| Yes, what about them? Surely trials make being | | | | Son of the living God 17 And Jesus answered and |
| saved hard. Yes they do, but as shown in my two | | | | said unto him,"Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for |
| previous articles the actual act of being saved has | | | | flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but |
| nothing to do with us and has nothing to do with | | | | my Father which is in heaven." Peter had the Spiritual |
| trials, so it cannot be hard. This is where many | | | | power to tell The Lord whom he thought He was, |
| Christians confuse the act of salvation - the actual | | | | but later when he denied knowing Him three times |
| act of being saved, with the acts involved in following | | | | the Holy Spirit was not with him. |
| Jesus Christ after we have been saved. These are | | | | Once baptised and having received the Holy Spirit, |
| two different things entirely. It's like a recruit signing | | | | the Holy Spirit then takes up full time residence with |
| on for military service; he signs the necessary papers | | | | a new son or daughter of God. If this miracle does |
| and collects his uniform and he is now officially a | | | | not occur then we are none of His. Romans 8:9 But |
| member of the Armed Forces - a soldier. He is not | | | | ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that |
| yet trained nor is he ready for active service but he | | | | the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have |
| is still a soldier and is entitled to wear the uniform and | | | | not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. |
| draw his pay. He is just the same as the man who | | | | Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, |
| has fought on the battlefield in numerous campaigns - | | | | saith God, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: |
| not as experienced, but still just the same. | | | | and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, |
| Furthermore, this uniform, provided he never deserts, | | | | and your young men shall see visions, and your old |
| will never be taken away from him. | | | | men shall dream dreams:" |
| As we can see from the above analogy, being called | | | | Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and |
| is only the beginning, like collecting our uniforms - all | | | | be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus |
| relatively easy, but from here on in, The Lord's 'boot | | | | Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive |
| camp' awaits and things begin to get a little tougher. | | | | the gift of the Holy Ghost. |
| Actually the military analogy, like all analogies here | | | | The new disciple once Baptised and Born Again must |
| begins to break down because Our Lord is certainly | | | | now take up - lift or bear up his cross and follow |
| no drill sergeant under a ruthless time schedule. He is | | | | Jesus Christ just as Jesus Christ took up His cross. |
| far kinder and gentler than that and yet at the same | | | | Now we know that The Lord Jesus Christ was not |
| time just as tough as a drill sergeant, but with far | | | | speaking literally here, well not for most of us, for |
| more patience and understanding. | | | | many faithful followers have died and still die |
| Matt 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any | | | | peacefully in old age, still believing. So what did He |
| man will come after me, let him deny himself, and | | | | mean by us taking up our crosses? What did He |
| take up his cross, and follow me. | | | | mean by us being 'sheep to the slaughter' daily, again |
| Now this verse always used to fill me with | | | | figurative language? All He meant was we should 1) |
| apprehension and, I hasten to add, tinged me with | | | | always be ready to lay down our lives for Him and |
| more than just a touch of fear. Is this the way it | | | | our brothers and sisters if ever called upon to do so. |
| affects you too dear reader? If it does then be | | | | 2) Be prepared to be hated as He was hated, and to |
| encouraged for you will not be alone. The thing is, | | | | bear up under persecution as He did. 3) And to count |
| what did Our Lord mean by it, did He expect us to | | | | it all joy as and when we are faced with trials and |
| feel fear and what was He really saying if we are | | | | difficulties of life - sometimes these trials can be very |
| not meant to feel fear? | | | | severe. Usually these trials are only for a season and |
| The Greek word for 'deny' here is 'aparneomai' which | | | | their severity can also depend upon what The Lord |
| means 'renounce' and the English definitions for | | | | wants us to do in future. |
| 'renounce' are 1) to consent formally to abandon; | | | | Make no mistake there are some very high positions |
| surrender; give up. 2) To repudiate; refuse to | | | | in His Kingdom that He is longing to fill with us as His |
| recognise; decline association or disclaim relationship | | | | co-rulers. If you don't believe me when I write these |
| with. (The Concise Oxford Dictionary) The word | | | | words then believe The Lord Jesus Christ: John 14:2 2 |
| 'renounce' is far more accurate, is stronger and more | | | | In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were |
| descriptive than 'deny'. In fact I would suggest that | | | | not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a |
| 'deny' is a poor translation. So what do we disclaim | | | | place for you. |
| relationship with or formally abandon? Our old lives | | | | Paul sums it all up when he says: Romans 8:18 For I |
| and the way we used to think. Like the new soldier | | | | reckon that the sufferings of this present time are |
| we have left our old lives behind - no more civvy | | | | not worthy to be compared with the glory which |
| street for the new recruit and no more old life and | | | | shall be revealed in us. So there we are, the glory |
| old way of thinking for the new disciple. We have | | | | that shall be revealed in us. This is our awesome |
| disclaimed relationship with the world - this age or this | | | | future spelled out here for us, so be encouraged |
| world's systems and ways of doing things and have | | | | when going through various trials. |
| begun a new relationship with our Brother Jesus | | | | I know too that when the going gets tough and a |
| Christ. We put all our faith in Him and none of our | | | | trial is severe, God's Word can sound trite and |
| faith in men - especially men of religion and men of | | | | meaningless and gives us no relief whatsoever. The |
| politics. | | | | thing to remember here is that no matter how bad |
| As I explained in my earlier articles being called means | | | | our attitudes get The Lord still loves us and will never |
| we begin to think differently as The Holy Spirit | | | | stop loving us. Believe me when I say I have gotten |
| empowers us. The Father God through His Spirit is | | | | very angry at God in the past whilst going through |
| now influencing the way we think by drawing us to | | | | certain trials. Job is one of my true heroes of The |
| His Son. This means that as The Lord Jesus Christ | | | | Bible. If you're going through a trial right now, then |
| 'thinks' i.e. His mind set, so our minds are now | | | | feel free to e-mail me at the address below to sound |
| becoming more likeminded with His and each day will | | | | off and rant as much as you like. I probably won't |
| begin to think more like The Lord Jesus Christ. This is | | | | have any answers for you because all trials are tailor |
| why like-mindedness with our brothers and sisters in | | | | made for us as individuals, but I promise to read your |
| Christ is so crucial. If we are not likeminded with | | | | e-mail and will help if I can. Always remember, one |
| them and at the same time following Jesus Christ, | | | | man's trial is a piece of cake to another man and vice |
| then there is something seriously wrong with their | | | | versa. |
| Spiritual foundation - and the reason? They are | | | | Finally, yes, being saved initially is not hard because |
| following men of religion with their traditions, not | | | | we have no say in it other than to say "Lord, here |
| Jesus Christ | | | | am I" when the Father calls us, but from then on |
| I've digressed a little here, but a necessary digression. | | | | things do get harder and I will deal with just how |
| OK, back to the main thread. The Holy Spirit is now | | | | hard it can get in the articles that follow. |
| empowering the new disciple but not on a permanent | | | | Please note I have not forgotten the unanswered |
| basis. Disciples are not Born Again, so the Holy Spirit | | | | questions from the previous article: Is it Hard to be |
| will come and go at will, just as it did with Peter | | | | Saved - The Crucial Basics. Watch this space for the |
| when he was a disciple: Matthew 16:16-17And Simon | | | | answers. |
| Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the | | | | |