Which One Am I?
There are literally THOUSANDS of Christian denominations. Each one has a slight difference in their teachings. In fact, the only thing I know they have in common is some belief that Jesus was the Messiah.
Now, in any of these churches, you will find people of certain types:
1) Cultural Christians-"I attend church occassionally on Sunday, so that makes me a Christian and I have the right to look down on anyone who does not behave like I think they should." These people attend church, but are not there to hear the Word. When they move, they try to find a church that doesn't make them feel 'uncomfortable' because they don't want to be told things they are not ready to hear. They don't want to hear about Jesus or why He did it or what he did. They rarely, if ever, read the Bible and when they do read it, they only read a verse instead of context. Prayer to them is like a 'magic spell'...say a few empty words. These people see no sin within themselves, only the sin in others and they are very quick to point it out. These people 'might' even go to church every Sunday, but it isn't about God, it is about showing their faith off and what 'pious' people they are.
2) New Believers-These are believers who don't know a whole lot about the Bible, but they listen when the Pastor/Priest speaks. They have been touched by the Holy Spirit, but they don't have much knowledge of the Word and are easily diverted. They are very quick to preach and on fire for God because they are just learning to read the Bible, but they forget to pray over the meaning. These are blind faith believers. This group can be easily led in the wrong direction with the Word, VERY EASILY.
3) Broken-hearted Believers- These are believers who are angry with God. They threw themselves into faith because they wanted something from God (very much) and when they didn't get it, it hurt them and they turned from Him. They are hurt because they were probably New Believers, but didn't have the protection of His Truth because they had not devoted time to study. They have turned from Him and sometimes feel like "I'll show Him." "He doesn't REALLY care about me." They doubt His existence, but deep in their heart, they still feel Him there, talking to them. They sometimes declare themselves atheists and agnostics (or decide they will become Buddhists, Hindus, etc). There is also another reason that people enter this group. They put another believer on a pedastal and that believer falls off. The Pedastal person could be anyone in 1-5 but the minute the person recognizes that there is still sin in the Pedestal person's life, that fall burns the person who witnesses it, and a broken-hearted believer is born.
4) Healing Believers-At one time, these might have been Broken-hearted Believers, but somehow, they continued to hear God's call through his Spirit. These believers are more willing to walk carefully in their belief. They are at a point of learning BEFORE they try to teach. They see how pride was their downfall and try to be humble about their faith. They have recognized how Big God is, and how small they are. Perhaps they looked back at what happened to them since becoming a Broken-hearted believer and saw how it made them a better person. This group spends time learning scripture and developing a personal relationship with God. They worry about their own sin more than others, try to be faithful to the Word, spend a great deal of time in Study of Scripture.
5) I don't know what to call this group, but I want to call them saints. The disciples fell into this final group. The Prophets of Israel would fit in this group (just as an example). These are people who live a life completely devoted to God. This is the group that God's miracles most often happen through. I don't 'think' it is possible to go back to group 1 from this group without going through at least one of the in-between groups. To be honest, once reaching this group, I think it would be very hard to leave it.
Denominationally, you will find most of these types in almost all churches. The ones who are most vocal are groups 1 and 2 and there are more people in those groups than in the others it seems like sometimes. I don't consider group 1 Christians because I think they are the lukewarm ones Jesus spoke of 'spitting out of [his] mouth.' They can be doing good deeds all day long, but they aren't doing them to serve God or serve others, they are doing them for prideful gain, for 'appearances'. Even the second group is declaring they are doing it for God, but they feel pride in what they are doing and want everyone to know about it so they get kudos for what 'good Christians' they are. That is when God prunes them so they can bear more fruit (3).
You might not hear about the last three groups works, but they are doing them for others, not for appearances. That is bearing fruit and that will be recognized because it is what Jesus taught "Don't let your right hand know what the left is doing."
Don't get me wrong...there are blends of groups also and it is very easy for all of us to fall into group 1 from time to time. People in all of these 5 groups might call themselves Christians, but they see those in the other groups from very different perspectives. Everyone can get stuck at one group or another also. Each group views the Law differently as well. Each group views Love differently. The central questions we should be asking ourselves are, "Which group do I fall into?" and "Which group does God want me to be in?"
