The Holy Spirit of God will burn the impurities out of the flesh
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(clicking on these links will move you down the page)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(clicking on these links will move you down the page)
GENERAL QUESTIONS ON CHRISTIAN HOLINESS
SEX QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO CHRISTIAN HOLINESS
KRAIG'S FIRESIDE CHAT ON HOLINESS
BALANCE NEEDED IN CHRISTIAN HOLINESS
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLINESS MOVEMENT IN THE USA
THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD STAND ON HOLINESS
BROWSER ADJUSTMENT TO TAKE THIS TEST
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"The consumption of alcohol impairs judgment, inflames
passions, and invites violence."4
We are called by God to stand out
I hope you have enjoyed taking the above test. It was fun, wasn't it!
I think that you can see now what conservative Christian holiness is
and what it is
not. I have a little bit more information on this subject if you want
to get a little more deeper into this topic.
This is just a little informal talk on the subject of Christian
holiness.
I have
tried to make it as simple as I can.
Below I have added a little bit of
history of the holiness movement in the United States as well as the
holiness stand of the Assemblies of God church denomination. I also
give you a chance to receive Christ as your Saviour if you do not now
love Him with all of your heart. By accepting Him and inviting Him
into your heart you will start your true holiness walk with Him the
right way. Because true holiness must start at the inside (in one's
heart) and then go to the outside of one's life.
After I became a Christian I had to have discipleship training in
Christian holiness taught
to me by Mrs. Cleo Richards. I had to learn how to act like a
Christian because there are certain things that a Christian does and
certain things that a Christian does not do. There are certain places
where a Christian goes and where a Christian does not go to. And I
had to learn to try harder after I failed. It took me awhile to learn
all of what I had to in this regard. I had to learn what it meant to
be holy to God and I had to learn how to act to be holy to God.
I trust that by reading and studying the truths in this article that
you will also find the same answers that I did.
Your holiness to God is a sermon in shoes. Everyone looks at
your life and let's hope that your life reflects the life of Jesus
Christ. As the old saying goes, "When the world squeezes you
like a sponge, make sure Jesus comes out."
Your holiness to God is also a
living act of continual worship to God. When the bible says
"to present your bodies to the Lord as a living sacrifice"3
that means that Jesus Christ accepts your holiness to Him in living
worship from you.
That's why your holiness to God is so important. And that is why
Satan wants to de-rail you if he can...
Holiness means to be separated from sin and consecrated (set apart)
to God. God has to do His part in your life and you have to do your
part in your life for holiness to take place. It's a beautiful balance.
And it's a worthy accomplishment.
You cannot live a holy life in your own human strength. If temptation
won't get you then depravity will.
If I say that I can live holy on
my own merits without God's help then my attempts at holiness
become self righteous- because pride has taken root in my heart.
My attempts at holy living this way then become works of the flesh
which are not
good and which God does not accept.7 I am out of balance. This is what caused the problem with the
Pharisees that Jesus had so much trouble with. They did not love the
Lord Jesus Christ yet each one attempted to live a holy life by his
own means. This did not work. They were corrupted individuals and
rotten to the core. You can wash a pig on the outside but
it keeps on going back to wallow again in the mud. A change must be
made first on the inside (your heart) for holiness to work properly
in your life. And for this to take place it takes God's help.
On the other
hand one can sit back and do nothing and try to let God do it all for
you. God is always willing to do His part but He is not going to do
something for you that you can do for yourself.
Let's look at it more closely.
But doesn't this sound like a contradiction? Only on the surface.
To be in perfect balance and operation in your life holiness
is God doing His part and you
doing your part in your life at the same time. That means that God
helps each of us to give us the holiness that He
accepts and adores. But He only does this to the same degree that you
are willing to die to yourself.
Do not tempt yourself and do not place yourself in a situation where
you can be tempted. Wisdom is justified by her children.
Here are some examples of what it means to be out of balance:
The Carnal Christian:
The Backslider:
The backslider is one who appears to throw away his or her personal holiness and
starts living totally for the flesh.
This is a bad choice by this individual to live this way. The balance
scale is highly weighed to the max in favor of the flesh (self).
The Apostle Peter fell into unholiness when he denied the Lord three
times, but later he came back to the Lord in repentence, was forgiven
by the Lord, was restored back to fellowship, and went on to serve
the Lord in a great way.5
The Apostle
Paul had to deal with a man in his time in the church congregation who was having sex with
his step-mother. Paul had the church turn him over to Satan for awhile
and then after the man repented and changed his ways, Paul had the
church forgive him and welcome him back into fellowship again.6
There is no easy way for us, either, to deal with these kinds of
individuals. We always have to remember that God loves each of them
and will woo that individual and always try to get him or her to come back
to Him in holiness. In other words pray for any backslider in your
midst because God will keep on wooing
that individual to eventually make things right with Him.
