Basic Elements of Christianity

Primary Loyalty Rev. 19a(7/10)

I. ALWAYS REMAIN COMPLETELY AND PRIMARILY LOYAL TO GOD

B - It is important to definitely fix in our minds and hearts that only God through Jesus Christ saved us -- NOT our church, denomination, clergy, family, friends or any other agency. People and organizations change, but God never changes. HE remains Faithful and True.

C - Because humans change, and many times they change for the worse, we must fasten our primary loyalty onto God and Him alone. SO, OUR PRIMARY LOYALTY TO GOD IS . . .

II. ABOVE ALL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

B - Instead, the will of God must come first (John 2:4). Admittedly, the EXACT will of God may be difficult to ascertain at times for specific situations, but suffice it to say for now that our instinct is to be predominately guided by the Word of God.

C - Understand, as mentioned above, that our personal salvation must come first. You probably will not win your family to Christ and they might be destined for hell unless you firmly stand upon the Word of God and express that stand as directed by the Holy Spirit of God.

D - Taking such a stand and following the will of God regardless of what your family says may cause a lot of friction, so much so that it may appear to your family and others that you hate them (see Lk. 14:26).

E - In coming to Christ, you become a new creation in Him. You have a new Standard, Jesus Christ, Who unfolds His standards as He lives through you. As a new creation in Christ, you have the opportunity to spiritually do better than what your parents and family did if they have not been saved, born again. Habits of sin are often passed down from one generation to another. By coming to Christ, this deadly pattern is broken, but we must say "no" to our selves and let Christ live through us.

F - Accept from what you were taught in your family only those things that truly match up to the Holy Bible.

G - Remember that God's Word is above your parents' / family's word.

III. ABOVE ALL PHILOSOPHIES

B - Here is a brief list of some worldly thoughts and philosophies opposed to the mind of God. Research what God's Word says about them. Some are "look out for number one," "if it feels good, do it," "I speak my mind," "the New Age movement," "all roads lead to God," "everybody is doing it," "what someone else does in their privacy is none of my business," "do not tattle tale," "prostitution was the first profession," "he's / she's in a better place now that he's / she's dead," and "it is better to put your seed in the belly of a whore than on the ground." All of these are contrary to the Word of God.

IV. ABOVE THE WORLD

B - Concerning Christian activism, such as pro-life demonstration activities where arrest might be possible or passing out tracts where warned not to do so, always seek the face of God in these cases, but understand that if you violate the human law or human desire you might face consequences. For just one example of a "Pro-One-God Demonstration" see Judges 6. There are many cases in the Word of God, both Old and New Testaments, where man's law was broken for the sake of following God's law. However, it is good for the disciple to know that there are at times different directives for the people of God for each of the seven time periods determined for this world. Note what the Lord said to His disciples in Luke 9:51-56.

VI. ABOVE ALL SPIRITUAL TEACHERS AND LEADERS -- 1 John 2:26-27

B - Always, always, always examine what ANYONE teaches / preaches / prophesies / or whatever with the Holy Bible and the direction of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 7:15-20, 24:4-11, 1 John 4:1)

C - I have heard of Christians being told exactly who to marry or exactly where to go to serve God by others. Get it from God first! Use your direct link.

D - In Pentecostal realms you will come across those claiming to have the gift of prophecy. Some do and some just think they do! Let the Holy Spirit guide you. If a personal prophecy is from God and directed at you most times it is merely a confirmation of what you already knew.

E - Put Jesus first. There are many great Holy Bible teachers today but do not "hang on one" in such a way you take his / her interpretation of the Word of God as always on target! Jesus should be your primary teacher.

F - 1 John 2:26-27 states that you NEED no man to teach you. "Need " is an important word in that paragraph. God has placed teachers in the Body of Christ, but each and every Christian has a NEED to sit at the feet of Jesus everyday!

VII. ABOVE ALL DENOMINATIONS

B - There is only one true body of Christians. No one denomination is the Truth. Only Christ is the Truth. Any truly born again Christian is automatically in the Body of Christ regardless of denominational tag. In some cases, the true Christian may refuse to do certain things that their church does. Sometimes they may have to leave that denomination and migrate to one with more accurate teaching or be independent of any denominational affiliation. There might come a time when there is no place to gather as a church. This has already happened in some countries. If that ever happens, be directed by the Holy Spirit for the possibility of joining other true Christians just in Spirit.

C - The only true Church is the collective group of real, true born again Christians throughout the world. Until Christ Himself returns, it cannot be pin-pointed by a group name or locality (Luke 17:21). Keep in mind Christ Himself said (Matthew 18:20), "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." The gathering does not have to be in a church building, for the building does not make the church—the truly born again comprise the true Church.

D - Please do not ever use the phrases "my church / pastor does not teach that / allows that." Be convinced in your heart and mind as to what the Word of God says and follow it. Stand on it!

