Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you – 2nd Corinthians 6:17.

Many think that because they profess to be Christians, this makes them Christians. But according to the Word of God, Christians have a responsibility to live according to His written Word, the Bible.

We can’t live according to the world standards and have a relationship with God. The God we serve is holy, and He expects His people to be holy (But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [conduct]; Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy – 1st Peter 1:15-16). This means those who profess to be Christians must live according to their profession.

There are many professing Christians who have led others into sin because of their sinful lifestyle. Those who are not familiar with the Word of God think that because the person who says they are Christians and doing what they are doing, there is nothing wrong with what they are doing, because Christians are doing it!

Not only will they be compensated for their sins, but for those they have led astray. Christians have a certain lifestyle. They don’t go everywhere or listen and look at everything sinners are listening to. They protect their eyes and ears so that the things of the world will not influence them. Satan is the god of this world; he influences people to believe that there is no God or influences them to believe that they can live any way they want and still enter heaven.

Christians are in the world, but they are not of the world (They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world – John 17:16). If Christians want to know how to convince the world that their religion is of God, then let them become one as God and Christ are one. When salvation is truly received in the heart the person becomes a new creation of God in their heart and spirit (Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new – 2nd Corinthians 5:17). When salvation enters the heart the person no longer desires the things of the world. Everything doesn’t change instantly, but as the person continues to yield to God and His Word, their appetite for the things of the world changes.

A Christian can’t grow spiritually without praying, reading, and studying God’s Word. Set aside days to fast. A day or days you will consecrate before the Lord. Many Christians fast once a year at the beginning of the year and no more. Attend Sunday School, this is where you receive your basics to learn how to be a Christian. Attend Bible Study, this is where you can ask questions and learn more about the Bible and the God you serve. Just attending Sunday worship will not help spiritual growth. Preaching is to excite you, but teaching is what will assist your growth.

If a person is still living a lifestyle of sin after they have professed to be Christians for two or three years or more after receiving salvation something is wrong spiritually (Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be a reprobates – 2nd Corinthians 13:5)? We don’t examine ourselves by others, but by the Word of God.

The Bible is the mirror that shows us where we have grown and where we need to grow more. This is why it is so hard for some Christians to read and study their Bibles consistently, because Satan will always influence people to do anything except read their Bibles.

He knows that once people receive the truth of God’s Word, he will no longer be able to hold them captive. It’s God’s Word that changes individuals’ thinking and character, making them like their heavenly Father.

Some think that doing good deeds will help them enter heaven. Good deeds will not give us heaven’s entrance unless the good deeds are accompanied by living according to God’s Word. So many Christians have became focus on the things of the world rather than the things of God. When one dies, they will take nothing they have accomplished in the world with them.

We don’t know when death or Jesus is coming, but one thing we must know is to be ready for their coming (Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame – Revelation 16:15). To have garments rather than naked relates to spiritual preparedness.

Jesus is returning for His church, and when He turn He’s coming for a church that has presented themselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. It’s holiness or hell, the choice is ours to make. (For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord – 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Read your Bible, apply the instructions to your life daily. Jesus is coming. Will you be caught up to meet Him in the air, or will you be left to face the Tribulation?