Christian Research Study

“In a recent research study, out of 66 lifestyle categories, Christians are not different than non-Christians in ANY of the 66 categories.” “Christians have no credible moral voice.” “God looks into our churches and sees as much divorce in the people of God as He does in the world. God looks into our churches and sees as much abortion in the people of God as He does in the world. God looks into our churches and sees as much gambling in the people of God as He does in the world. And the surveys taken say the difference between the churches and the people of the world is hardly recognizable.” “For the first time in history, here in the western world, the divorce rate in the church is higher… HIGHER… than those that are not churched.” “80% of all young people raised in the church, faithfully attending church… 80% of all of them, have left the church when they leave home.” “We have substituted programs for prayer, and scheduled activities for the Spirit’s leading, and orthodoxy for obedience, and CEO’s for pastors and shepherds.” “We have so entangled our lives with the affairs of this world, and we have made Christianity a show.” However the above research does not reflect how a Christian is suppose to be. All professing Christians must walk and live in obedience to God’s word which only have one standard with the only foundation being obedience to God’s words and God’s commands; only then can such person have the true testimony of being a Christian.

Living In Serious Times

We are living in a time when it is very difficult to see the difference between professing Christians and the non-Christian. As such, this page was created to educate you on the true nature, character and conduct of a Christian, what is true Christianity? A True Christian is a person who follow the example of Jesus, who follows all the commands God gave Him. Jesus only did what God told Him to do.  Therefore, a true Christian follow  Jesus’s example in submission to God’s Will, and patience under afflictions, and meekness towards all men. Jesus spoke nothing of Himself, but those things which the Father had commanded Him and He did nothing of Himself but only that which God told Him to do.  A true Christian must have the same spirit of forgiveness of ANY/ALL hurts cause to them by others. A true Christian; must have the same spirit of love,  fervent love towards all. A True Christian will weep with those that weep and encourage those who feel rejected and despised. A True Christian must have compassion with tenderness and gentleness toward the weak and down trodden. A true Christian pray for those who persecute him or her and love his/her enemy. A true Christian must have the same spirit of zeal, diligence, and self-denial for the glory of God, and advancement for God’s kingdom not their own. Jesus went through the greatest labours, and endured the most extreme sufferings; sweating great drops of blood in agony watching alone in the garden of Gethsemane and He did it all because He loved us and left us with the same example to follow. 

True Christian Nature

Galatians 5:24
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” The true nature of Christianity is plainly spelled out here by the Apostle Paul. Those that belong to Jesus Christ have (past tense) crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. In Christ, we have become partakers of the divine nature! (2 Peter 1:4). We have become “one spirit” with Him. (1 Cor. 6:17). God does not co-exist nor dwell in union with sin. If we still have a nature that was sinful, He could not indwell us. That means all of the love of the world and the things that are in the world are nailed to the Cross of Christ Jesus. The problem is that we want to hang on to our love for the world and the things therein. We are not willing to take them to the Cross to be crucified, therefore we are still governed by their control. Jesus said in John 12:24 “…Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” We are unfruitful in our Christianity because we have been unwilling to take that old Adamic nature to the Cross to be crucified. We remain under control of the old nature, governed by its carnal impulses and cravings and fleshly desires. James said, when a man is tempted he is drawn away and enticed by his own lusts! (James 1:14).  We continue in sin and under the power of its control because of our own love for sin. Soon the love for sin becomes slavery to sin! Until we take that old nature to the Cross, with all of its lusts and worldly appetites, we will never experience the power of the resurrection that brings victory to the believer!” There cannot be a resurrection until there is a crucifixion. This is why the Apostle said: “I die daily!” Every day we have choices. We can choose to partake of the cup of the world or the cup of Christ Jesus. The cup of the world is sweet to the taste but once it is swallowed it begins its work of death. The cup of Christ Jesus is bitter to the taste but once it is swallowed it begins to work life in the heart of all who partake of it” (Matt 20:22-23). The True Christian does not have a sinful nature and a righteous nature coexisting together. It is impossible to be both righteous and unrighteous at the same time. We can not be A Child of God and a Child of the devil at the the same time. We can only have one nature at a time because it is impossible to have two opposing natures at once. Jesus said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. So why do we sin? Our spirit have been redeemed and our soul is being renewed. However, we haven’t yet been delivered from the presence of our corrupted body’s sin. One day we will be delivered from the very presence of sin, but until we receive glorified bodies, we each possess the power of sin in our bodies. As we trust Jesus at each moment with the power of the spirit of God our helper, His life empowers us to walk in victory. However, when we fail to depend on the spirit that leads into all truths, we yield ourselves to the power of sin. The Christian has just one true nature, but that nature needs continual renewing (Colossians 3:10). This renewing, of course, is a lifetime process for the Christian until he or she leave this earth.

