I read an intersting article today about a Rabbi who wrote down the name he believed was of the Messiah, but it was to be sealed until one year after his death.  The name was revealed to be Yehoshua..  Jesus.  From the article it says you can indentify the Messiah become He will appear to Israel after Airel Sharon's death (who is still currently in a coma).  More can be found at:

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=128&view=item&idx=1347

This is a big question since there are so many views of what constitutes being a Christian.   Even the title “Christian” is so watered down in today’s world and tied to many evil people in the past who murdered and abused people under that title.  But what defines a “true” Christian?  Does going to church or reading your Bible make you a Christian?  Is it saying a little prayer or possibly just trying to be good?  Maybe trying to be just like Yeshua (Jesus), or possibly simply believing Yeshua is the Son of God?

Well, there is quite a few views of what a Christian is or how to become one but the Bible is pretty simple on the matter although there are some foundational truths that must be included to fulfill the following:

You must:

• Believe in God
• Believe that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Son of God and is the only begotten of God
• Believe the Yeshua was crucified on the cross to pay the price for all sin
• Believe the Yeshua was raised from the dead and has ascended into heaven
• You have confessed and repented of your sins and made Yeshua the Lord of your life

That is it!  If that has occurred in your life, then you are a “true” Christian!  Anyone can be a Christian and be assured of eternal life with God by the simple list above.

Now, let us get down to the guts of that list.  The first item is to believe in God.  That is not “a” God, but the one true God of the Bible.   There is only one God which is eternal, in that God has always been God and will always be God without beginning nor end and without change.  There is no other God anywhere, there is only one true God.

This one true God expresses Himself in three views, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a three in one just as we ourselves are soul, spirit and body.  Some have explained God like a light bulb, there is the bulb, and you see the light and can feel the heat, three in one.  There are two different camps on this, one says He is one God but is revealed as three different ways while the other camp says He is one God with three different wills.  I think they are both saying the same thing, but I will leave that up to God to sort out.

Next, we have Yeshua as part of God taking on flesh to show us the way and pay the price for sin.  At no time did God cease to exist or become mortal, but the body of flesh upon Yeshua was mortal and subject to all temptations and weaknesses of humanity.

Yeshua was crucified on the cross to pay the price for our pardon so that we could be reunited with God after the fall of man in the garden.   This is a price we all should have had to pay, but we could not due to our sin nature of fallen man.

Yeshua was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven where He waits until the time appointed to come back for all those that are His.  He is now the mediator between mankind and God, that those in Him shall not be damned, but be with Him throughout eternity.

The last step is much like two steps in one but there really go hand-in-hand.  You need to realize that you have sinned and that you repent of those sins which includes turning away from them.  Right along with that you need to make Yeshua the Lord of your life, that is, He becomes your leader, your King, you submit your will to Him.  I recall a quote I heard some time ago “no one can say no Lord”, He is either Lord or not.

This does not mean we will not fall and sin, but if we do, we need to repent and confess them to Him and the Bible says He is faithful to forgive them.  That does not give a license to sin, but when we fail, He is there to catch us.  Of course, if we live a life of unrepentant sin, we will deny our faith.

Anyone can come to God and be a follower of Yeshua (Christian) if you believe.  The ball is in your court..  One of the worse things a person can do is build unto themselves a God of their own making and deny the God of the Bible.  It can seem very innocent at times as people inflict their views of who God is even though they do not line up with the Bible.  Read the Bible and find out “who” the real true God is and what is expected of you!

This was posted today on the Yahoo group: End Time Report to which I subscribe and I thought I would share it here:

Yesterday, on the Glen Beck show on CNN, Glen had Al Sharpton as a guest to answer questions about comments Sharpton made about the Mormon religion.  Sharpton is accused of being a bigot  For those that are not sure what the term “bigot” means, the dictionary defines it as:

“One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.”

Being partial to your own faith is not being a bigot, it is only when you are intolerant to others who do not believe as you do.  You can say your faith is the only way to believe and not be a bigot, but if you say no one else can believe any other way but yours, then you cross over to be a bigot.

My belief about my faith is as the Bible clearly mentions that there is only one way unto God and that is through faith in Yeshua (Jesus).  No, I do not believe any other religion has a way to God and that all must come through Yeshua.  For those that have never had the opportunity, I do not know what God will do in those situations, but if you have had the opportunity and rejected Him, there is only one future for that person.

