Results of True Christian Conversion

Religion is not Salvation or a way to Eternal Life; true Christianity is.

What God hates in our churches:

R --   ritual

E --   earnestness for superficiality

L --   legalism and manipulation

I --   ignorant of a lot of what is God-pleasing

G --   going on with un-Biblical tradition

 I --   “I” problem especially in pride and selfishness

O --   obnoxious

N --   nasty, hypocritical, and condemnatory like the Pharisees of old

Barely saved?

Matthew 5:19

“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,

          and shall teach men (and women) so,

                 he [or she] shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven;

   but whosoever shall do and teach them,

        the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

1 Corinthians 3:13-15

“Everyone's work shall be made manifest;

        for the Day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire;

             and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

                   If one's work survives which he [or she] has built upon,

                        he [or she] shall receive a reward.

                  If one's work shall be burned, he [or she] shall suffer loss;

                        but he [or she] shall be saved, yet so as by fire.”

What is the saving faith?  It can be summarized by the following anagram:

F --   fear not

A --   assurance from God's Word

I --    in God's love

T --   trust in God and the Bible

H --   holiness with Holy Spirit and Bible help

True Christian conversion results in what the following indicates:

C --   Christ, confession

H --   Holy Spirit help

A --   attitudes and actions

N --   needs

G --   good works  (Ephesians 2:10)

E --   everywhere for eternity

C --   commitment to God's truth

O --   obedience to the Holy Spirit

U --   understanding God's desires

R --   revival spiritually

A --   attentiveness for opportunities to minister

G --   gratefulness to God, especially for His protection

E --   enduring in faith of our Lord Jesus Christ

John 14:15 & 21

Jesus Christ said,

“If you love Me,

      keep My commandments.

  He [or she] who has My commandments and keeps them,

        he [or she] it is who loves Me;

             and he [or she] who loves Me shall be loved of My Father,

                   and I will love him [or her], and will manifest Myself to him [or her].”

Hebrews 3:6 & 10:23

“but Christ as a Son over His own house,

        whose house we are

               if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.”

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,

        for He who promised is faithful.”

Colossians 1:21-23

“And you, who were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works,

         yet now has He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death,

              to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight,

                    if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast,

                    and are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which you heard,

                           which was preached to every creature under Heaven,

                                 of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

Ephesians 1:4-6

“According as He has chosen us in Him

        before the foundation of the world,

             that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love;”

                  having predestinated us to the adoption of children

                        by Jesus Christ to Himself,

                        according to the good pleasure of His will,

                              to the praise of the glory of His grace,

                                   wherein He has made us accepted in The Beloved.”

Ephesians 2:10

“For we are His workmanship,

        created in Christ Jesus for good works,

             which God prepared beforehand

                    so that we would walk in them.”

1 Peter 1:13-15

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober,

       and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you

             at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children,

                  not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

                  but as He Who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

                      because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

If there were arrests and court trials for Christians, how much evidence would the detectives find of God-pleasing actions would they find for the prosecutor to use against you?  Who are you living for most of the time?  Yourself or God?  Every sin is because of selfishness.  Now carefully read Romans 8, Galatians 5, and Proverbs 3:5-6.  I hope that you will become a better ambassadors for Christ.  He is coming back for a purified Bride.

1 Peter 1 Bible study tool

Instructions for Last Days Living from 1 Peter 1

(by Bill Stevenson using the Lockman Foundation’s Amplified Bible)

Directions:   Read the Scripture carefully, trying to decide why I formatted it as I did.  Why the indentions?  If you were preaching, what would you say about the words in bold font and the ones underlined?  Thoroughly answer the interjected questions.  This is assignment worth 3 units, so write at least 4 quality pages (single spaced lines and no redundancies).

1 Peter 1

1    Peter, an Apostle (a special messenger) of Jesus Christ,

           [writing] to the elect exiles of the dispersion

                 scattered (sowed) abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

1.)     How can you be a special messenger of Jesus Christ?

