welcome to the Believers Bible assembly in this teaching dr. Jackson will examine the difference between a person who

just attends church weekly versus a True Believer in Christ listen and be blessed hello welcome everybody

to the study tonight and tonight I want to talk about reasons why just going to church

doesn't make you a Christian we are in the midst of a teaching series entitled the truth

about the church as part of a larger series that we've been doing the truth about series

we talked about the truth about the Bible we talked about the truth about God

Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit now we're dealing with the truth about the church and

one of the focuses of my teaching I'm making a distinction between the echo Sia The Universal Church the

body of Christ and the local church the Heavenly Church the Earthly Church how do you want to

distinguish between the two but there's a difference between attending church and living the Christian

Life That's What I want to talk about today this look at Matthew 7:21-23 and it says

not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one who

does the will of my father who is in heaven many will say to me on that day

Lord Lord did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and

in your name perform many miracles Chuckles then I will tell them plainly I never knew you away from

me you evildoers the New Living Translation says not everyone who calls out to me

Lord Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven only those who actually do the will of my Father

in heaven will enter own judgment day many will say to me Lord Lord we prophesied

in your name cast out demons in your name perform many miracles in your name

but I will reply I never knew you get away from me you who break God's law the central message

I'm trying to share with you is that going to church does not make someone a Christian anymore than going

to a garage make someone an automobile so there's a difference Christianity is not simply about

attending religious Services participating in church activities or belonging to a religious organization it is about having a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ being born again and living a life that reflects his lordship

if you say that Jesus is your lord you're going to do what Jesus has instructed you to do if

not why are you calling him Lord it's a moot point because Lord implies that

he has lordship over your life that you're going to follow his ways that you're going

to follow his will and not your own so there's a difference between being part

of the church and being a active doer of the word there's a difference between participating in

church activities belonging to our organization your name is on the road versus actually being in a

will of the Lord okay it's about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and living

in life that reflects his lordship now there's a difference between being in the church building

and being in Christ that's another distinction that we have to make there is a difference

between practicing religion and possessing genuine faith God does not merely looking for people who attend church he's

looking for people whose Hearts have been transformed by the gospel here is a foundational truth that we're going to

work on and just teaching and that is church attendance is important for Christian growth with Fellowship

worship and spiritual accountability however attendance is not what saves us we are saved by grace through faith in

Jesus Christ and gu and salvation produces a transformed life your church attendance should result

in something that's tangible something that can be seen and that is a transformed life used to think this

way now you think this way a transformed life used to act this way now you act this way

a transformed life you're attending church is not just a matter of checking off blocks but it

should result in genuine salvation that produces a transformed life so let's talk about the dangers of

confusing Church attendance with living your life over believer many people they identify themselves as a Christian because they attend

church every Sunday they grew up in a Christian family they were baptized as a child they

know Church tradition and they know religious language they participate in church activities and programs they belong to a particular

denomination but the question is not simply do you go to church the more important question is do

you belong to Jesus Christ now let's get back to Matthew 7:21 and 23 it says not

everyone who calls Jesus Lord truly belongs to him and Jesus said the proof that you are

his disciples the proof that you belong to him is that you're going to do what he says you're going

to obey his commandments so not everyone who says they belong to Jesus really belongs

to him dangerous to that is many people who attend church on Sundays have no spiritual connection with

Jesus as Lord and they think that they will inherit the kingdom of God but Jesus told Nicodemus

this in John 3:3 Jesus said to him that you must be born again in order to

see the kingdom of God is Not optional you must be born again not everyone

who calls on the name of the Lord true belongs to him because they are not truly born again

now you might be saying how can you tell if a person's truly born again one of the

fruit one of the evidence is is that they're going to follow the lord they're going

to do what he says to do that's the indicator natural man walks by the flesh

Spirit man walks by the spirit the Holy Spirit leads us to Christ and a proof and evidence that you

belong to Christ is you're going to follow him the lesson that we should take

from this number one we need to First examine ourselves to determine whether or not we

are in the faith we have to do that am IA believer born again or Amaya Church attendee Church

intend he's will not enter the kingdom of God like I said going to church

doesn't make you a Christian just like going into a garage doesn't make you a

car am I truly born again I grew up in a Christian family I was baptized as a child

but am I truly born again I know all the church traditions and the religious language I can talk

it but am I truly born again I'm in the church I'm busy with all

kinds of activities and all kinds of programs but am I really truly born again I belong to the First

Lutheran Pentecostal church and God in Christ Holiness Church my name is written on the

rolls but am I choosing born again do I truly belong to Jesus so we have to examine ourselves

to answer that question because many people they believe truly believe that just because they went

to church they belong to God but that's not the truth with that's not the

evidence Romans 8:9 says you however are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the

realm of the spirit if indeed the spirit of God lives in you those who belong to Christ has his

spirit and if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ they do not belong to

Christ we need to make sure that we truly belong Christ a mile Church attendee or do

