Mind and Heart

Almost my entire life I am a Born-Again Christian. They call us born-again because as the scriptures say and we believed that unless we are born in water and of the Spirit, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. My search of the true church never stopped even though I was convinced that I am in the right church. It started when I remembered what the apostle James said, “...faith without actions is dead.” Here I am believing that our faith alone could save us that salvation is a gift and is freely received from God that no one could boast. But, that gift can be lost by us. If we are not careful on how we obey God and do His ways, that free gift we might never receive. As the scriptures said that we must work out our salvation. Will God give to you what He promised if you reject Christ's teachings? When you say, “I accept Jesus as personal Lord and Saviour,” does this mean that you are already saved? When you accept Jesus, it is also an acceptance of Christ's message. When you say accept that means you have to follow and obey His words. If the Word say we must free ourselves from the love of money, if we are truly God's children then we should accept it. Just like the Parable of the Sower (Please read Luke 8:11-15). It says there that those seeds that fell on good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit. Some will “receive” the word gladly, But it does not sink deep in them; they believe only for a while but when the time of testing comes, they fall away. Accepting Jesus is not as easy as raising your hands.

Recently, I am watching a TV program called “Ang Dating Daan” by Eli Soriano. Of course as every spirit, we must test it if it is really from God. So far, I learned answers from difficult questions, things of spiritual matters. Answering every question thrown at him and blurting verses from the scriptures like some sort of a computer, is quite amazing. And, given the fact that he never got into college, I guess maybe it is of God's spirit or a blatant sham. But as he is quoted by himself that we must focus of the teachings, the message that he preach and not the preacher.