– Nobody is born a Christian – Christians are born again.

James 2:19
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

It has to be a willful choice in order to actually be real.

Not one person just starts out a Christian… Everyone is born an “unbeliever” until God calls them out, opens their eyes to the truth of Jesus Christ, and they surrender their heart to Him. 

John 15:19
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

*GOD HAS CHOSEN US OUT OF THE WORLD.

Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

*FAITH COMES BY HEARING GOD’S WORD.

This is why we preach to everyone, because the Bible says:

Romans 10:14
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

God is real whether people believe in Him or not. If something is true, not believing in it doesn’t make it otherwise. We also don’t define truth. It’s not just my truth or someone else’s truth…. It’s the very Truth of God – not the invention of any man. 

So, you don’t believe because you can’t see, and seeing is believing? You can’t see the wind – yet you believe in it because you can see it working all around you. You feel its presence surrounding you…

The same is true with God. 

John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Simply ignoring the truth, turning a blind eye to it, or refusing to look at it does not make it go away. 

We all have to deal with this fact at some point in our existence… it’s just that those who don’t deal with it on this side of eternity end up being lost forever.

I don’t just believe – I know He is there. I don’t just have some blind faith I mustered up… God revealed Himself to me in a mighty way. I had a major personal encounter with Him in my early 20’s, and He has done so much in my life since then. I wish I could say I have been perfect since that encounter, but I have been far from it. I struggle with sin just like everyone else – BUT I want God. 

More than anything, I want a relationship with The God of all creation.  I want to know Him and all that entails. 

JESUS IS OUR LIFE INTERRUPTER.

You see, Jesus comes along and interrupts our lives. Truth offends. Nobody likes hearing about sin, right and wrong, or judgement and Hell. It’s all about love these days, right? Do good, feel good and whatever goes, goes… right? Right is now wrong and wrong is now right. Nobody hardly knows the difference anymore. That is why God gave us the Truth of His word to guide us, so that we can know right and wrong.

“If you really love someone, you won’t offend them.” NO. True love tells the whole truth. Jesus tells us the whole truth because He Himself is Truth. 

God is love. Yes. But real love isn’t just merciful and full of grace and forgiveness only – it is also just.

Everyone who calls on His name out of a sincere heart can have a real relationship with Him. God says if we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him. Not half a heart – our whole heart. 

In the end, the only thing that matters is where we stand with Jesus Christ – Did we truly know Him?

-lhm