When I was saved, back in the 70’s, I was what they used to call, “Brought in Right.”
In other words, after I received Jesus Christ as my savior and trusted in Him for Redemption; our dear pastor and his wife did everything humanly possible to explain to me and show me how to live a Christian Life.
They explained how going to Church as much as possible would help me to learn the Bible and the various things which God now desired for me to do.
They explained how paying my tithes was according to Gods Word and would bring about blessings from the Lord.
I was taught to read the Bible on a regular basis and to study the Word, to show my self approved a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.
The value of a consistent prayer life was expounded on a continual basis.
Yes, I think that according to the understanding which is prevalent in many Churches, “I was Brought in Right.”
I cannot, and would not ever fault this dear Pastor or his wife for all the effort which they put into making sure that I knew how to live for the Lord. I know they did their very best to help me to understand Gods will for my life, and am very thankful. I think of them, and ask God to Bless them often, even now, many years later, for all they did to help me, in my efforts to live for Christ.
HOW ABOUT YOU
How about you? Were you brought in right, in a similar fashion as I was?
Were you taught that going to Church regularly, reading the Bible consistently, and a good prayer life were the things which would bring you into a victorious life and a close walk with the Lord?
Were you taught that you now, by reason of your salvation and being a new creation in Christ, could live a victorious life, being able to resist sin by reason of your redemption, prayer life, reading of the Bible, and by regular Church attendance? Sins which may have troubled you in the past; you should now be able to, in essence sanctify yourself by reason of your own, now more powerful willpower.
Have you signed up for self help classes which promise to bring you victory, by doing this or that, only to find in the end that you are not any closer to a victorious life in the Lord than when you started?
Are there certain books which have been propagated before you as the means in which to finally realize, how to get rid of that sin in your life which has been a problem for so long a time?
Have you been to revival meetings which promise to lift your spirit, and bring you into a closer walk with the Lord: only to be somewhat dismayed at the ending of the services, with nothing really having happened which made any real difference in your daily life? Maybe you did receive a blessing, but a week later, everything in your life was pretty much the same.
Do you recall the Great Blessing you received at the time of salvation, or perhaps even some time later (knowing that you do not walk by feelings but nevertheless you could feel the presence of God), but now are in a quandary as to how to get yourself to again be that close to God?
THE PROBLEM
The problem is; that although many of these things are good and wonderful things for us to do; they will not of themselves bring us continuous victory and freedom from sin, such as we desire!!
Why?
Isn’t this the accepted way of living for the Lord; little by little getting closer to Him?
Yes, I’m afraid it is the accepted way in many Churches. And I am certainly not here to find fault with any of these Churches, because I believe they are doing, “What they believe will best help the new believer.”
Unfortunately, what many Churches practice as a means of Bringing in Believers in the Right way, is not quite right.
SO-------WHAT IS RIGHT
A few years after I was saved; I backslid.
Do you know anyone who got saved, lived for the Lord a while and then backslid? Maybe they just turned their back on God and said this just doesn’t work for me. Maybe they just thought they didn’t have what it takes to live for the Lord. It might be okay for some folks but I just cannot seem to live for the Lord properly.
So, what is the right way?
Galatians 2:16 says, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the Faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be Justified by the Faith of Jesus Christ, and not by the works of the Law: for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.
This verse makes obvious what is necessary to be Justified. Faith in Jesus Christ. No true Christian would even consider any other way of being Justified before God (at least not intentionally, [but that’s another commentary]). When we explain to an unbeliever that they need to be saved, at some point we must tell them they must trust in what Christ accomplished for us at Calvary (the wording may be different but the idea of Christ Crucified must be their, with faith in that act of sacrifice and His shed Blood, as the means of atonement for our sin [Ephe. 1:7 In Whom we have Redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, and 1 Peter 2:24 Who His Own Self bear our sins in His Own Body on the tree]).
Now, let me explain something here. Anytime you are brought someplace, if you want to stay in that place, you indeed must, STAY IN THAT PLACE.
I had my mother in law move into our home some time back for reasons which I will not go into. Now if I had asked her to come into our home and live there, but she walked into our house and then walked back out, she would not be living with us.
Likewise, if when the Lord asked us to become a member of the household of God, we walked into the house by realizing we could not save ourselves and by Faith of Jesus Christ, but then we do not stay in that Faith of Jesus Christ everyday, you will in essence be turning around and leaving the house.