True Christian Character

True Christian character must be built after divine patterns. Every man’s life is a plan of God. There is a divine purpose concerning it which we should realize. In the Scriptures we find the patterns for all the parts of the character, not only for its greatness and victory – but also for its least, such as the little sins that easily besets us. The commandments, the beatitudes, all of Jesus’s precepts, the ethical teachings of the apostles—all show us the pattern after which we are to fashion our character and walk with God. Character is what we are. Character is the life unseen, hidden within, yet evidenced by that which is seen. Character is the state of the heart, It was the inner character, not the outward bearing, of such men as Abraham, job, Joseph, David, Moses, Joshua and all others, who had such great influence with God in the Bible. And, today, it is not so much our words, as what we really are, which weighs with God who knows our hearts better than we do. Jesus tells us by our fruit that is to say; it is by the fruits of our lives are we known. Our character reveals who we are and we cannot pretend to be who we are not.  There are certain things essential in all building. Every structure requires a good foundation. Without this, it never can rise into real strength and grandeur. There is only one foundation for the Christian character. We must build on the rock; that is, we must have, as the basis of our character, the great eternal principles of Jesus. Each one must build his or her own character according to God patterns by being obedient to God’s words. No one can do it for us.  No parents for a child – we must all obey God for ourselves. No one can be true, pure, honorable, and loving—for anyone. 

True Christian Conduct

Proverbs 3:5-7 – Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct

thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.There are five truths in the bible for the Christian to stand on and conduct

themselves. Make them part of your life as you grow in Christ.

• You are forgiven: Colossians 1:13-14; 2:13
• You are a child of God: John 1:12; Romans 8:15; 1 John 3:1
• You are indwelt by Christ: Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27.
• You have a new life: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:4-5
• You have eternal life: 1 John 5:11-13; John 5:24; 10:27-29

God hates worldly wisdom. He is not concerned about our degrees or pedigrees. Our prestige and influence are meaningless before Him and our

accomplishments are as dung before Him. God wants us to come to Him; only He can mold us and transform us so that we walk according to His wil

and purpose for our lives. “God is looking for brokenness and contrition from us, His children; whose conduct tells others who we are even if we are not

known. No one is automatically a Christian by birth.” To be a Christian, one must make a conscious choice to turn away from the sin nature, adopt Christ character so

that our conduct reflects what we professes.  In Romans 3:23 the bible said, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” However God did not left us

in that condition, in Romans 5:8 the bible tells us, “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  According to the

“Got Questions” website: “The Bible is replete with verses that link Christian conduct with how the world sees Christ. “In the same way, let your light shine before

others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  “By their approval of this service, they will glorify God

because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others” (2

Corinthians 9:13.  “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify

God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12). “If Christians conduct themselves no differently from the outside world, what good is that? If indeed the outside world is

watching and they see no difference between themselves and Christians, what motivation (if any) will there be for them to forego their unbelieving lifestyle?

Additionally, and more importantly, the unbeliever is already inherently hostile to the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14 & Romans 8:7-8).  If Christians conduct

themselves as the unbelieving world does, then all we do is invite scorn and charges of hypocrisy. Consider the feeding frenzy in the unbelieving world whenever a

prominent Christian is caught in a scandal.Paul makes the point that Christian conduct is important in not only shutting the mouths of evil men, but also in guarding

the integrity of the Word of God.”  

