Does Christ have Authority in You?
One question to ask in the Christian life is "who has power over you, and is Christ reigning or in Authority in you?" If Jesus is Lord of your life, you have given him the power to have his Authority ruling in your Spirit. When you become saved, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your Spirit, and in a real sense your life shouldn't belong to you anymore. What makes people lost is not just that they haven't repented yet, but they are their own authority in what decisions they make in life and not Christ. Matthew 7:21-23
21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
Being a Christian is different than living like one. One says this is true, and another says "this is who I am." There is a lot of division about this in the church right now, because a lot of people want to be in the church but they are not living out their faith. I was challenged by a dear friend, early in my salvation when she said something to the effect that she lives her faith. I admit at the time I was saved, but what she was saying sounded like heresy. I have long repented of this view of my friend, and I hope if she reads this she forgives me!
Long story short, those words really had an impact on me and how I perceive truth and how I perceive God. One of the reasons why people reject Christ is because they feel the church is there to take away our freedoms. If I submit fully to a church, then I loose my ability to think freely. I think if the pastors did a better job in explaining Christ has authority in you, not a person or a church, the people who are rejecting Christianity would have more of a chance of entering and staying in God's kingdom.
Matthew 23:13 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." This is Mike.
One question to ask in the Christian life is "who has power over you, and is Christ reigning or in Authority in you?" If Jesus is Lord of your life, you have given him the power to have his Authority ruling in your Spirit. When you become saved, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your Spirit, and in a real sense your life shouldn't belong to you anymore. What makes people lost is not just that they haven't repented yet, but they are their own authority in what decisions they make in life and not Christ. Matthew 7:21-23
21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
Being a Christian is different than living like one. One says this is true, and another says "this is who I am." There is a lot of division about this in the church right now, because a lot of people want to be in the church but they are not living out their faith. I was challenged by a dear friend, early in my salvation when she said something to the effect that she lives her faith. I admit at the time I was saved, but what she was saying sounded like heresy. I have long repented of this view of my friend, and I hope if she reads this she forgives me!
Long story short, those words really had an impact on me and how I perceive truth and how I perceive God. One of the reasons why people reject Christ is because they feel the church is there to take away our freedoms. If I submit fully to a church, then I loose my ability to think freely. I think if the pastors did a better job in explaining Christ has authority in you, not a person or a church, the people who are rejecting Christianity would have more of a chance of entering and staying in God's kingdom.
Matthew 23:13 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." This is Mike.
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