Grace and peace be to you all. This letter is a timely word for all who claim to belong to Christ, thereby called Christians, and to many others who desire to be Christians because of what they have seen and heard.
We see many today profess themselves to be Christians, some because they go to church regularly and serve in one group or another, while for some, it is because they were born into a Christian family. But yet, some of these people show no good fruit to demonstrate that they are truly Christians. These days, we see and hear of many professed Christians relish and crave worldly pleasures in different forms, clouded with beauty and fleeting satisfaction by the enemy in order that he might deceive and lead them astray. In these last days, many professed Christians live ungodly lives once they are out of church on Sunday. They go out into the world and do all manner of evil. They listen to worldly music which defiles their hearts and minds, they watch inappropriate movies and TV shows, they gossip over lunch, they go to worldly parties, they dress like the ungodly with hidden motives, they love the world so much that they have developed wrong desires for sinful pleasures and they are now entangled by the enemy. Even some men that claim to be Christians show violent disposition towards their wives. They flock out with friends at night to eat, drink and merry. They forget that the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good. Even women also, some of those that are in higher position of authority on their jobs than their husbands, show little or no reverence for their husbands. They frequently argue and disobey their husbands because of their lofty status. They forget that the Lord makes poor and makes rich; that He brings low and lifts up. They also forget that the Lord made the man the head of the woman. Now, they have reversed God's order. Shall a man transgress God's Word and not bear his own shame in the end? He will be judged and shall not escape except he repents.
If some people practice some or all of these evil deeds, should they still be called Christians? God forbid. They are backslidden and are no longer Christ's. They belong to the enemy except they repent, and confess, and forsake their sins. Pastor, this is the message you should preach to your congregation! Not all those messages about money and riches and blessings. God will not bless those that do not keep His commandments. God's blessings are conditional and require obedience before they can be obtained. God makes His promises based on faith, but they will be fulfilled on the basis of obedience. The disobedient will not be blessed by God, so stop preaching God's blessings when your people are dwelling in sin all week long and pretend to be holy on Sundays only. And to those among you that do in this manner, we beseech you by the mercies of God to repent and be converted. Confess your faults to God and seek His forgiveness and grace to help you overcome your indiscipline and vain desires. A Christian is supposed to live and do like Christ. The name means Christ like. Regardless of who started it, the name has remained as the best one for the followers of Christ. It is used in Acts 11:26 and 26:28. The Holy Spirit considers it the highest name humans can bear on earth (1 Pet 4:16). A Christian must first live a holy life. He must have a disposition and life of peace and contentment, even temperament, meekness, and learn self control in all things, not to permit anything to disturb or cause a display of lasting anger. He must be separated from the world, that though he is in the world, yet he is not of the world. He must continually seek the lost and preach Christ to those in sin and unbelief. To preach Christ and His glorious gospel, one must preach Him as He is. He is full of mercy, grace, and truth, but yet will not at all acquit the wicked except he repents. This is why many are in hell today and God never allowed them a second chance after death.
Some may try to explain what kind of Christian they are. They do this to justify their acts and deeds, some of which are evil before God. The truth is, there is only one kind of Christian, the born-again (Matt 13:38-49, 18:3, John 3:3-5, 2 Corinth 5:17-18, Rom 6:7, 18, 22, 8:1-13). Born-again people do receive the Holy Spirit (John 3:5, Rom 8:9-16), but not always the Spirit baptism, which is another experience (Luke 11:3, John 7:37-39, 14:16-17, Acts 1:4-8, 2:38-39, 5:32). The Spirit baptism is the endowment of power from on high to do the works of Christ (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-8). Many professed Christians do not receive this for a long time because of sin, unrighteousness, and unbelief.
Some other professed Christians are entangled in sin today because of their friends or a so-called loved one. They are fearful that if they strive to live the true Christian life, they will lose their friends and companies. If living for Christ will make you lose your friends, then they are not truly your friends. Living for Christ should make you a better person, so if anyone does not like a better you, then you will agree that he is not a friend. A Christian must choose his friends. Christians cannot and must not company with fornicators and sinners. Though they must remain in the world doing business with all kinds of sinners, but they are not to company with a man claiming to be a Christian when he is a fornicator, a covetous man, an idolater, a drunkard, or an extortioner (1 Corinth 5:9, 15:33).
Nevertheless, having written all these things, we must also mention that the Christian life is a growth. Every grace and blessing of the gospel of Christ is in seed-form and implanted in the new born child of God i.e. the Christian when he became born again (1 Pet 1:23, James 1:18). If these seeds are watered by the Holy Spirit and cared for by the individual in conformity to the Word of God, they will grow to full maturity. There is no anointing of the Spirit that will make a person fully mature and beyond the growing stage of the Christian experience. One must walk in the light as he receives knowledge and he will grow normally to maturity in Christ (1 John 1:7, 1 Pet 2:1-8). The Christian yoke is easy and light when one surrenders it all to Christ the Savior. It will be easy when one truly understands that the Christian life brings glory to the Father, pleasing Him and provoking His promised blessings. It is even much easier if one is willing and obedient to deny himself of many worldly pleasures that lead to sin and death and follow Christ totally, glory to God in the highest! Now, we say to you all: Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