Pastor Tom Hicks – How to Distinguish a true Christian

• A true believer’s heart is changed forever. In Jeremiah 32:39 the Lord says, “I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever.” Hypocrites never have a changed nature. Hypocrites want Christ for the good that He might do them in the world. But a true believer’s heart loves Christ as the all-satisfying treasure of this life and the next.
• A true believer’s changed life comes from a heart of love to Christ. Hypocrites can clean up their outward behavior to be seen by men, to ease their troubled consciences, or to keep themselves from the consequences of their sins. But true believers love Christ and keep His commandments for His sake, to serve Him, to know Him, and to bring glory to His name (Ps 119:6).
•  A true believer seeks Christ and His kingdom above all else. This is the one thing necessary: Christ’s friendship and fellowship. But that is never the “one thing” and heart-satisfying choice of the hypocrites. True believers, on the other hand, desire that this “better part would never be taken from them” (Lk 10:42).
•  A true believer submits to the righteousness of God. He abandons all hope in himself and his own righteousness, and rests wholly in the righteousness of Christ for his acceptance before God. A true believer rests in Christ and Him only as his Savior. Hypocrites don’t do this (Rom 10:3). They depend, in some degree, upon their own righteousness.
• A true believer has the three great essentials of genuine Christianity. First, he is broken in heart and emptied of his own righteousness so as to loath himself (Lk 19:10). Second, he takes up Christ Jesus as the only treasure and jewel that can enrich and satisfy (Matt 13:44). Third, he sincerely closes with Christ’s whole yoke without exception, judging all His “will just and good, holy and spiritual” (Rom 7:12). A hypocrite does none of these things.

Conclusion – Who is A True Christian

A true Christian is a person who is truly united with God and Christ by the work of God in Christ and not by anything he or she has done. A true Christian trust Jesus for their eternal salvation and is following Jesus in their daily life, for every step and every decisions. God sent Jesus into the world for a purpose “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). That’s why in John 14:6 The bible tells us that Jesus is, “…The way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” There is no other way to the Father, no other way to be a Christian, than through personal relationship with Jesus. A true Christian is a New Creation, born again, not of the will of man nor the flesh but of God, by the Spirit, born from above. A true Christian is a walking breathing miracle. A result of “that which man could not do due to the weakness of his sinful flesh, God did…” 2 Corinthians 5:17,18, “Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. And all things are of God Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ…”

Eli Brayley: Godly Guidelines For Christian Precepts

• The purpose of the man of God is to be God’s man. As Adam bore a son in his own likeness and image, so the Christian man must conform to the image of the Father. This is the chief aim of His training. (Genesis 5:3)
• The (child) of God reforms His life unto the likeness of the Father. The best way to do this is to compare oneself to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who Himself said: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:5-14)
• Therefore, the attitude of the Christian is that of Christ’s on earth: “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” This is the motive. (John 17:4)
• Achieving to bring glory to God is entirely possible in every kind of situation, whether it is big or small, when with company or alone. It is, in fact, attainable in everything the Christian does. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
• Each individual is also given specific tasks apart from these universal opportunities, in accordance with the Spirit, to bring forth fruit. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
• To one is given 1 talent, to another 5 talents, and to yet another 10 talents. “To whom much is given, much is required.” Much has been given to the redeemed. (Deuteronomy 16:17)
• Like a good soldier, the man of God must keep focused on the greater task of achieving the glory of God, placing that as the highest priority in life above self-gratification and personal goals. (Philippians 3:8)
• The calling of the man of God will ultimately consume every ounce of his being, until the point where Christ wholly dwells in the Christian, and there is no man left to live. Then and only can one say: “In Him we live and move and have our being.” This is the definition of God’s man.(Galatians 2:20)

  THE SOLITARY PRACTISE OF THE MAN OF GOD:

• The Christian must devote Himself to regular study of the Word and to prayer. These both must essentially be private, done for the eyes of none but God alone, and should not be boasted of or mentioned unnecessarily in public, unless for the cause of edification. (Matthew 6:1)

