Skip to main content

Stay with Jesus!



1 John 2:27 is pretty “straight to the point” as it says “Just as [the Holy Spirit] has taught you…remain in fellowship with Christ.” The key word here is “remain!” Once we accept Jesus as our Savior (become born-again), we must realize this isn’t the end…at all. Just the opposite!! It is only the beginning. After receiving Christ, we are challenged to move forward from where we are now to grow ever closer to Him.
The worst possible condition for a human being is to “not remain” in Jesus after having truly received Him. In other words, treating “salvation” as nothing more than a “fire insurance policy” or some type of spiritual “guarantee” that we “won’t go to hell, now!” To “get saved” and then just turn away and go on with my life just the way it was before I became a Christian is “not how it works” or why salvation is accepted.
To become a Christian, and then to fail to grow, obey, change and become stronger is horribly sad if not a humiliating disaster. The Bible says in 2 Peter 2:20-21: "And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life."
Scripture reveals to us that it is possible for one to lose their faith and "fall away from [their] sincere and complete devotion to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3). This is Wesleyan (Methodist) teaching that we would call “falling from grace” which is probably not aligned what some of you have known as the “once saved, always saved” concept  that some other Denominations teach.
Therefore, if we have become a Christian, but have spiritually “cooled off” since then and become more of a passive spectator, maybe we should seriously stop, right now and plead with the Lord for the grace to not only come back to Him, but to always "remain in Him" (1 John 2:28).
Maybe it is time for a spiritual “spring cleaning” of sorts where we honestly assess where we stand in our relationship with Jesus. Where am I in my spiritual life in regards to obedience, service, worship, reconciliation, and growth? Choose and prepare to be committed to Him more than ever before.
"If what you heard from the beginning does remain in your hearts, then you in turn will remain in the Son and in the Father" (1 John 2:24). Regardless of “where” we are in our relationship with Jesus Christ, we can all strive to take even one step closer to Him! Move in His direction! Stay with Jesus, now…and forever.


Popular posts from this blog

Learn from Lydia

  There are a lot of interesting mentions of women in the Bible. Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament, there are many strong, yet oddly missed, lessons from women that we can familiarize ourselves with to strengthen our faith.   One such woman is named Lydia. She provides a very powerful lesson for us. We find one particular mention of her in the book of Acts. Acts 16:14 , says that Lydia “reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.”   Lydia is actually a significant person in the New Testament. She is described as “a dealer in purple goods” (Acts 16:14). Pointing that out is quite a clue. Dealing in “purple goods” was considered a luxury in the ancient world.   It is probably safe to say that she was both a woman of great financial means and able to deal successfully with the influential people of her time. She was also noted as having a great gift of persuasion.   I think she might have been the only perso...
Read more

Tetelestai!

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in  John 19:28  and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now  completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”   Did you know that the word  tetelestai  was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...
Read more

Accepting Martyrdom

We are still in the season of Easter as we await its culmination in what is known as Pentecost . There is another event in the Church which we commemorate at the forty-day mark of the Easter season where many denominations recall the “ Ascension ” of Jesus Christ. Mark 16:19-20 , “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” This event marked by the Church is also stated in the Apostles’ Creed: “…He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” When Jesus ascended to Heaven after rising from the dead, He promised us that we would never be left all alone here on earth to “fend for ourselves.” We have the Holy Spirit of God always with us. John 14:16 , “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever….” We w...
Read more