Becoming a Disciple of Jesus Christ

by Mihran Kulhanjian

Abiding as a Disciple of Jesus Christ

Part I

Dearly beloved in Christ,

There is no greater love in this life than to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple is a pupil, a student, a follower and witness to the Lord. A disciple is also a minister, a servant of the Lord, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teaching the Word of God.

Jesus said: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). The Lord commands us [believers] to love one another, for this "love" shows the world who we belong to. We also show our great love for others [nonbelievers] by sharing Jesus Christ to them, by telling the truth of God’s Word. For, salvation is through Him alone; He who came and died and rose again, defeating death that we might receive the inheritance in Heaven and the blessings in this life. Jesus became our curse that we might receive the blessing.

Jesus said: "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

Repentance is necessary. One cannot live in sin and expect God’s blessings.

Unlike all false religions promising salvation by doing good deeds, a Christian [one born-again with the Spirit of God living in him] has salvation [eternal life in Heaven] by God's grace through faith in the work of Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. A Christian is saved not by good works but for good works, winning souls, and making disciples of Jesus Christ.

When you have come to a point in your relationship with Christ to live generously and abundantly, and die committed for the Truth [Jesus Christ] proclaiming the Word of God by your testimony, then and only then, you have overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb.

"And they [God's people] overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb [Jesus] and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11).

We glorify God by laying our bodies on the altar as a living sacrifice for God. Jesus died so that we might live; but we are a living sacrifice to share our faith and live holy in honoring God and bringing all glory to Him. This is the least we can do for Him who has saved us and revealed truth to us. By the renewing of our mind we are transformed. It is good, then acceptable and finally a perfect will of God. We are transformed and behave as a believer behaves as a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

James 2:26: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." It is important to realize that we are not saved through good works but we are saved for good works. Do you understand what this means? All born again believers should have a desire to do good works. The word for love used in much of the Bible is the Greek word agape. Agape love is God’s unconditional love for all. It is a love that asks for nothing. It is not a romantic love or brotherly love. It is a love that wants the best for all and that no harm comes to anyone. Agape love is also telling people the truth even when the truth may be offensive. A Christian should have this type of love for the lost. This love is pleasing to God. And we should all do the works that Jesus did because of our gratefulness to God and what He did for us.

Ephesians 2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. God has worked it all out for us. We are His workmanship, created in Christ for good works. This was taken care of before the creation of the world. Do you not know you were predestined to spread the “Good News” of Jesus Christ?

A Disciple is Humble

Most people have a wrong idea of what humility means in the Bible. In the fleshly world, humility is associated with weakness, passivity and a non-initiator or somebody who does not take charge or lacks leadership ability. But in Scripture, humility is obedience to God. It is a glorious thing to be humble, for the humble shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). The humble will also be exalted (Matthew 23:12). Not this earth will they inherit but the next. It takes humility to get down on your knees or to get prostrate on the ground before God in prayer. Humility is admitting your sins before God and confessing them before Him and asking Him for forgiveness. Jesus was meek and lowly. Humility is strength, it is knowing your weakness [your inability to be good and your inability to save yourself] and submitting to God in all things. Humility is yielding to God. Leaning on Him and trusting Him with your life. God is the Creator of all. Why would you not submit to Him? Why would you not trust Him with your life? I do. Will you? Upon death I trust Him, proclaiming His Word. "I shall not die, but live and proclaim the works of the Lord" (Isaiah 40:8). And upon death, I shall proclaim the works of the Lord from my lips.

How humble was Moses to God?

Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:3).

Are we capable of humbling ourselves to the Lord as Moses? Yes, we are capable of this. We can be as humble as we want to be. And we can be as holy as we want to be. Holiness is separation from sin.

A Christian humbles himself to God and relies on God for all things. God in number one in my life. Is He number one in yours? Humility is the opposite of pride. Did you do it your way or did you do it God's way? Pride tells you to do it your way. It is the wrong way; and pride is the downfall of all who have entered through the gates of hell and into the lake of fire.