• As said above, regularity is vital for these practises to be effective. The private reading of the Word is best done in the early morning, well before common disturbances and distractions of life, and best enhances your day and service for the Lord therein. “Give us this day our daily bread” is of no use at the end of the day. (Matthew 6:11)

• Likewise, prayer is most effective in the early morning, wherefore you may commit your day to the Lord and seek His blessing and provision. Commonly, after a season of Bible reading does prayer become best directed. Also, the Lord has added His blessing to morning prayer: (Psalm 5:3)

• The man of God will pray all during the day. In everything, by prayer and supplication, will He conduct Himself in the world, which benefits not only the focus of the mind on the Kingdom of God, but lays hold of the promise of God: who makes the paths straight if we would but acknowledge Him in all we do. (Psalm 55:17)

• In the same way, the man of God should never be without a Bible in any circumstance. If there is any time of idleness, the Christian can be prepared to invest that time wisely in the Scriptures, which acts as water to the roots of soul. (Psalm 1:2-3)

• The Christian must always be aware of his being observed by God in every word, thought and deed. He must behave alone in the same way He would as if others were present. An action must never be committed if it were not acceptable to commit in the presence of others. And He who is greater than all is forever present. (Proverbs 15:3)

• Therefore, the man of God must never whisper a thing in secret that could not be loudly proclaimed from a rooftop. There must never pass a thought or word through his body that can not be appropriately heard in the hearing of all. (Proverbs 10:11)

• The man of God must be soundly above reproach in all manner of life. It must never be thought that any misdeeds are ever committed by the Christian in private, so careful attention to one’s behavior, surroundings and company are absolutely critical. (Philippians 1:27)

• It is a common fact that most Christians are polite and pleasant in the public eye but are deceptively the opposite in the home when in relation with the family. Shame! This should never be true of God’s man, who’s character is defined by love, which is God, for every creature. (1 John 3:14)

• And so in keeping with this state of private uprightness, the Christian abides with Christ, in the secret place, being constantly renewed by the life of the vine, which is the Holy Spirit, and is continually filled and ready for every good deed. (2 Timothy 2:21)

• It must be known that the private life of the Christian is of far more incomparable importance than that of the public reputation. The latter means nothing if the former is neglected. (Matthew 23:25-26)

  THE PUBLIC PRACTISE OF THE MAN OF GOD:

• The whole aim of the public Christian is to literally represent God on earth. It has been said: “We are ambassadors for Christ”, but this is to be understood far more seriously than has been in the past. Moses’ great sin which cost him entrance into the Promised Land was that he did not “sanctify the Lord in the eyes of the people.” There is much erroneous talk of sanctification, but what sanctification actually does is it sanctifies, not us, but the LORD in the earth sight. There is a critical difference. If we do not represent a holy God to this world, then the world will not believe in a holy God. God is only as holy to the world as the Church is holy. (Isaiah 29:23)

• Therefore the Christian’s aim is to disclose to the world the qualities of God that it lacks, namely, the fruit of Spirit which was lost in the Garden. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. “Against such things there is no law.” (Matthew 5:16).

• The benefits of bearing such fruit is manifold: (a) It brings great delight to the Father; (b) It fulfills the mandate of the Christian; (c) It points a darkened world towards the light; and (d) It floods the soul with inexpressible peace. (Psalm 103:2)

• Just as the man of God is above reproach in the private life, so must he be utterly above reproach in the public eye. This is absolutely essential if the Christian is going to maintain his witness for Christ. If the man of God is to be publicly proclaiming the gospel (which will be discussed shortly), then the life of the evangelist can be nothing less than what is in accordance with the gospel. In this way no man can discredit the Christian or the message. (1 Peter 3:16)

• Therefore, this includes all manner of indirect sanctification, in which men might observe the Christian without actually ever speaking with him. Indirect sanctification is just as, if not more, important than directly communicating with any person, for it reveals more accurately and quickly what is in the heart of the Christian. (Luke 6:45)

• In addressing indirect sanctification, we deal with: (a) The presentation of the body; (b) The presentation of speech; (c) The presentation of environment; (d) The presentation of company; and (e) The presentation of Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 8:9)

