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[FollowTheWay]

1) Anyone following after Christ's Way, is a Christian.

2) As well, anyone who has submitted themselves to Christ, is a Christian.

The difference is; the second, is saved and born again, and the first isn't.

A man WHO is the (1) follower and not submitted.....can one day be a Christian and the next day not.
He is one WHO has started becoming enlightened to the Truth, and then lost faith and walked away.

Judas is a good example of (1).

So perhaps someone told you they were a Christian, because they were following, then stopped, but never announced to you, they were no longer a Christian.

Then again, if you attend church, you have to remember, you sit among sinners, and while they may pretty much be on the same path, that doesn't me they are all at the same distance on the path.

When someone comes forward during the altar call, the question is "Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior." The answer to the question you're addressing lies in this question but it requires some investigation as to what this really means. Many people are anxious to accept Him as their Savior and "punch their ticket to Heaven." Far fewer are actually willing to accept Him as the Lord of their life. That means we follow Him and put His example above all other things in our lives (money, power, politics, nationalism, even our families).

The rich young ruler is a good example of someone who wanted to accept Christ as his Savior but was unwilling to accept Him as his Lord. His lord was money. We are saved by grace through faith, absolutely. Not through any works of our own. We are not saved BY good works but rather are save FOR good works. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again." That means a total change in what you consider important in you life and how you treat others. This was immediately demonstrated by Nicodemus when he gave back the money he had obtained by cheating the people in his role as tax collector.

Jesus also said "A good tree bears good fruit" and "If you love me you will keep my commandments." The Final Judgement scene in MAT 25 underscores the necessity to accept Jesus as our Savior but also to follow him as the Lord of our life. There are many, many people inside the church and outside it that are unwilling to do this. I just read a book entitled "Christian Atheists" which talks about this exact point.

 

[FollowTheWay]

I will presume you mean "poor" "financially"...

Give money to random churches ~
Give money to beggars on the street ~
Give money to people for food ~
Give money to people for utilities ~
Give groceries to people ~
Give clothing to people ~
Give random children toys ~
Give strangers fuel money ~
Give furniture to people ~
Send flowers to random people ~
Mentor prisoners ~
Visit random prisoners ~
Visit random elderly in rest homes ~
Read scriptures to the elderly in rest homes ~
Buy soldiers lunch and coffee ~
Take cookies to police officers and firemen ~
Help the elderly to their car with groceries ~
Teach and mentor teens ~
Teach deaf kids about Christ ~
and on and on and on ~

Rarely a day goes by that you should be without means that you can assist another ~
Do you do those things? I do.

I don't require a government to dictate HOW to help others.
Nor do I require a Church envelope to pledge a weekly offering.

Yes I do give to the poor financially and otherwise. That of course requires some discernment to weed out the frauds but I don't accept the idea that someone shouldn't help people on the street because you might be giving to someone who is trying to scam you. I consider that idea to be a cop-out and like "throwing out the baby with the bath water."I've helped a few people over a long period of time even years in two cases. I've paid for motel rooms for homeless people and tried to help them find a way out of their situation. A friend of mine at church lost his job and needed to get his car fixed to get around. I paid for that. He later became a missionary to the Ukraine. I firmly believe in doing this kind of thing and actually have a lot more stories to tell.

 

[Happy]

When someone comes forward during the altar call, the question is "Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior." The answer to the question you're addressing lies in this question but it requires some investigation as to what this really means. Many people are anxious to accept Him as their Savior and "punch their ticket to Heaven." Far fewer are actually willing to accept Him as the Lord of their life. That means we follow Him and put His example above all other things in our lives (money, power, politics, nationalism, even our families).

The rich young ruler is a good example of someone who wanted to accept Christ as his Savior but was unwilling to accept Him as his Lord. His lord was money. We are saved by grace through faith, absolutely. Not through any works of our own. We are not saved BY good works but rather are save FOR good works. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again." That means a total change in what you consider important in you life and how you treat others. This was immediately demonstrated by Nicodemus when he gave back the money he had obtained by cheating the people in his role as tax collector.

Jesus also said "A good tree bears good fruit" and "If you love me you will keep my commandments." The Final Judgement scene in MAT 25 underscores the necessity to accept Jesus as our Savior but also to follow him as the Lord of our life. There are many, many people inside the church and outside it that are unwilling to do this. I just read a book entitled "Christian Atheists" which talks about this exact point.

Personally, I do not favor the WAY most Churches "teach" to come to the Lord ~ BECAUSE ~ they IMO, LACK emphasizing the BIG PICTURE. Seems what IS emphasized is oooh rah, "saved from hell", sort of what it seems your comment says about your reference to an untrue Christian.

I prefer oooh rah, "saved UNTO the Lord". IOW ~ willfully giving ones LIFE over to the Lord. IOW ~ willfully submitting to His POWER to "forgive, save, and KEEP the WHOLE of ones LIFE, (body, soul & spirit), subject to the POWER of the Lord.

Saved by grace ~ YES. That is the Lords "grace".
Saved by the Lords "grace" ~ Because the Lord "finds" grace, love, trust & faithfulness in the man.

None of those things (grace, love, trust & faithfulness of the man) are works.

Works of the man, come AFTER, the saving (of the soul) and quickening (of the spirit) ~ BECAUSE ~
with the POWER of God within the man and the TRUTH of God within the man; that man is prepared to do WORKS "according to" and "acceptable to" the Lord.

The KEY is for the man to LEAN on the Lords Power, LEAN on the Lords Word, & most importantly LEAN on the Lords Understanding. All that "LEANING" requires the man TO have his conversations with the Lord in Spirit ~ and STOP leaning on his pea brain to understand God. <--- that is the man who continues to do what he has always done in his flesh.

Works are feeding the "POOR" in "spirit". That is the "POOR" Jesus taught to "FEED".

 

[Happy]

Yes I do give to the poor financially and otherwise. That of course requires some discernment to weed out the frauds but I don't accept the idea that someone shouldn't help people on the street because you might be giving to someone who is trying to scam you. I consider that idea to be a cop-out and like "throwing out the baby with the bath water."I've helped a few people over a long period of time even years in two cases. I've paid for motel rooms for homeless people and tried to help them find a way out of their situation. A friend of mine at church lost his job and needed to get his car fixed to get around. I paid for that. He later became a missionary to the Ukraine. I firmly believe in doing this kind of thing and actually have a lot more stories to tell.

That is wonderful! That is the teaching of Christ Jesus. Not the government taking from one to give to another. That's theft, under the color of law.

I've had prisoners on parole, homeless, sick, stay IN my home. Sleepless nights at times, but hey, ya learn, even thieves, liars, cheats do not like to be stolen from, lied to and cheated. I always have a hard and fast rules ~ it's temporary ~ honesty ~ respect and my home is Christ centered, so they get an ear-full of Jesus too.

 

[FollowTheWay]

That is wonderful! That is the teaching of Christ Jesus. Not the government taking from one to give to another. That's theft, under the color of law.

I've had prisoners on parole, homeless, sick, stay IN my home. Sleepless nights at times, but hey, ya learn, even thieves, liars, cheats do not like to be stolen from, lied to and cheated. I always have a hard and fast rules ~ it's temporary ~ honesty ~ respect and my home is Christ centered, so they get an ear-full of Jesus too.

I greatly respect you as well for the work you've done for the Lord. I like the statement that we should witness every day and if necessary say a few words. As Christ's followers our lives are the best witness.