E - CAUTION! - Currently there is a move throughout the Body of Christ towards unity. Sounds nice, but it often involves compromise on doctrines and / or morals. You will hear terms such as "let's tear the walls down." No friend, do a Holy Bible study on walls. Walls are good. Just as you need walls in the physical realm to protect you from various things, spiritual walls protect you from the elements of the world system. I feel it is a great waste of time and outright spiritually dangerous to pursue unity without considering the Biblical values we need to adhere to. Example:

There are now over seven billion people in this world and most are headed for hell. We need to concentrate on EVANGELISM, not "unity."

F - Keeping these things in mind will spare you from the ultimate dangers of ecumenicism for which see Revelation 13 and 19.

G - RESPECT- Let us understand that until Christ returns, different Christians will have different views on points that are not cardinal truths that define true Christianity. For example, I know many fine Christians that are Baptists and believe "once truly saved always saved" (the doctrine of the perseverance of Christ in the saints, otherwise known as eternal security). I never did believe in that type of eternal security and never will, but that does not stop me from loving those Christians that think that way nor working with them for the Kingdom of God when possible. Use denominational tags as tools to understand your fellow Christian and sometimes avoid controversy.

VIII. ABOVE OUR EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS

B - A Christian can backslide, fall from grace, lose their salvation (Galatians 5:1-4, 1 Timothy 1:19, Revelation 3:5). However, the instructions of 1 John indicate that committing one sin does not do it. We are never saved by what we do, but what we do can indicate if we are saved. "Do" here is used in the continual sense here just as the term "sins" / "sinneth" is in 1 John. The actual point of backsliding is an unknown, and rightfully so. Willfully continuing in sin after salvation can be an indication you are not saved, or not saved anymore.

C - If you ever feel that you have slipped away from God, remember these three Holy Scriptures:

IX. And our SUPREME LOYALTY IS EXPRESSED IN . . .

B - FAITH, FAITHFULNESS - Hebrews 11:6

C - TRUST - Proverbs 3:5-6 Note -- ". . . in ALL thy ways . . ."

D - OBEDIENCE - 1 Samuel 15:22 Obedience to God is the outward expression for our love of God.

X. OUR LOYALTY IS MAINTAINED BY . . .

B - PRAY - Pray for yourself, your family, friends, neighbors, enemies, Jerusalem, rulers - wow! Whatever the Holy Spirit brings to mind, pray for it. Ask God what He would want for that situation and pray in that manner. Pray for others that are saved, for a closer walk with God, more of a sensitivity to His Spirit, willingness to obey, boldness to witness and face persecution. Pray for your pastor and your pastor's spouse if your pastor is married. For the lost, pray that they soften their hearts to the Gospel. There is much more too!

C - READ AND STUDY THE HOLY BIBLE - Ask God to help you understand it. Ask God to help you enjoy it. Start in the NT. I highly recommend 1 John and the Gospel of John. That is what someone told me when I was first saved and I found that these Scriptures laid a great foundation for my Christian life. After that, read the whole NT. This will prepare you to better understand the Old Testament (OT), but read the NT a number of times before you go to the OT.
   After a while, get to the OT, but bounce back and forth between the OT and NT. I remember when I knew I should start reading the OT. It was rough! I thought it was boring! I asked God to help me enjoy the OT. He did! I forced myself to read it and God helped me to love it. Also, we had a teacher in Holy Bible institute named Walter Beuttler. Most of his notes were from the OT! It helped to open my mind to those great books. Another was a book by Henrietta C. Mears, "A Look At The Old Testament". The copy I have was published by Regal Books Division, Gospel Light Publications, Glendale, California, USA copyright 1967.
   As to what version, I prefer you use the New King James (NKJV) or at least the King James (KJV). I have found that for the NT the KJV adheres more closely to the actual Greek than the New International Version (NIV). The NKJV is even better. If you need to use the KJV, you will find the some of the wording might be old, but God will help you to understand as you ask His guidance. I also recommend any work by the late Jay Green, such as the King James III (KJ3).

D - GO TO CHURCH AND PARTICIPATE (Hebrews 10:25) - By church, we do not mean a building, but a gathering of believers. Christ indicated the number can be as low as two (Matthew 18:20). Participate by worshiping, reading the Word, praying, listening, asking, giving testimony unto God, giving in the offering and being a part of all other activities sanctioned by the Word of God.
   The essential doctrines that a church should teach are . . .

• God is One as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Bible (comprised of 39 OT books and 27 NT books) is the Word of God and the all sufficient rule for faith and living.
• Christ died, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven to free us from sin and its punishment.
• Christ is the only Way for Eternal salvation.
• Christ is the only mediator for us and our only heavenly intercessor.
• We are saved by the grace of God and not by our works. However, this grace produces godly works and each believer must pursue holiness.

E - SERVE OTHERS - Jesus did that by the Holy Spirit and if He lives in you, you will be doing the same by the Holy Spirit.

F - WITNESS - Hey! Tell others what happened to you. Share Jesus as directed by the Holy Spirit. Keep in mind that the word "witness" is the same as "martyr" in the Greek. Expect persecution in any form, especially as you see the return of Christ approaching.

G - LEARN TO OBEY - One thing to consider and act upon is being baptized in water. See Mark 16:16. You are not saved by this act and you should be saved BEFORE you are baptized in water. I deal with water baptism in another lesson. Of course, we are to obey all the commands of God.