There was a beautiful angel by the name of Lucifer, whom God created. Lucifer, because of his pride, wanted the things God had. He wanted to be like God. It was his pride. So he became an adversary of God. We know him now as Satan or the devil, the great deceiver, the king of liars. God gave us, as well as the angels, free-will to choose Him and love Him. But Lucifer's pride took hold and he used his free-will to lie, steal, kill and destroy. Lucifer could not battle God in the heavens so he sought to take control of God's creation, man. The tempter went after the weaker one [Eve} first. Now Lucifer became Satan and Satan wants you to have the pride of life and not the humility to know and worship and enjoy God. Satan says: “You don’t need God; you can do whatever you want to do.” Satan is liar, deceiving billions with his lies.

“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6)

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:10)

Humility is being obedient to God. Trusting Him, submitting to Him and surrendering all to Him as our God, as our Father [to Christians] and to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, being God incarnate [if you have seen the Son you seen the Father]. This means relying on Him in so called good times and bad times and not wavering our trust, our faith, and our belief in Him. To believe is to trust and follow and obey. Jesus humbled Himself in complete obedience to the Father. Jesus did His Fathers will by leaving the spiritual realm of heaven., becoming a man, becoming a poor outcast and becoming a condemned criminal by false accusations and trumped up charges. He was innocent, yet He was scourged and then crucified. He was sentenced to death and cruelly murdered on the cross. It was a humiliating death of a completely innocent man, a holy, God loving, and God obeying man; and Jesus did this to save sinners; "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). How grateful we should be for what Jesus did for us. Jesus was the Lamb of God, sacrificed for us; and all you have to do is receive Him, follow Him to receive the gift of life and all the promises and blessings He offers. He took the punishment for all sinners. But all sinners will not be saved. It was the great exchange. He exchanged His life so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and He did it.

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5).

Grace (unmerited favor) is given to the humble.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).

The humble will be exalted.

Becoming a Christian requires humility. We humble ourselves to the mighty power of God, realizing who He is and what He has done for us. We remove selfish desires for selfless desires. Humility in Christ is strength and power not weakness. "You can do all things in the One [Christ] who empowers you within" (Philippians 4:13). Let's look at it this way: pride is a grave sin because pride is all about glorifying self. Self is more important. That's pride. Self is number one not God. That's pride. Self doesn't need God. That's pride. Self is conceit, self-centeredness and self-reliance. That's pride. Self-centered people want to glorify themselves. Pride says "Glorify me." A self-made man or woman is glorified and honored by the world. Yet, a self-made person is not gloried by God's standard. A professing self-made person is a godless person, puffed up and built up with conceit. While money and power are perceived to be the hallmark of success in this world, in God's realm the humble are the exalted. The self-conceited say "look at me, I'm something, I am somebody important." One can be poor or rich. There is no financial number on pride and selfishness. A person who says he is self-made is an idolater, worshiping himself. Pride is a weakness that leads to failure every time. Pride is the opposite of humility. And “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). A prideful person will sometimes dig the hole so deep, climbing out of it will often be impossible.

In this life there is no greater work than doing the will of God. It is the committed Christian who perseveres and overcomes evil with good. "And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). Will you abide forever? Will you be a disciple of Jesus Christ? There are very few disciples in this world. Many Christians do not devote time to share the “Good New” of Jesus Christ, nor do they do works of the heart. Many do not have the Spirit to do it. They have not been in the Word, hearing what He says; and they do not talk to Him. The Spirit has been silently quenched. But He will return when you return to Him. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

Abiding as a Disciple of Jesus Christ

Part II

In Part I of this essay I focused on humility. Humility is necessary to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Humility is meekness; it is having a desire to submit and learn. To be humble is to be teachable. In Part II I am going to conclude the subject of true discipleship by distinguishing the difference between a believer and a disciple. We have to understand that Jesus commands us to be disciples and not simply converts or believers.