Having learned what proper balance seems to be then, I challenge each
of us to experience
the reality of our new identity in Christ
and the transforming power accompanying it, and this should motivate
us to walk in holiness. This is the best choice by any individual to
live this way. In other words up with the spirit and down with the
flesh.
Dusty Bibles
(Leviticus 10:8-11; Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-35; 31:4,5).
not to blend in
Your holiness is not all of God's responsibility. If you think
and act in this regards then
you are out of balance in your holiness walk and teachings.
In my opinion it appears that if your flesh level is high then your
spiritual level of holiness is low. If your flesh level is low then
your spiritual level of holiness is high. For example, a carnal
Christians has a
high flesh level. In other words he or she strokes the flesh and
elevates it. The flesh nature is not stomped down daily or crucified
on a daily basis but rather given into. The lifestyle is loose and
suggestive, etc. This is a bad choice by this individual to live this way.
Pray for any carnal Christian in your midst because God will keep on
dealing with that individual to get back to a balanced life.
The term backslider has two different meanings in many church circles.
One term means to fall from grace. The other term means to throw away
a lot of one's holiness living but still be under grace. This second meaning is
what I am dealing with here.
lead to
Dirty Lives
There is some discussion in Christian circles in regards to what is
known as Christian Perfection. The word perfection in the old King
James Translation of the bible simply means "being mature and
complete in Christ." It does not mean sinless perfection which is
contrary to God's word for any human as each of us is a sinner and
saved by God's grace only.
The best way to overcome temptation
|
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse
you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father
which is in heaven."
(Matt. 5:44-45)
"Live to Please God"
"Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of
the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught
you. You are doing this already, and we encourage you to do so more
and more.
For you remember what we taught you in the name of the Lord Jesus.
God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual
sin.
Then each of you will control your body and live in holiness and
honor-
not in lustful passion as the pagans do, in their ignorance of God
and his ways.
Never cheat a Christian brother in this matter by taking his wife,
for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you
before.
God has called us to be holy, not to live impure lives.
Anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human
rules but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you."
(1 Thessalonians 4:1-8) (NLT New Living Translation)
"As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we
need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own
glory and goodness!
And by that same mighty power, he has given us
all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will
escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that
you will share in his divine nature."
(2 Peter 1:3 & 4)
Also See Romans 1:18-32; 6:1-15; 8:1-3,31-39
See Colossians 1:12-20
See 1 Peter 1:13-25
See Leviticus 18:1-30
See Ezekiel Chapter 28: 12-17 where Satan is seen as Unholy
Don't point a FINGER |
Holiness starts from the heart. If you want holiness to start in your heart then please read these scriptures:
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
"Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they be red
like crimson, they shall be as wool."
(Isaiah 1:18)
If you have made a shambles of your life, feel sorry about sinning
against God, and have lost your self-respect, then you need to
experience Jesus now. Jesus gives you the power and daily ability
to live above these sins once He lives in your heart
(John 1:12)
Won't you invite Jesus Christ as Saviour into your heart now and
experience the forgiveness of your sins and feel Christ living
there?
(Ephesians 3: 16-19)
"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved."
(Romans 10:9)
"For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby
we must he saved."
(Acts 4:12)
Please pray right now to Jesus Christ, confess your sins, repent of your sins, be sorry for your sins of omission and commission, and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and live there.
If you have just accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour (invited Him to come and live inside of your heart) then I challenge you to start living an obedient and holy life that is pleasing to the Lord.
Write your plans in pencil, |
I hope you have enjoyed reading and studying my article on holiness to God. It is an awesome study and I have gotten a blessing out of writing it and putting it all together. All issues of life come from the heart- the intentions of the human heart. Since I am an evangelist I like to write articles that unbelievers will read in the hopes of winning each one to Christ. However, once in awhile, I write an article like this to teach or encourage other Christian believers.
I think that holiness is a major factor in one's walk with the Lord. It is essential, not optional. Through the studying of the truths on this page I hope that you get a balanced perspective on one's holiness, find out what it is and how it is to be applied to one's life and how it is to be lived.
Now, let's review some important things that we have looked at:
We have looked at the fact that holiness means to be separated from sin and consecrated (set apart) to God.
