For those who think Christians are dumb sheeple and crazy weirdos
So this is only to enlighten those who sincerely care to listen. If you can’t read it all, don’t bother reading any of it, because you are not open to understanding us.
True, authentic Believers in Christ Jesus are those who have supernaturally been transformed by the Holy Spirit of God. Yes, unfortunately, there are authentic and fake Christians in this world (Wheat and Tares); You will know the real ones by their love and their good fruit. True Christians have believed the good news (Christ Jesus died to pay our penalty of death for sin on a cross with His sacrifice of His own spotless sinless blood and released us from the sentence of eternal death to give us promise of eternal life). And after believing the Gospel, we were immediately baptized/immersed (identified with) the Holy Spirit Of Promise. Now every one of us who are baptized into Christ can hear his voice within us. We literally have the “Mind of Christ”. His Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are born again as his child.
Since WE HEAR and know His voice, His Scriptures become alive to us and we understand them. Before the Holy Spirit came to live in us, the Scriptures were like jibberish to us and didn’t make sense. Apart from the Spirit of Christ, no one can understand the Scriptures. Now, In Christ our eyes and ears have become tuned in and we understand them. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
Have you ever wondered why devoted Christians seem to cling to Christ so radically? Why do they die for their faith? Even the most horrific deaths? Why did everyone of Jesus’ disciples allow themselves to be tortured and murdered for their faith? Why would they not renounce Christ as they were tied to a stake to be burned, if it weren’t true? Because they could literally HEAR the voice of God through His indwelling Holy Spirit. I can say this without a doubt because I too hear His voice, regularly. He is more real to me than anyone else.
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, John 10:3-4
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
There once was a person named Saul who persecuted Christians with a passion. He was so sure that he was righteous in doing so. Much blood of many saints of Jesus were killed by his hand. Now what would cause a devoted man like Saul to change his mind and believe in Christ as Lord and God? HE HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS! It’s no different than us who are born again who now hear Jesus and follow him to the death.
Here’s how it happened to an unbeliever named Saul who later became known as Paul:
Saul’s Conversion
Acts:9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,[a] but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
While the Bible does not specify when and how Paul died, we know that 2nd Timothy was written while Paul was in a Roman prison from 66-67 AD—not long after the burning of Rome in 64—and that during this time Paul was anticipating his death: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Furthermore, an early church historian Eusebius wrote that Paul was, indeed, beheaded at the order of the Roman emperor Nero.
Why would someone like Saul die as a martyr? Because he heard the voice of Jesus! If you could hear his voice like we do, you would also die for your faith.
Others have died for what they believe. Such as these examples in the Bible.
They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—
The Stoning of Stephen
Acts 7:54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together[b] at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
WHY DIE FOR CHRIST?
If you will subscribe to a magazine called THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS, you can read of modern day Christians who live and die daily for Christ. Who would willingly die for a false faith!? God is real. His voice is loud and clear to us who believe. It’s not a joke.
Are you like I was at one time? A mocker of Christians? One who is spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins? Are you like Saul, a persecutor and hater of Christians? Do you want us dead? Do you ever wonder why your heart is so set on murdering us? I think I can show you why if you have ears to hear.
Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
I pray that this is you. That you will hear the voice of the Son of God and live. That you will open your heart to the Spirit of Truth and walk in it.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, John 10:3-4
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ...
Would you also like to hear His voice and be saved? We can talk more about that if you are willing to have the conversation.
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