In the beginning of Part I, I gave a definition of what a disciple of Christ does. I believe it is worth mentioning again. A disciple is a pupil, a student, a follower and witness to the Lord. A disciple is also a minister, a servant of the Lord, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teaching the Word of God. The word disciple comes from the Greek word mathetes. It does not mean to be only a learner or pupil, but it also entails that the student become the imitator of his teacher. We become imitators of Christ, our teacher. We speak like Him using His words, we minister the Word to other believer’s immature in the faith, we heal the sick, we expel demons, we care for the oppressed and we evangelize to the lost. We can only do these things with the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit is the power in all true disciples.

And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. —Matthew 10:11

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” —Acts 1:8

Jesus gives us power. The Holy Spirit indwelled in every true believer has this power, but most Christians do not draw or recognize this power to be used. This is a true power of God that flows through believers. Jesus said a true disciple remains in the Word of God. We draw on the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us into true discipleship. But we must cooperate with God. We must take action. We act in faith.

With the baptism of the Holy Spirit we now have the power flowing in us by God. If you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, ask God for Him. God will not deny you His Spirit when you ask for Him. God will not deny you His Spirit when you sincerely desire Him.

What did the Lord say about a true disciple?

Here are a few Scriptures that will give us a good idea. If only today’s church leaders would practice discipleship and teach it, the world would be much different today.

John 15:8:

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

John 13:34-35:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Matthew 10:24-25:

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!

Matthew 10:37-38:

Luke 14:26-33:

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. ²⁸For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— ²⁹lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? ³¹Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³²Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. ³³So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

When we become a disciple we accept Jesus as Lord of our life. A disciple does not say “I believe in Jesus and I’m going to heaven,” and that’s it. A disciple acts out his faith. We are commanded to exhibit our faith to the world to build the Kingdom of God. That is, we live our faith. If we are truly born again, we should have some desire to do something about it. The first thing we do is repent, because we are convicted of the sin in our life and that God is holy and His Moral Law stands forever. After repentance we get faith. One physical action we take is water baptism. With baptism we profess our identity with Christ in front of witnesses. Now, you could have baptism of the Holy Spirit before water baptism. And you could begin speaking in tongues also, but I won’t get into this here.

After water baptism many usually want to do something; they have a desire to share the Word or share their experience as a new creation in Christ. Then weeks past and desires you had fade away. You don’t read your Bible and you remain as a believer—a lukewarm believer and immature believer. What’s next? There are millions of believers but only handfuls of disciples. If we want God near, we remain in His Word, increasing our knowledge, and building our house on the Rock not in the sand. Jesus wants disciples. Disciples grow the Kingdom.

Jesus also said that a true disciple continues in His Word. We see this in John 8:30-32:

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³²And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

To abide in His word is to remain or continue in His word. Then you are a disciple because you are continuing to learn the ways of God. We keep learning and believing until we are imitators of Christ. God wants us conformed to the image of Jesus. We do this by the transforming of our mind. Once our mind is transformed, physical action takes place We desire to do the works Jesus did and more, because we realized the gifts we have been given. It is our gratefulness of these gifts that we want to share them with others and this includes the lost. When Jesus said “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed,” the word “indeed” means truth [you are My disciples in truth]. There are two words here: “in” and “deed.” Deeds are actions. For instance, “good deeds.” A disciple should, by the renewing of his mind, have a desire to do good deed or precisely practice his discipleship with action that is recognizable to others.

To witness and to do good works in faith for Christ is a supernatural gift. But this gift is attainable when we continue in God’s Word. This is a promise from God.

The difference from a believer and a disciple is clearly cut. Jesus said the disciple will remain in His word. The disciple teaches others what he has learned. He is grateful for what has been revealed to him and, therefore, shares this information with others.