Gal. 2:20 says, the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God.
This is the same Faith which Paul spoke of in verse 16 when he said, a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the Faith of Jesus Christ. Here in verse 20 he is explaining that now, after he has been saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Lord has been using him to start churches all across the land; that the way he now lives his life in the flesh is the same way in which he was first saved. By the Faith of the Son of God (Jesus Christ).
To further explain, let us look at 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
1. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I Preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand (note they had received the Gospel and were now therein standing).
2. By which also you are saved, if ye keep in memory what I Preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain (in other words if they did not keep in memory the Gospel which Paul had preached unto them, they could end up not being saved, seeing that their believing would have been in vain).
3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
4. And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (this is the message which they were to keep in memory. If they didn’t, verse 2 says, they will have believed in vain).
Hebrews 3:14, says, “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; (so then the way to be a partaker of Christ is to maintain the trust which we had in Him at the beginning, unto the end)
Colossians 2:6, As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, SO WALK YE IN HIM.
Luke 9:23, says, And He said to them all, if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
This my friend, is how to be Brought in Right.
When we first got saved, we had to realize that within ourselves there was no capacity to redeem ourselves. In other words we could not find a way to get rid of even one sin and we could neither, ever create righteousness within ourselves. In reality, we were morally bankrupt.
This 23rd verse of Luke 9 explains that we must deny ourselves (our own abilities and talents) DAILY.
Also, we must take up our Cross, DAILY (many believe that the cross we are to take up is some kind of burden or hardship. Please, please, please, we must get that thought out of our minds). Gal. 2:21 says, that I am Crucified with Christ. And Romans 6:6 says, Knowing this, that our old man is Crucified with Him.
The Cross we are to take up is the very Cross upon which the Body of Christ was Crucified, for we are the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13, For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body). When Christ was crucified, so was His Body. We were then buried with Him and risen with Him in newness of life (Rom. 6:4, Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the Glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.).
The thought is that if we do not deny ourselves and take up our Cross DAILY, then we will not be able to follow Christ (this is why many Christians have trouble following Christ. They simply do not deny themselves daily, and take up their Cross daily).
BRING THEM IN TO STAY
Okay; when someone comes to Christ in faith, the FIRST thing which must be taught to them is: deny our own ability to save ourselves (“EVERYDAY”), realizing that we are not sufficient to the task (today or any day forward), and thank the Lord for giving His Blood and Life on the Cross, (“EVERYDAY”), in order to provide for us atonement for sin, bringing us righteousness, justification, and sanctification.
When the Believer does this everyday, he will find the Holy Spirit will work in his life continually in order to sanctify (1 Cor. 6:11, but you are washed, but you are Sanctified, but you are Justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God) and help the believer in every way. The believer will then find that he wants to be with other believers (hence going to Church). He will want to pay tithes. He will want to pray. And he will not only want to read his Bible but will find the Holy Spirit will help him continually (Rom. 8:2, For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus [note: the Spirit of Life, IS IN, Christ Jesus, not in anything which we could possibly do on our own] has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death) to understand what he is reading, ie, lead him into all truth (John 16:13 Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. 14. He shall glorify Me: for he shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you). The Lord will also lead him into a desire to see the lost Redeemed, through Christ.
Everything we receive from God is predicated on our continual trust in Christ, and if we do not tell Him DAILY how thankful we are for all He has done for us, we will sooner or later find ourselves trusting in ourselves (various things which we may be doing); most of the time without even realizing what is happening.
If we don’t put the horse before the cart and keep the horse before the cart, we will find ourselves trying to push the cart with our own strength (righteousness by doing things). Romans 10:3-4, Tells us of similar kinds of efforts on the part of Israel, trying to obtain righteousness by doing things, “For they being ignorant of God’s Righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the Righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to everyone who believes.
We are not ignorant of Gods Righteousness, however, many of us are still going about trying to establish our own righteousness, or else trying to sanctify ourselves by virtue of our own strength of will (not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts). We must continually express our confidence in Christ and what He accomplished on the Cross (hence Gods Righteousness) to Redeem and Sanctify us or we will by default, eventually find ourselves going about trying to establish our own righteousness.
May the Merciful Lord of all Blessings, Bless you Always
Dennis Lackie
wwwdotgeocities.com/itsallinchrist
