Three Life-Changing Words
“And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.” Acts 11:21-23
Three life-changing words. BELIEVE. TURN. CLEAVE. Believing in Jesus Christ as Lord for the forgiveness of sins and the promise of everlasting life is NOT an intellectual exercise. It’s NOT an emotion. It’s NOT going to church. It’s NOT a bunch of words. It’s NOT religious activities and people’s traditions. It’s NOT wearing a cross. It’s NOT owning a Bible. It’s NOT calling oneself a Christian. It’s NOT coming from a Christian family. It’s NOT running to the altar and saying a quick prayer to ask Jesus into one’s heart. It’s a WAY OF LIFE. Jesus is THE WAY. He is the ONLY WAY to God’s forgiveness for our sins when we genuinely repent, the ONLY WAY to have a relationship with God now and forever in heaven, the ONLY WAY not to go to hell when we die.
Genuine BELIEF is in WHO Jesus Christ is; in WHAT He did, is doing in heaven, and will do when He returns; and in WHAT He SAYS. Jesus SAYS we need to REPENT of our sins and TURN to God and His ways. It’s NOT a one-time deal, but a LIFESTYLE of living for God. Why did Barnabas tell believers in Jesus to CLEAVE to the Lord? True BELIEF in Christ is ONGOING as we bear fruit of our lives TURNED to God!
I am astounded at how many I meet who say they believe in the Lord and love Him and don’t make Him their highest priority and STUDY THE BIBLE to learn how to live for God such that they BELIEVE in Christ, TURN, and CLEAVE to God. The Bible contains warnings some will fall away from the faith (including 1 Tim. 4:1, Luke 8:13) and that believers must endure to the end to receive God’s promises (including Hebrews 3:14, Matthew 10:22, Hebrews 3:6). If you do not already, I implore you to open up your Bible and dig deep, daily, studying the Old Testament AND the New Testament and discover God’s Truth for yourself and LIVE BY IT. Not as a one-time investigation or a once in a while endeavor. But as a life-long pursuit of learning to live for Him according to His ways.
I am not a Bible expert. I have not gone to seminary. I am just a simple woman on fire for the Lord who holds onto Him and His Word for dear life.
Please BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ. Please TURN to God not just once but forever. Please CLEAVE to the Lord. Please steadfastly devote your life to Him, His Word, and His ways! BELIEVE in Christ. TURN to God. CLEAVE to Him!
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 10:22
“But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” Hebrews 3:6
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Mark 13:13
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:7-13
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:17-20
“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” Col 1:21-23
“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” Acts 20:29-31
“They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” Luke 8:13
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” John 15:2
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide [continue, stay, endure per concordance] not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:4-6
“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Cor. 10:12
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” 1 Timothy 4:1-3
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6
“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Rev. 2:4-5
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Hebrews 3:12-19
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” 2 Thess. 2:3
“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” 2 Peter 2:19-22