The next verse, 32, Jesus tells us the result of abiding in His word. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The disciple is made free knowing, and believing he is set free from being enslaved by sin. We are set free from condemnation. We are made free so that we may free others with the Word of God. A disciple acts out his faith. Most are only believers and do not act out their faith. They are likely saved but we do not know their heart. And since we do not know a person’s heart, we do not know the person’s salvation. With a disciple we can see their faith because they are living their faith with action as Jesus commands.

Jesus did not command us to be believes and stop there. He wants us to continue in His word, to be disciples, to raise up an army of followers and teachers of truth that He has revealed to us. The more we are in the Word, the more we learn, the more we heal, and the more knowledge of God we gain. With knowledge we gain confidence and courage.

A believer who confesses Christ before others will go to heaven just as a disciple, but the disciple who abides in the Word will be made free from the sins of this world. This is sanctification and it is a process that does not happen at once. It is progressive. Only when we enter heaven are we completely sanctified. To be sanctified is to be saint-like. All true believers are saints.

Becoming a Disciple

When one is converted to Christianity and believes that Jesus is the Son of God and is God, we must not leave him to himself. I will use an example with a baby. A baby is a new creation. This new creation is a baby as a new convert is a baby in Christ. A baby needs to be cared for and taught the ways of life by the parents. A new born believer also must be cared for, instructed and taught the ways of God.

A disciple, unlike a believer, develops a growing relationship with God. This becomes an intimate, lifelong relationship that develops overtime as the disciple continues in the Word of God, whereby renewing his mind. The disciple presents his body to God as a living sacrifice.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ²And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. —Romans 12:1-2

A disciple is a doer. He knows that faith without works is a dead faith. How could one say “I believe and follow Jesus Christ. He is my Savior,” yet, do nothing for Him.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

—James 2:26

We must submit to Jesus as the Lord of our life. We cannot say we believe in Jesus and do nothing. Even Satan and his demons believe in Jesus. Believe means follow and obey. Satan does not follow or obey Jesus. The world is filled with believers professing to be Christian. But how many in this world are professing to be disciples? Jesus gave us a command to go and make disciples, He did not say “go and make convert”:

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

—Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus never called His disciples Christians. He said “follow Me” and “abide in My Word” and “you will be called My disciples.” The word Christian was first used in Antioch when Barnabas and Saul (Paul) went to preach (Acts 11:26). The word Christian is mentioned only three times in the Bible (Acts 11:26. 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16 NKJV). In Matthew 10:25, Jesus said a disciple is a person who becomes like his teacher, and a servant like his master.

Ask God now to fill you with the Holy Spirit if you are not yet filled. Pray that you want to follow in Christ’s footsteps as a disciple. And that the renewing of your mind gives you the desire to learn. teach, and instruct others with God’s Word, making true, productive disciples for the Kingdom of God.

Abiding as a Disciple of Jesus Christ

Part III

Introducing Your Personal Testimony

In Acts 9, 22 and 26, the Apostle Paul gave his personal testimony to the converted and the unconverted. He gave his testimony three times. First, he explained what happened to him on the way to Damascus as he went hunting for the followers of Christ for persecution. He explained to the Jews how Jesus meet him on the road to Damascus and laid out His plan for him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Since he was well known as a persecutor of Christs’ followers his personal testimony was valued to convince the Jew who followed Christ that he was indeed a new creation and a disciple of Jesus. Unlike the disciple who knew Jesus and walked with Him, Paul could only tell his story as to how he met Jesus after Jesus had died.

Paul was an educated Pharisee among Pharisees, whose Roman citizenship was proved to make him an extremely useful witness for Jesus to the Gentiles which he was called. But he also witness to the Jews.