So, because I believe there is only one way to God, does that make me a bigot?  Not really, as I do not say everyone must believe as I do, it is up to them to believe as they wish as long as it does not affect my life and my beliefs.

Back to the show, Beck asked Sharpton at point blank if he believes Mormons are Christians and Sharpton replied that they where.  It is then the opinion of Al Sharpton that people who hold the beliefs of the Mormon religion are “Christians”.  So, what does it take to be a “Christian”?  Can Mormon doctrines be called “Christian”?

The first and primary point that really answers this question is what and who is God?  To a Mormon, the doctrine has been “As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be".  They say that God was once a man and that he obtained Godhood, and likewise we can become God.  They even believe that those that follow a good Mormon life will become God and rule over a planet of their own as they see the position of their God today.  Can this fit with the first tenet of the Christian Faith?

As Christians, we believe that God is eternal both in past and present.  That He is the only God and is expressed in three personages (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit) but still only one God.  This is the same as our design being one person but having a body, soul and spirit all in one.  We believe God has always been God and is the “only” God, that there is no other and will be no other God.  Man is not God, nor was God anything but God.  God is without change!  (As I see it, this is an obvious requirement for any entity claiming to be God, see my posting:

http://ReflectedThought.com/ChristianLife/archive/2006/08/19/ I_AM_An_Explanation_Of_Existance.aspx

So, we really need not go any further in the comparison of the religions.  If Mormons clearly do not believe the the God described in the Bible and expressed in creation, then they cannot believe who Yeshua (Jesus) really is, that He is God and is part of the Godhead.  Without that, you cannot be a Christian regardless of your actions, nor how much your say you believe in a god.  There is only one true God and to be called a Christian, you are required to believe in that one true God.

What about all the good they do, does not that make them Christians?  No, it does not matter if you give your life for the poor or needed, nor if you do good from the day your are born to until the day you die, you cannot be good enough to save yourself or Yeshua would not have had to come and die to give us a way to those of use that are unrighteous to become righteous in the sight of God.  If any person could be that good to meet God's requirement, Yeshua would not have had to come and die, He is the open door for those that are lost, where we enter in who are not righteous in ourselves but obtain righteousness through His sacrifice.

Yes, many Mormons do good and are centered around family and are an example at how the entire Christian church “should” be, but that does not make them Christians, only accepting Yeshua's atonement for your sins can give you the true label of being a Christian.  Although there are many people who are not Christian, that still call themselves Christian, they are not “true” Christians!

One other point I have with several different religions along with the Mormon religion.  Throughout the Bible we see doctrine change only by the hand of God.  We have creation by the hand of God, then we have Adam and Eve kicked out of the garden and a new faith begins.  Then we have the flood again by the hand of God.  Later we see God call Abraham and then followed by Mose where they received the law of God, yet again from God.  We then finally have Yeshua come to bring another change again by the hand of God. 

The true Christian faith only changes its beliefs by the hand of God not the revelation to person.  In several of these religions though, the headship of the religion have the rights to change it as they wish (usually by some revelation the claim came from God).  This is another area that the Christian faith is different from other religions, the faith is not controlled by man but by God.  If a person comes to you that has a view of the Christian faith that is not clearly outlined in the Bible, then you are not to believe it regardless of what you think.  The faith is not up to modification, it is the “faith” not a social club, not a man made institution that is able to be managed by mankind.

So, to wrap it up, Mormons can be good people but there are not Christians!

I got this in email today, thought you might enjoy it!

 RECALL NOTICE 

The Maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. 

This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. 

This defect has been technically termed "Subsequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

 
Some other symptoms include: 
  1. Loss of direction
  2. Foul vocal emissions
  3. Amnesia of origin
  4. Lack of peace and joy
  5. Selfish or violent behavior
  6. Depression or confusion in the mental component
  7. Fearfulness
   8. Idolatry
  9. Rebellion

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this SIN defect. The Repair Technician, Jesus, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the stagge ring cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.

The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R. 

Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. N ext, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.  No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:
  1. Love
  2. Joy
  3. Peace
  4. Patience
  5. Kindness
  6. Goodness
  7. Faithfulness
  8. Gentleness
  9. Self control

 
Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded.

 
DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility.

Thank you for your attention!

GOD

Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by "kneemail