BEYOND REVOLUTION - Going Deeper

NOTE: Darren Smith runs a ministry to the homeless in Texas.

BEYOND REVOLUTION - Going Deeper
-by Darren Smith.

A while back I sent out a word called the Five Points of Revolution.
We have had a lot of responses and I feel its time to go a little
deeper in this word. I believe that we are all being called into this
deeper walk of faith and must be challenged to draw closer to the
Lord. I will be taking each of the five points and teaching more on
each one in this series. The first one we will look at, is the return
to the true faith, that I feel we have lost in the modern church.

1) Return to the true faith: When you look around at all the
teaching in the modern church, how much true faith can you find?
... Before we tackle being born again, we must go further back to
get clear on what was the reason for Christ going to the Cross,
which, I might add, is missing from most modern teaching. Why
did Christ have to die on the Cross? The most common answer
I get when I ask people is to "save us." That brings about the
question- What is He saving us from? When this question is
asked most people reply from hell or the devil, which is not true
at all! Jesus came to save us from the wrath of God!! But wait a
minute, isn't God loving and kind and full of grace and mercy?
Yes, that is why He sent Jesus to take the full cup of Gods' wrath
for man's sin. Without His blood covering you, God's wrath will
pour out on you!

It's simply not popular. We must not look for popularity, but hold
onto truth. One day we will stand before God and give an account
for our life and being popular will mean nothing on that day. I believe
that the reason most do not share their faith is that they are not
sure what their faith is! If all you know is to tell people to ask Jesus
into your heart and you will be saved, then you don't have the true
faith and can't share true salvation. There is nowhere in the Bible
that says to invite Christ into your heart and you will be saved. This
is a man-made doctrine that will not stand, a convenient message
designed to make men feel better about themselves.

There is a group that ministers alongside us every Saturday that
always tells the people in the street to ask Jesus into their heart
and they will be saved, and every Saturday the same people raise
their hand and invite Jesus into their heart. Minutes later they are
right back on the streets doing the same thing they were a few
minutes earlier, no change and worse off than they were. Why?
Because they are being misled by a false doctrine that requires
nothing other than raising their hand to invite Jesus in to their heart.

On the other hand, we preach that Jesus came to take their
punishment and to withstand the wrath of God for mans' sins and
that to be saved you must be born again. We spend a great deal
of time showing them that God loves them, but never compromise
the true Gospel. Which is easier for them to believe, that you
must believe, repent, confess and be baptized; or to raise your
hand and invite Jesus into your heart? Which is easier, teaching
that you must die to yourself to live for Christ, or that Jesus wants
to give you all your heart's desires?

So many become hardened after a while of inviting Jesus into their
heart and seeing no results that they kindle anger and disbelief
against God. I've had guys tell me that they had been saved many
times but nothing happened in their life and now they don't believe.
This is what false teaching does, it turns hearts cold to the truth.
We must return to the Gospel and not water it down to make it
more appealing to the flesh. The preaching of the Cross is the
Power of God and releases the supernatural in peoples' lives!

When you preach the Gospel, you see salvation and healing,
not man-made shows. It's the power of God unto Salvation, why
water it down? This world doesn't need to feel better about itself,
it needs to see the state it's truly in before the Holy God of the
Universe - and repent and bow down to the Lord of Lords and King
of Kings. We must teach the true faith which is loving God and
loving your neighbor which brings about Kingdom change in this
earth!

True Faith isn't going to a religious service a couple times a week
and singing a few songs and hearing a little preaching. True faith
is about being light in this fallen world. Light that shows men Christ,
the only hope of redemption. You won't find that in a meeting that
is all about having your best life now. You only find that by living
for Christ and not yourself.

Most churches today are by design self-serving instead of God-
serving, that's why they have no power. Where the Gospel is
absent, so is the power of God! Jesus not only preached the
Gospel but lived it as an example for us to follow. We must live
the Gospel as well. As the Church, we are to build relationships
with God and with each other. A selfless relationship always
looking to lift up the Lord and blessing others. Instead, most
relationships today are selfish and only look for how serving can
benefit them. Be not fooled brothers, God will judge this. His
eye is not missing how many people are in need and the modern
church pours into itself instead of helping.

The American gospel, which is no gospel at all, will be judged and
will be found guilty as well as all those who partake in it. We must
warn people of the wrath that is upon us for we have all been guilty.
This is why returning to the true Faith is so important. So what
must we do?

2 Corinthians 13:5 - "Examine yourself to see if you are in the
faith: test yourself." ...The first thing we should do is examine
ourselves, test ourselves to see if Christ is in us. Do I know the
true Gospel? Have I been born again? Can I see Christ in my life?
Do I really Love God? Do I really love my neighbor? All of these
are valid starting points to begin this journey. If you ask God to
show you, I promise that HE will.

I want to go on a little further, even though I will not be able to get
through this point with one email. This point is, am I willing to
forsake myself and follow Him? Luke 9 :57-62 - please read this
very closely - it's just one place where Jesus tells us to forsake and
follow. Jesus said if anyone comes after me, he must lay down his
life and pick up his cross and follow me. Have you laid down your
life or are you holding onto it trying to follow Jesus? Is Christ evident
in your life as a present reality or just a religious theory you kick
around from time to time? Does self consume your life or Christ?
Is love your lifestyle or pride? All these and much more must be
opened up to truly examine ourselves to see if we are truly in the
faith. I pray you will take this test with me and we will draw closer
to God.

Please comment on this article at the following website-

http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/

-Visit Darren Smith's websites below-
www.streetscapeministries.com
www.revivalstreet.com
www.unitethefight.com