I truly belong to Christ that's the question now let's examine some reasons why simply attending church does not make

someone a Christian number one going to church does not mean that you have been born again and

we looked at John 3:3 Jesus answered Nicodemus and said unto him verily verily I

say to you except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of

God you can't ten shirts your entire life and steal never experience the spiritual transformation that comes through the

new birth you have people that have been in church 10 15 20 years and there's no evidence of

any transformation because spiritual transformation comes from the inside out there's something that changes on the inside that's manifested

on the outside there's proof there's evidence you just attending church does not make you a child of God

what makes you a child of God is the new birth and in John chapter 3

Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus a religious leader a teacher of Israel a man who was

familiar with the scriptures yet Jesus told him that he needed to be born again

another point we can make you can be familiar with the scriptures and steal not be

born again many people they can quote you the Bible from Genesis to Revelation they

are familiar with the scriptures but they are not born again Nicodemus had religion he had knowledge he had position

he had all the religious credentials but he still needed a spiritual rebirth this reveals The

Importance of Being Born Again religious knowledge and religious activity cannot substitute for Spiritual regeneration being born

again being a Christian is not simply changing your religious affiliation it is experiencing a change in your spiritual condition

through the work of the holy spirit all right let's get into some more scripture let's go to John

chapter 1 verses 12 through 13 yet to all who did receive him to those who

believed in his name name he gave the right to become children of God verse

becoming a child of God is through receiving Christ and being born of god let's take a look

at Titus 3:5 he saved us not because of righteous things we have done but

because of his Mercy he saved us through the washing of rebirth and Renewal by the

Holy Spirit the New Living Translation says he saved us not because of the righteous

things we have done but because of his Mercy he washed away our sins giving us

a new birth and a new life through the Holy Spirit a new birth and a new life

through the Holy Spirit salvation involves the washing and regeneration and renewing of the holy spirit so you can't

be born again without spirit I saw somebody talking on YouTube about cancer might be born again without

the Holy Spirit know what has washed you what has renewed you the Holy Spirit washes away our sins and

gives us a new birth a new life through the holy spirit so no you cannot be born again not

the spirit is amazing some of these debates that people having online if they could just understand the scripture

let's go to Second Corinthians 5:17 what we talked about we're talking about the difference between Church attendance

and belonging to Christ second Corinthians 5:17 says if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation the

old has gone and the new is here the New Living Translation says this means that

anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person the old life is gone a new life

has begun that's what happens when you are truly born again and you belong to

Christ does a newness it's the beginning of a transformation where the new has come and the

old life is gone but it is only for those who belong to Christ for those who

allow the Holy Spirit to do new work in them see that's the holy spirit's job that's why the

Bible says we are saved by grace not by works you can't be born again you can't get saved

through Works see you trying to work away your sin instead of letting the Holy Spirit wash

away your sins and make you a new person in Christ if anyone is in Christ belongs to

Christ he is a new creation in Christ being created a new by the molding

and the shaping of the Holy Spirit first Peter 1:23 let's go there looking at the word tonight to

see the difference between being a church attendee and living a life as pleasing in

the sight of God first Peter 1:23 for you have been born again not of perishable seed

but of imperishable through the living and enduring word of God the New Living Translation says for you have been

born again but not to a life that will quickly end your new life will last forever

because it comes from the Eternal Living Word of God that's how we are born again we are

born again through the word Romans 10:17 says that that faith comes from hearing that is

hearing the good news about Jesus Christ the Amplified says so faith comes from hearing what is told and

what is heard comes by the preaching of the message concerning Christ faith comes from hearing hearing what the message

concerning Christ concerning salvation that's how you are born again through The Incorruptible word rude of God there

is no error in the word of God the word of God has the power to

save let's go back to Romans Romans 1:16 the Apostle Paul says for I am not ashamed

of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes

first to the Jew then to the Gentile that is the power of the spoken message

and that comes from the word of God that can lead to Salvation the some this teaching

up this is part one you can be a church member without being a member of gods family

and unfortunately too many people fall into that category now they think they are member of

gods family because they attend church but based on what we share today you can't be a member of gods

family just because you attend church on a Sunday you sitting up Pew for a

couple of hours in a couple of songs read a couple Bible verses here message and go home

you can know all the church terminology all the Traditions without knowing Christ so the question is not whether

you have been religious and active in the church but whether you have experienced the new birth and if you

have experienced the new birth it's going to lead to a transformed life not a perfect

life transform life when you look back and you examine your life you should be

able to see progress I'm not where I should be but thank God I'm not

where I used to be and you can see it and it's clear that's the Holy Spirit during his

transforming work in your life as you yield to the power of the Holy Spirit

working in your life you're going to experience the new birth like I said an open many people been I'm

sitting in church and 15 20 years and they've never experienced the power of the new birth so

you can be involved in all of the religious activities all the programs and never experienced

the power of the new birth you don't become a Christian by attending church you become a

Christian by being born again through faith in Jesus Christ amen thank you for listening to our Bible

teaching today for more Bible teaching like this please visit our website at www.yourmathgal.com