Marks of a True Christian: Rediscovering God's Blueprint for Faith

We've lost our collective minds as Christians, rejoicing when others suffer and turning our backs on those who are different from us. It's time we return to the marks of a true Christian as outlined in Romans 12:9-21, which calls us to let love be genuine, bless those who persecute us, and overcome evil with good.

• The fractures in the Christian community have become increasingly visible this year
• Romans 12:9-21 outlines the marks of a true Christian: genuine love, perseverance in prayer, blessing enemies
• Christians are rejoicing when others lose their jobs and turning their backs on those who are different
• The marks of a true Christian have nothing to do with money, church size, or titles
• We must repent for the hate, envy, jealousy and lies we've been spreading
• Christians can't just wait for Jesus to return without fulfilling their responsibility to be salt and light
• We need to examine how we can introduce others to Jesus when we harbor so much hate
• Christians are called to love their enemies, feed them, and overcome evil with good

Please share this message with someone who needs to hear it. Together, we can turn things around and get back on right footing with God.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi y'all, happy Saturday.
It's another Faith Fuel.
I went into a rabbit hole onsocial media last night and I
could not go to sleep, and thismorning I had to wake up and try
to pull myself back because Ihad this sense of like ick, just
ick, especially for those of uswho profess or say that we're

(00:22):
Christians, those of us who saythat we have given our lives to
Jesus Christ, those of us whoare supposed to be walking the
walk.
So this morning I just wantedto really quickly remind all of
us the marks of a true Christian.
What does that actually looklike?
Because the more we live thislife, and especially this year,

(00:43):
you can see, if you have eyes tosee how fractured we are as a
Christian community.
So I'm talking to us.
I'm talking to us who professto be believers.
I'm talking to those of us whosay we're Christians.
Whether you are a pastor, anusher, a deacon, I don't really
care about your title.
I want to remind all of us whatthe marks of the true Christian

(01:04):
is, according to God's word andthis is coming out of Romans 12
, and I'm going to read it 9through verse 9 to 21.
So it's going to be a littlelengthy, but if you have your
own Bible, I ask that you, justy'all, let's just go back into
this.
And it is really difficult tolive these principles right now

(01:26):
and I'm saying that as someonewho knows better but it's really
difficult to live theseprinciples right now while
people are just showing as muchhate and vitriol as possible
they have.
We have all kind of lost ourminds, okay, um, so this is, uh,
this is just to remind all ofus of what the marks of a true

(01:48):
Christian actually is.
According to the word, notaccording to politics, not
according to what your grandmasays, not according to Facebook,
not according to any you knowany theories and you know none
of that.
According to God's word, it sayslet love be genuine.
Abhor what is evil.

(02:14):
Hold fast to what is good.
Love one another with brotherlyaffection.
It says be constant in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of thesaints and seek to show
hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you.
Bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice.
Weep with those who weep.

(02:34):
Live in harmony with oneanother.
Do not be haughty, butassociate with the lowly.
Never be wise in your own sight.
Repay no one evil for evil, butgive thought to do what is
honorable in the sight of all,if possible, so far as it
depends on you.
Live peaceably with all Beloved.

(02:56):
Never avenge yourselves, butleave it to the wrath of God,
for it is written vengeance ismine.
I will repay, says the Lord.
To the contrary, if your enemyis hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give himsomething to drink, for by doing
so, you will heap burning coalson his head.
Do not be overcome by evil, butovercome evil with good.

(03:18):
And we are in, I'm telling y'all, we are in a state right now
where you literally see peoplerejoicing when other people are
losing their jobs.
You see people rejoicing, youknow, turning their backs on
people.
You know we don't look likeeach other, we don't live like
each other.
You know it's almost like weagain.
We have Christians now talkingto us.

(03:39):
We have lost our collectiveminds, and so I just want to
remind us and maybe you don'tcare about this, maybe this is
just a me thing and I have toremind myself what a true
Christian looks like, okay, whata true Christian looks like,
and I pray that this word, youknow, when it reaches you, it
touches your heart and itreminds you of the God we serve,

(04:00):
and I pray that.
I just pray that this willcause you to think a little bit
differently, or maybe even justencourage you to go back to his
word, or maybe repent for whatyou're doing, for the lies
you're spewing and the envy andthe jealousy and the hate that's
in your heart.
Maybe this will cause you tojust pull back a little bit.

(04:25):
Oh y'all, I just, I just don't.
You know we.
You know we have a lot ofchristians or believers I don't
even know what term to useanymore that are so, uh,
distraught what's going on thatthey're literally trying to will
jesus to come faster.
He's coming now, he's comingtoday.
No man knows the time or theday or the hour.

(04:45):
None of us know.
But but we have to make thebest of things while we are here
.
We can't just throw our handsup and say there's nothing we
can do, christians, becauseJesus is going to come soon and
he'll take care of all of it.
You can't just give up yourresponsibility so that you have
no accountability.
To be the light and salt inthis world that's what we're

(05:07):
doing.
To be the light and salt inthis world that's what we're
doing.
How are we supposed to model ourChristian walk when we have so
much hate and disdain for eachother in our hearts, and I mean
people who don't look like you,people who don't live like you,
people who don't come from whereyou are?
How can you do that?
How are you supposed tointroduce them to Jesus?

(05:28):
How is the Holy Spirit supposedto reside in you, use you as a
vessel to reach other peoplewhen you're living like that?
All of us, all of us, all of us.
So again, I'm just praying thatwe turn things around.

(05:49):
The marks of a true Christianhas nothing to do with how much
money you have, how big yourchurch is.
It has nothing to do with yourtitle in your church.
It doesn't matter if you'refive-fold or none of that.
None of those things matter.
It doesn't matter if you have aplatform or not.
It doesn't matter.
Y'all the marks of a trueChristian.
You need to go back.
We all need I keep saying you,but I mean me too we all need to

(06:13):
go back, and I pray that thisis going to wake somebody up
this morning to just repent andgo back y'all.
We need to walk this thing back.
We need to walk this thing backand help us, lord Jesus,
because there's so many of usthat are standing in need of a
turnaround in our lives and somany of us are asking for you to

(06:34):
help us in our materialsituations, in our health, in
our finance, in ourrelationships, in everything.
So many of us are asking for abreakthrough, for a job search,
so many of us who are going toneed health care, kids that need
SNAP benefits and food, andeven our neighbors who are
starving, so many of us who aregoing to need health care, kids
that need SNAP benefits and food, and you know, even our
neighbors who are starving.
So many of us have turnedagainst each other.

(06:54):
You're very people.
Those who you have called, thosewho have selected and
volunteered, those who gave themtheir lives to you have lost
their way, and I'm asking thismorning that you'll drive us
back home, that you'll put thatseed in our heart, and I thank
you for forgiving us for oursins, for those who are willing
in their hearts to turn aroundand repent for everything that
we are doing.

(07:15):
We're doing, lord God.
So, father, forgive us foranything that we have said or
done to each other, even in ourhearts.
I pray that you give us rest.
Show us, holy Spirit, the waysthat we are using our mouth to
curse each other.
Show us what we can do to turnthis thing around and be on
right footing with you.
All these things we ask in yourholy name, jesus.
Amen, all right.

(07:36):
I don't know Again, I don'tknow where this is going to land
, but it kind of is what it isthe marks of a true Christian.
That's what's on my heart and Ihope this blesses you.
Please share this message withsomebody, bless somebody with
this message, and I just again,I just hope this helps you.
Amen, all right, love y'all.
See you later, bye.