2.)     “Elect” in this context means “specially chosen”.  Why do you think it was necessary for God to cause the new Christians to leave Jerusalem?  What would cause you to leave where you are at and how would you want to serve God elsewhere?  See the Parable of the Sower and its meaning before answering the question-- Matthew 13:3-23.

2                    Who were chosen {and} foreknown by God the Father

                                 and consecrated (sanctified, made holy) by The Holy Spirit

                                        to be obedient to Jesus Christ (the Messiah)

                                        and to be sprinkled with [His] blood:

3.)     What does being chosen and foreknown by God the Father mean to you?

4.)     How does one get consecrated and become holy by the Holy Spirit?  See John 16:13 and Romans 8:1-27 before answering the question.

5.)     How can you be obedient to Jesus Christ?  And how can you be sprinkled with His blood?

                       May grace (spiritual blessing) and peace be given you in increasing abundance

                                [that spiritual peace to be realized in and through Christ,

                                     freedom from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts].

6.)     What are some good examples of grace and peace?

7.)     Why would God give such to you in increasing abundance?  (See Romans 14:17 and Philippians 4:6-7 before answering.)

8.)     What does “that spiritual peace to be realized in and through Christ, freedom from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts” mean to you?  Before answering, read Philippians 4:6-8 and 1 John 4:15-19.

3                     Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

                                By His boundless mercy

                                       we have been born again to an ever-living hope

                                              through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4                                              into an inheritance which is

                                                      beyond the reach of change {and} decay [imperishable],

                                                      unsullied (undefiled) and unfading,

                                                      reserved in Heaven for you

5                                                         which is being guarded (garrisoned) by God's power

                                                                 through [your] faith

                                                                      [till you fully inherit that final] salvation

                                                                           that is ready to be revealed in the Last Time.

9.)     Why should you praise God?  After listing the reasons from the last 3 verses, look at Ephesians 1:4-13 to see if there are some other reasons why God should be thanked by you.

10.)      What do God’s “boundless mercy” and “ever living hope” only true Christians can have mean to you?

11.)      What is a true Christian’s inheritance and why is it reserved in Heaven?

12.)      What are the three salvations for a true Christian?  (Think about justification, sanctification, and glorification.)

13.)      What does verse 5 mean to you?  (Read Ephesians 2:1-10 before answering.)

6                     [You should] be exceedingly glad on this account,

                              though now for a little while you may be

                                   distressed by trials

                                   {and} suffer temptations,

7                                         so that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested,

                                                          which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold

                                                                which is tested {and} purified by fire,

                                                 to result in [your] praise and glory and honor

                                                       when Jesus Christ (the Messiah,) is revealed.

14.)      Why should you be “exceedingly glad”?

15.)      How have you been “distressed by trials” and suffered temptations?

16.)      What is genuineness of Christian faith?  What are observable signs of such?  Why is it so precious?

17.)      Skim Job 1:1-2:10.  For what reasons have you praised God for allowing bad things to happen to you?  Why did you do such?

18.)      How have 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Romans 8:28 helped you when your faith has been challenged?

8                                                            Without having seen Him, you love Him;

                                                                    though you do not [even] now see Him,

                                                                          you believe in Him and exult {and} thrill

                                                                                  with inexpressible and glorious joy.

9                                                            [At the same time] you receive the result

                                                                     (outcome, consummation) of your faith,

                                                                           the Salvation of your souls.

19.)      Read John 20:24-31.  How did you come to believe in Jesus Christ?

20.)      What does exulting “thrill with inexpressible and glorious joy” mean to you?  How can you do such?

10    The prophets, who prophesied of the grace (divine blessing)

               which was intended for you,

                     searched and inquired earnestly about this Salvation.

11          They sought [to find out] to whom or when this was to come

                    which the spirit of Christ working within them

                           was indicating when He predicted

                                 the sufferings of Christ,

                                 and the glories that should follow [them].

21.)      What are your impressions of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and the other true, 100% right prophets of God?  Why would Peter say that the Holy Spirit was within them when the other references of the Holy Spirit are upon certain individuals like some of the Tabernacle artisans?