We have looked at the fact that true holiness must start at the inside in one's heart first before it goes to the outside of one's body in the outward adornment.
We have looked at the fact that your holiness to God is a sermon in shoes, and that Jesus Christ accepts your holiness to Him in living worship from you.
It's important that you and I be a good witness for Christ. Our holiness walk is a living act of continual worship to God.
It's important that new Christian converts have discipleship training in Christian holiness as well as sound Bible doctrine. This is part of the job of every holiness Christian pastor, evangelist, and Christian lay person in a position of leadership.
We have briefly looked at cussing, stealing, murder, worry, telling a lie, and other issues such as temptation, pride, attitude, jealousy and more. We have touched base in regards to sin, disobedience, righteousness, obedience, blessings and more. And there is a lot more that I could have covered but I just wanted to hit the basics here.
I have tried to physically make the web page colorful as well as attractive and easy to read and use. I think of each web page as a creation of artwork and I enjoy creating each one. I encourage you to keep on pressing forward in your Christian walk of holiness with the Lord.
On the Firing Line,
Kraig J. Rice
It is easier to acquire a good reputation |
1Pastor Gilbert Zendejas
http://lwtc.org/obedience.htm
2Wikipedia Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiness
3"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
(Romans 12:1)
4This information comes from the web at
http://ag.org/top/beliefs/christian_character/charctr_00_list.cfm
5Matthew 26:75
6I Corinthians 5:1
7Isaiah 64:6
My life as a Christian is the only Bible some people will ever read |
These following two paragraphs are for American Christians who may want to read a little bit about the history of the holiness movement in this country.
"In Christianity, especially in American branches of Protestantism of the more Pentecostal variety, holiness has acquired the secondary meaning of the reshaping of a person through spiritual rebirth. This process is described in the Bible, in Paul's Epistle to the Romans, chapter 6, verses 19-22. The term owes its origin to John Wesley's concept of "scriptural holiness" or "Christian perfection."
"The Holiness movement began within Methodism in the United States, among those who thought the church had lost the zeal and emphasis on personal holiness of Wesley's day. In the latter part of the 19th century revival meetings were held, attended by thousands. In Vineland, N.J in 1867 a camp meeting was begun and the National Holiness Camp Meeting Association, which went on to establish many holiness camp meetings across the nation. Some adherents to the movement remained within their denominations; others founded new denominations, such as the Church of the Nazarene and the Church of God (Anderson). Within a generation another movement, the Pentecostal movement was born, drawing heavily from the Holiness Movement."2
Wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it |
THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD STAND ON HOLINESS
If you would like more information on what the Assemblies of God Church Denomination believes on general holiness please see:
Matters of Christian Character Truth and Integrity
Discipline and Self-Control
Pride
Gossip and Appropriate Speech
Sexual Purity
Entertainment
Thought Life
Alcohol, Tobacco, & Drugs
Work Ethic
Materialism
Financial Practices & Credit
Gambling
Social Dancing
Christian Involvement in Law Suits
Regular Church Attendance
Secret Societies
Secular Humanism & New Age
Astrology, Psychics, & Transcendental Meditation
Modesty in Physical Appearance
Reverence and Respect
You can read the above topics by going to the AOG site at
http://ag.org/top/beliefs/christian_character/charctr_00_list.cfm
If you would like more information on what the Assemblies of God Church Denomination believes on Relationships, Conduct, and Sexuality please see:
Dating and Marrying Unbelievers
Appropriate Intimacy in Dating
Sexual Relations
Marriage
Family- A Biblical Institution
Balancing Relationships and Responsibilities
Leadership in the Home
Abuse
Divorce and Remarriage
Celibacy and Singles
Homosexual Conduct
Counseling and Psychology
Friendships
Extended Family
Infertility
Birth Control
You can read the above topics by going to the AOG site at
http://ag.org/top/beliefs/relationships/relations_00_list.cfm
I have another test if you care to take it. It involves simple
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If you are using an Internet Explorer browser to view this website and
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choose the folder on your hard drive where you want this web page
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If you are downloading this website with some other browser then the method is really similar.
I ask you to please do me a favour. Please do not change any of my
questions or answers on this page. If you would like the html code
for these kinds of questions
and answers to make your own test please see my link above which will
take you to my free downloads page where you
can get this code. That way you can create your own individualized
test that might be more appropriate for your own specific youth
group or disciple-shipping class.
I appreciate your courtesy and appreciate you
taking the time to take my test. I hope you have enjoyed your visit
as much as I have enjoyed having you and look forward to our next
visit.
Thank you:)
Love in Christ,
Kraig J. Rice
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