比方說, a salesman comes to your door, trying to sell a product, which according to him, you need in your life and can’t live without. By using a standard sales pitch, he tries to persuade you to purchase the product. You listen patiently and when he is finished, you ask him, why you need it and ask him all kinds of specific questions about the product, which the salesman can’t really answer, but twists around it a bit and gives you vague answers. What do you think? Would you buy the product? It’s the same with many Christians, who don’t really know in whom they believe and what they believe and can’t preach a clear message of the gospel and therefore are no longer true witnesses of Jesus Christ. When people approach them and ask them questions, many Christians can’t give a straight answer or can’t answer their questions at all. Why is that? What are the three main reasons, why Christians can’t preach a clear message and why Christians can’t give straight answers about the Christian faith?
Many Christians are not born again and have not entered the Kingdom of God
耶穌回答說, 實實在在, 實實在在, 我告訴你, 除非人重生, 他看不到神的國. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 耶穌回答, 實實在在, 實實在在, 我告訴你, 除非人從水和聖靈生, 他不能進入神的國. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (約翰 3:3-6)
Not every person, who calls himself or herself a Christian is truly a Christian. A Christian is someone, 相信耶穌基督的人, the Son of the Living God, and is born again in Christ and has received the Holy Spirit and through regeneration belongs to His Body; the Church.
The Body of Christ is the government of Christ and His Kingdom on earth.
Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church and the Church represents His Kingdom, His will and obeys the Head; Jesus Christ and walks in His commandments doing His will, which is the will of the Father (另請閱讀: ‘Jesus is the Head of the Body; the Church‘ 和 ‘What is wrong with the church?‘ (哦. 約翰 5:30; 14:15, 歌羅西書 1:18; 2:10-19)).
耶穌說, that unless a person is born again, he can’t see the Kingdom of God. 因此那些, who are not born again, can’t see (看, perceive) the Kingdom of God.
Jesus continued and said, unless someone is born of water and of the Spirit, he can’t enter into the Kingdom of God, because what is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
所以, there is no other way to enter the Kingdom of God and to see the Kingdom of God, than through regeneration in Christ, no matter what people say. You can’t enter the Kingdom of God nor see the Kingdom of God through a single confession or by following a set of precepts and statutes, which are often instituted by people, but you must become born again.
The baptism in water and the baptism with the Holy Spirit are essential and show your submission and obedience to God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Because if you believe in Jesus Christ and decide to make Jesus the Lord of your life and to follow Him, you will do what He says and therefore you will obey His commandment and be baptized in water and baptized with the Holy Spirit (哦. 馬克 16:16, 使徒行傳 2:4; 2:38; 10:47-48; 16:15; 19:5-6, 羅馬書 6:3, 1 哥林多前書 12:13, 加拉太書 7:20 (另請閱讀: 'Four reasons why you must be born again?‘ 和 ‘Is christening, infant baptism the same as adult baptism?’)
How can you preach the Kingdom of God if you can’t see nor have entered the Kingdom of God?
小孩子, 不要讓任何人欺騙你: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, 即使他是正義的. 犯罪的人是屬魔鬼的; 因為魔鬼從一開始就犯罪. 為此目的，神的兒子顯現出來, 以便他摧毀魔鬼的作為. 凡從神生的就不犯罪; for His seed remaineth in him: 他不能犯罪, 因為他是由神而生. 神的兒女在此顯明, 和魔鬼的孩子們: 凡不行義的，就不是出於神, 不愛弟兄的人也一樣 (1 約翰 3:7-10).
People can say they are born again and can read all kinds of Christian books about the Kingdom of God and the spiritual realm and act spiritually and speak and act from the knowledge, insights, and experiences of the writers of these books, while in reality they are not born again and don’t have any knowledge and insight themselves about the Kingdom of God and don’t understand the things of the Spirit, because they can’t see the Kingdom of God and have not entered the Kingdom of God, but they are still darkened in their mind and walk after the flesh being led by the carnal mind and the will of the flesh
Their unrenewed state is visible in their lives by the fruit they bear. Because the Holy Spirit doesn’t walk in sin and would never approve of sin or promote sin and doesn’t compromise and build bridges with the world, and pagan religions and philosophies, which derive from the darkness.
The Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment (約翰 16:8)
聖經說, that if a person is born of God, he will do righteousness, since the person is born of God and has received God’s nature, and therefore the person shall live from this new nature.
The person shall no longer walk as the old creation in disobedience to God in obedience to the devil according to the will of the flesh (old nature) and doing the works of the flesh and persevering in sin. But the person shall walk as the new creation in obedience to God, according to the will of the Spirit (new nature), and therefore bear the fruit of the Spirit and of righteousness.
A tree doesn’t lie. You will recognize the tree by the fruit they bear. This same principle applies to Christians.
然而, the problem is, that many Christians don’t know the Word, because they don’t read and study the Bible, and therefore they don’t know this and keep believing the lies of the devil.
They listen to the words of carnal preachers, who walk after the flesh and persevere in sin and they believe and obey their words, since they think they are appointed by God and tell the truth. And so many are misled and enter the broad way, which doesn’t lead to eternal life.
Many Christians have no knowledge of God’s Word
This is also the second reason, why many Christians don’t preach a clear message and can’t answer questions about the Christian faith. They don’t read and study the Bible and have not renewed their minds with the Word of God and because of that, they are ignorant about the will of God, the Kingdom of God, 這 works of darkness, good and evil, spiritual warfare, 這 cross, the blood, the resurrection, 洗禮, 這 new man, the inheritance, the great commission, 這 end times, judgment and eternal life.
They faithfully attend church services and listen to what the preacher says and during the week they read some Scriptures from the Bible, when they wake up and/or before they go to bed. But during their day, they don’t take time to study the Bible, but spend their time on the things that are more important to them.
The faith is not their life, but just an addition to their own lives that usually consists of following religious duties.
It’s all about the state of the heart of a person, which becomes visible through words and deeds. The words and deeds of a person, which derive from the heart, show whether the person’s desire goes out to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom or to the (things of) 世界.
As long as Christians don’t spend time in the Word and don’t search the Scriptures, they shall remain ignorant and unsure about their faith and shall have doubts and questions.
And if they have doubts and questions about the Christian faith, because they don’t understand certain things about the Christian faith and the Bible, how can Christians preach the gospel to others? How can Christians preach a clear message and answer questions, if they have doubts and questions themselves?
Many Christians are afraid, to tell the truth of God
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (箴言 29:25)
And the final reason why Christians can’t preach a clear message and can’t answer questions is because of fear for people.
Many Christians are afraid, to tell the truth of God and represent the will of God and His Kingdom on earth.
Although they pray piously ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done’, they don’t submit themselves to the will of God and don’t represent and preach His will and His Kingdom on earth.
Instead of preaching and representing the Kingdom of God and His will on earth, they preach what people want to hear.
They don’t consider the will of God, Who wants every person to repent and remove their sins and be saved, but they consider the feelings and emotions and the will of the flesh of people.
Instead of having a fear for God, they fear the people.
Under the pressure of the world and out of fear of the opinion, reaction, rejection, and persecution of people they keep their mouths shut and remain silent and give no straight answer to the questions of people
Due to a lack of knowledge and a fear of people Christians remain silent and because of that many souls are lost
If Christians don’t become born again in Christ and spiritually awake and take their position in Christ and their place in the Body of Christ on earth, and don’t renew their mind with the Word of God, and out of fear of people keep their mouths shut and stay silent about the truth, they shall not be able to be witnesses of Jesus Christ and many souls shall be lost.
Souls, which could have been saved and could have inherited eternal life through Jesus Christ (if Christians would know who they are in Christ and take a stand on the Word and speak boldly about Jesus Christ and be His witnesses and would not be ashamed of the gospel and call the people to repentance), but have never met and gotten to know Jesus Christ, 永生神的兒子, who loved them and also died for them on the cross and gave His life and His blood for them. Only because of the ignorance, 害怕, and silence of Christians, who many times are too busy with their own lives and don’t have time for God and Jesus; the Word and the things of the Kingdom of God and keep their ears closed for the Holy Spirit and keep their eyes shut for the spiritual need and the lost souls around them.
‘成為地球之鹽’