God bless.
Now, in any of these churches, you will find people of certain types:
1) Cultural Christians-"I attend church occassionally on Sunday, so that makes me a Christian and I have the right to look down on anyone who does not behave like I think they should." These people attend church, but are not there to hear the Word. When they move, they try to find a church that doesn't make them feel 'uncomfortable' because they don't want to be told things they are not ready to hear. They don't want to hear about Jesus or why He did it or what he did. They rarely, if ever, read the Bible and when they do read it, they only read a verse instead of context. Prayer to them is like a 'magic spell'...say a few empty words. These people see no sin within themselves, only the sin in others and they are very quick to point it out. These people 'might' even go to church every Sunday, but it isn't about God, it is about showing their faith off and what 'pious' people they are.
2) New Believers-These are believers who don't know a whole lot about the Bible, but they listen when the Pastor/Priest speaks. They have been touched by the Holy Spirit, but they don't have much knowledge of the Word and are easily diverted. They are very quick to preach and on fire for God because they are just learning to read the Bible, but they forget to pray over the meaning. These are blind faith believers. This group can be easily led in the wrong direction with the Word, VERY EASILY.
3) Broken-hearted Believers- These are believers who are angry with God. They threw themselves into faith because they wanted something from God (very much) and when they didn't get it, it hurt them and they turned from Him. They are hurt because they were probably New Believers, but didn't have the protection of His Truth because they had not devoted time to study. They have turned from Him and sometimes feel like "I'll show Him." "He doesn't REALLY care about me." They doubt His existence, but deep in their heart, they still feel Him there, talking to them. They sometimes declare themselves atheists and agnostics (or decide they will become Buddhists, Hindus, etc). There is also another reason that people enter this group. They put another believer on a pedastal and that believer falls off. The Pedastal person could be anyone in 1-5 but the minute the person recognizes that there is still sin in the Pedestal person's life, that fall burns the person who witnesses it, and a broken-hearted believer is born.
4) Healing Believers-At one time, these might have been Broken-hearted Believers, but somehow, they continued to hear God's call through his Spirit. These believers are more willing to walk carefully in their belief. They are at a point of learning BEFORE they try to teach. They see how pride was their downfall and try to be humble about their faith. They have recognized how Big God is, and how small they are. Perhaps they looked back at what happened to them since becoming a Broken-hearted believer and saw how it made them a better person. This group spends time learning scripture and developing a personal relationship with God. They worry about their own sin more than others, try to be faithful to the Word, spend a great deal of time in Study of Scripture.
5) I don't know what to call this group, but I want to call them saints. The disciples fell into this final group. The Prophets of Israel would fit in this group (just as an example). These are people who live a life completely devoted to God. This is the group that God's miracles most often happen through. I don't 'think' it is possible to go back to group 1 from this group without going through at least one of the in-between groups. To be honest, once reaching this group, I think it would be very hard to leave it.
Denominationally, you will find most of these types in almost all churches. The ones who are most vocal are groups 1 and 2 and there are more people in those groups than in the others it seems like sometimes. I don't consider group 1 Christians because I think they are the lukewarm ones Jesus spoke of 'spitting out of [his] mouth.' They can be doing good deeds all day long, but they aren't doing them to serve God or serve others, they are doing them for prideful gain, for 'appearances'. Even the second group is declaring they are doing it for God, but they feel pride in what they are doing and want everyone to know about it so they get kudos for what 'good Christians' they are. That is when God prunes them so they can bear more fruit (3).
You might not hear about the last three groups works, but they are doing them for others, not for appearances. That is bearing fruit and that will be recognized because it is what Jesus taught "Don't let your right hand know what the left is doing."
Don't get me wrong...there are blends of groups also and it is very easy for all of us to fall into group 1 from time to time. People in all of these 5 groups might call themselves Christians, but they see those in the other groups from very different perspectives. Everyone can get stuck at one group or another also. Each group views the Law differently as well. Each group views Love differently. The central questions we should be asking ourselves are, "Which group do I fall into?" and "Which group does God want me to be in?"
God bless.
posted by Dancer | 3:55 AM
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