said all things he has heard of his father he has made known to us.  15: Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. To know God better we have to stay in his word and apply it to our life.  That is the only way to be close to God.

But not only are we Jesus' friend, but also we are like a close relative to him.  Luke 8:20: And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.  21: And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

One thing we definitely do not want to be called is the enemy of God, but that is exactly what God calls people who love the world.  James 4:4: Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Adulterers and adulteresses are people who are unfaithful to their spouse (husband or wife), and that is the way God feels about us when we love the world instead of him.  I John 2:15: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The world is everything that a godless unsaved society is doing, like fame, pride, riches, worldly pleasures, etc.  I John 2:16: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Lust means a strong desire to have things that are wrong and sinful.  I John 5:19: And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Also, when you believe God, he will do great things with your life and use you for his glory.  John 14:12: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.  

So in conclusion, the most wonderful life we can live on this earth is to believe God, do the same works  that Jesus did, and to be God's friend forever.  We only have one short life to live down here before we go off to heaven, so we should make our life count for God.  If we do, we will have eternal rewards that will last forever and we will have great joy in heaven.

God's Simple Plan Of Salvation

Poetry About Jesus And Salvation