• The presentation of the body is how the man of God presents Christ to the world by means of clothing, accessories and bodily behavior. The Christian who preaches the gospel cannot and will not adorn himself with decoration of any kind other than the adorning of good deeds and true godliness (which is of great value in God’s sight). It is a sin for the man of God to spend the Lord’s wealth in the pursuit of vanity of any kind. The adoption of gold and silver to the body is not only morally wrong but serves as a hindrance to the Kingdom of God, as the world will accuse the Christians of wasting money and not taking the gospel of Christ seriously. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

• In the same way, the Christian has no other option but to dress modestly and plainly, so as not to draw attention to the flesh in any way. Anything beyond this can only be vanity, and serves as a stumbling block to others. We are not to dress immorally, which is the way the world accepts. (Romans 12:1-2)

• There must not be excessive ownership of clothes. (Luke 3:11)

• The man of God should keep himself in the best form he can, without sacrificing the work of God for the work of physical exercise. He should never be a glutton but learn the discipline of proper eating habits, as well as fasting and self-control (not given to excessive sweets). (1 Timothy 4:8)

• The man of God must not tattoo himself. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and if any marks must be borne upon the body let them be the marks of Christ, which is suffering for the sake of the gospel. (Leviticus 19:28)

• The manner in which the man of God upholds himself will be in accordance with his private life. A life of sin will lead to a fallen composure, without joy and victory, but a life of abiding will bring with it the presence of God. (Genesis 4:6)

• The goal of the body is to alleviate the focus away from the Christian and onto Christ Jesus, which can be done effectively if one so desires. (John 3:30)

• The presentation of speech pertains to what you say and what you speak of. Much the same as in private, all conversations of the man of God must be “seasoned with salt”, meaning: edifying, pure and above reproach. Indirect speech involves others listening to you without you being aware of it. (Proverbs 8:8)

• The man of God must stay away from silly and unfruitful talk which amounts to nothing, but rather leads to sin. He must be always encouraging, always building up, never swearing, never gossiping, never tearing down. To have, unceasingly, praise and worship on his lips to the Lord. (James 3:11)

• He must be slow to speak and not given to a multitude of words, which, as noted above, leads to sin. (Proverbs 10:19)

• Being mindful of this: that by our words we shall be judged. (Matthew 12:37)

• The presentation of environment is the places where others see the man of God. A bar or club is no place for the Christian, for the reputation of these places are immoral. The Christian must be willing to die to self in all areas of his life, sacrificing self-pleasure for the glory of God (see 7). (Psalm 1:1)

• This cutting away from immoral environments does not include restraining the work of evangelism in these locations. There is an expansive difference between attending a place of debauchery for the sake of indulgence than for the sake of the lost. (Mark 2:16-17)

• In all this, the Christian must use discretion as to which place is acceptable to attend or not. (Luke 12:57)

• The presentation of company is who the man of God regularly associates himself with. The Christian’s first priority is to let others know he is associated with Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven. As a citizen of heaven, he will gather together with those of like mind and faith, with the one purpose of bringing glory to the Son. It becomes increasingly confusing to the unbeliever when you are associated with others of peculiar doctrines. The gospel will not be clear to the sinner if those hearing the message then see you fellowshipping with a cult or an opposing body. Our borders must be clear. (Acts 2:44)

• To associate with bad company will undoubtedly blemish the character of the Christian. If not right away, it shall in due time. (1 Corinthians 15:33)

• The finding of Christian fellowship is three-fold: (a) It edifies the believer; (b) It allows the Christian to edify others; and (c) The Lord promises to be in the midst of the gathered believers. (Matthew 18:20)

• Lastly, the presentation of Christ is the chief aim of public practise. As stated above (20), God’s man sanctifies the Lord in the eyes of the people and fulfills the mandate of being Christ’s ambassador.

• By presenting our body, speech, environment and company to the world, we present Christ indirectly through the observation of the sinner. Thus, we stand out from the world as Christians (John 17:15-16).