22.)      Find verses in their prophecies which indicate God’s grace for the Jews.  There are many negative warnings, but there are wonderful promises of God too.

23.)      Why does Peter praise them?  Besides their prophecies, what was different about them than the other Jews?  Before answering, read John 5, Matthew 22-23, and Isaiah 53.

24.)      Why did Judas betray Jesus Christ?  What part of the messiahship prophesies did he, and probably the other 11 Disciples ignore?

12           It was then disclosed to them that the services they were rendering

                     were not meant for themselves {and} their period of time,

                           but for you.

               [It is these very] things

                     which have now already been made known plainly to you

                           by those who preached the Good News (the Gospel) to you

                           by The [same] Holy Spirit sent from Heaven.

               Into these things [the very] angels long to look!

25.)      What does Matthew 7:7-8 mean to you?  Read Hebrews 1, Hebrews 11:35-40,

1 Corinthians 15, and John 3:16-21 before answering.

26.)      Why do think that the angels long to look into such things as this passage indicates?  Remember that Jesus Christ returned to them and others from Earth are in Heaven, and none of them have kept silent.

13    So brace up your minds; be sober (circumspect, morally alert);

               set your hope wholly {and} unchangeably on the grace (divine favor)

                    that is coming to you when Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is revealed.

14           [Live] as children of obedience [to God];

                     do not conform yourselves to the evil desires

                                            [that governed you] in your former ignorance

                                                  [when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel].

27.)      How can you specifically obey those two verses?

15           But as the One Who called you is holy,

                      you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct {and} manner of living.

16                        For it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

                                  (Leviticus 11:44-45,19:1-2, & 20:7-8)

28.)      Why do you think so many times the in the New Testament that believers of Jesus Christ are referred to as children or sons of God?

29.)      How can you specifically obey verses 14-16?  Skim 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Philippians 2-3, Ephesians 4-6, Romans 8 & 12, and Galatians 5-6 before answering this question.

17                  And if you call upon Him as [your] Father

                            Who judges each one impartially according to what he or she does,

                                        [then] you should conduct yourselves with true reverence

                                              throughout the time of your temporary residence

                                                   [on the Earth, whether long or short].

30.)      Read 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, James 1:22-25 & 2:14-26, Ephesians 2:1-10, and Matthew 28:18-20 before answering the following two questions: How does the Second Great Commandment relate to faith and works in a true Christian’s life?  What should be the main motive of each thing you say or do?

18           You must know (recognize)

                      that you were redeemed from the useless (fruitless) way of living

                           inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers,

                                not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold,

19                            but [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ,

                                      like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.

20           It is true that He was chosen {and} foreordained (destined and foreknown for it)

                    before the foundation of the world,

                          but He was brought out to public view (made manifest)

                                in these days  for the sake of you.  (Isaiah 53)

21           Through Him you believe in (adhere to, rely on) God,

                      Who

                              raised Him up from the dead

                              and gave Him honor {and} glory,

                                    so that your faith and hope are in God. (John 14:6)

31.)      Why do you personally love the Gospel and Jesus Christ?

32.)      Which of the facts in verses 18-21 do you agree with and would die for?

22           Since by your obedience to the Truth [with the help of the Holy Spirit]

                    you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of other believers,

                          [see that you] love one another fervently from a {pure} heart.

23           You have been regenerated (born again),

                      not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm),

                      but from One that is immortal

                            by the {ever} living and lasting Word of God.

24                             For all flesh (humankind) is like grass,

                                        and all its glory (honor) like [the] flower of grass.

                                              The grass withers and the flower drops off,

25                                                but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

                                                         And this Word is the good news which was preached to you.

(1 John 2:14-17)

33.)      What was the first time that you realized the full Gospel?  What circumstances and how?

34.)      Why do you personally love the Bible?

35.)      What are the major differences between the New Testament and the Old Testament?

36.)      Which of the facts about the Bible would you be willing to die for?

37.)      What does verse 22 mean to you?  How do you live it?