Now, my father called himself a Christian. I call myself a non-Christian. But he was more of a non-Christian than I am yet. A real non-Christian heeds the Voice. As long as we are not recognizing that Voice to be who it is, and as long as we don’t have the courage to go ahead and be misunderstood and falsely accused, to appear to be doing the wrong thing, to be accused of being unloving and self-willed – whatever the criticism may be – as long as we do not follow the Voice and remain afraid of what man will do to us, we are still Christians! Fearing man is being a Christian, and a good one. That’s why the Spirit of God in me was raging, because it’s not a Christian. It hates sin. It reproves sin. It yields to nothing and wants us to yield to him.
No matter what kind of revelation, no matter what kind of understanding, no matter what kind of knowledge, no matter what spiritual place God has led us to, whenever I look down, I can see the footprints of those who led us to Christ. They’ve already been through this territory. We haven’t out-grown them. We are on the road they were on. In fact, by following after the Spirit, those old saints showed us how to be non-Christians.
What difference does it make what we claim, anyway? What difference does it make to God if those old saints claimed to be Christians while they were listening to the Spirit? What difference does it make to God if we claim to be non-Christians when we do not listen to the Spirit? Claiming to be a non-Christian is the equivalent of claiming to be saved already, if we’re not walking in the Spirit. It’s just another worthless claim of the flesh.
Glory to God! We must listen to that wonderful, loving Voice! It alone knows the way home, and when it comes, it comes to save us, to keep us from falling into a trap, to protect us from having our victory robbed by a slick-talking minister. And God wants us to grow into that place in spiritual life where you know what is right and you have the strength to do it, even if there is nobody around to tell you what to do. In Christ, you have that light inside of you. And it’s showing you the way, every day.
Oh God, help us hear His Voice, to recognize it for what it is, and to have the courage to live by it! That’s being led by the Spirit. That’s being a real non-Christian. In fact, that is being a real non-human, for when the Word of the Lord comes to us, it creates in us an attitude, and understanding, and a power that is far more than what is simply human.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
How To Become A Non-Christian
How To Become A Non-Christian
From a Sermon by Pastor John
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This was a WONDERFUL post pastor John. God has not given us a spirit of fear (that is what leads us down the road to Christianity), but one of love, and power, and a sound mind. When we forsake Christianity, it is the road to sanity, despite how crazy we look to men. We must become fools for Christ's sake, following the holy Ghost, so we can stay on the wonderful narrow road that leads FAR AWAY from anything Christian.
ReplyDeleteGary S.
Hey John,
ReplyDeletePreacher Clark didn't know how much of a non-christian he really was, as you said. I am reading his stories again now, and they are blessing me so much. He listened for that voice, and he had so much confidence in God he knew it when he heard it. Rather they called themselves christians or non-christians, it was the life they lived in God that counted.
Pastor John
ReplyDeleteWhen I visited John Alston's meeting two weeks ago, he preached from 1Cor 14 about speaking in tongues, but his real point was to be led by the Spirit and to obey it. As he went through the chapter, a couple of verses stood out to me in a way they had not previously.
Over the years, I have read a wide variety of christian nonsense about this chapter and these two verses say something about that (1Cor. 14:11): "Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me."
Those that criticize the ways of the Spirit and are ignorant do not know the voice or its meaning.
Verse 16: "Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?"
These people also occupy the room of the unlearned. These are the ones who have a problem with speaking in tongues and the ways of the Spirit in general.
Now, we know that everyone starts off being unlearned and ignorant, but every one who receives the Spirit must have followed the Voice at some point. Sadly, when they are in, and remain in Christianity, they are immediately taught to listen to other voices as well, and instead of learning who God is, they remain unlearned and become more and more confused, and eventually may well reject the Voice of God.
We have learned enough to be where we are now, but we still need God to help us to recognize His Voice more perfectly so we can get home.
Damien