Praying for Those to be Healed

An effective way to start sharing Jesus Christ and the Gospel with people is to pray for them. We can go anywhere and approach anybody and ask this one question. You could say: “I am here today praying for people who need prayers answered. God is the great healer. God said “I am the Lord who heals you.” He is the great physician. All healing comes from God. I believe God answers our prayers when we earnestly seek Him in humility. He is merciful. Are you having any health problem or other problems that you would like me to pray over. If they say “No, I’m okay,” ask about other family or friends who need help. If they say there is nobody, you go right into your personal testimony. Talk about how God healed you (physically) and/or spiritually. Then go into the Gospel message:

“Jesus came from Heaven as a life giving spirit. He came to same sinners; that we might know God, He came to destroy the works of the devil and He came to give life and give it more abundantly.” Jesus become sin for us and took the punishment that was for us. He was put to death on the cross for the remission of our sins. God is a just God and the sinful (you and me) are guilty of sin. God is holy. This means He is separated from sin. Since you and I have committed, we cannot have communion with a holy God, who has no sin. When Jesus lived on this earth, He was sinless. He was perfect. Therefore, He was predestined before the world was formed to be the sacrificial Lamb of God for the atonement or our sin. The Bible says all have sinned and all are guilty, falling short of the glory of God.

Then, you could talk a little about the Moral Law. More are aware of the Ten Commandments.

“If you love God you will obey Him and live by these two commandments. But since you do not know God how can you love Him. Do you know God? The Bible says that the people are blind. This is called satanic blindness—it is a complete hardening of the heart to God. We must soften our hearts for God. You do not know God because God does not speak to you. Why is this? God speaks to you when you read the Bible. Do you read the Bible, the words of God? We do not have to go to hell. Hell is for lawbreakers, those who break God’s law, for the unforgiven. But God did something wonderful for us because He loves us and is merciful and does not want us to go to hell; He wants to have fellowship with us. Now, God offered us a way out. But, before we get into God’s offer to escape the judgment of hell, let’s set the groundwork examining ourselves first by going through the Moral Law: (As with most of us, it is not unusual that we have broken many of God’s laws. In fact, we have broken all of them).”

1. YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.

The First Commandment says that God should be number one in our lives. Jesus commanded that we love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. Do you love God more than anything in life? You must love the creator more than the creation because God created everything you have: your parents, siblings, your puppy, the earth, everything. If you have not placed God first then you have broken the First Commandment.

2. YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF ANY GRAVEN IMAGE.

Have you created a god to suite yourself? Perhaps you believe your god wants everybody to be happy. Have you said, booze and smoking pot are okay with my god. This is not the God of the Bible. Have you made a special type of god in your own mind or made one out of an object? This is called idolatry and it is an offense to a Holy God. Idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God.

3. YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN.

The Bible says “The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7) Out of surprise or disgust have you ever said “Oh my G… (OMG)? Have you ever used Jesus’s name as a cuss or curse word? This is called blasphemy and it is a serious offense against God who gave you life. Would you use your mother’s name as a cuss word?

4. REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY.

This is the only Commandment where the word “Remember” is used. This is because many do not remember or ignore the Sabbath Day. Honor God and give one day to him. This was under the Mosaic Covenant. God created the heavens and earth and man in six days. He rested on the seventh. We honor God by giving the seventh day to Him. This law was for the Israelite's. Jesus said: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man [Jesus] is Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28). Christians are not required to keep the Sabbath. Christians have Sunday set as worship day. This is called “The Lord’s Day.” Early Christians met on Sunday because Sunday was the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Our peace and rest is in Jesus Christ. Christians, under the New Covenant, are not commanded to attend a church on Sunday, but it is helpful for fellowship and gaining knowledge.

5. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER.

Honoring your parents is respecting them because they are your parents. Would God be pleased with you or have you dishonored your parents? Do you remember the sins of your youth? Even if your parents are not perfect and you do not agree with them on many issues, political or religious, God wants you to respect and honor them.

6. YOU SHALL NOT MURDER.

The Bible says “whoever hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15). By the spirit or by the letter we can transgress God’s law. We know that murder is wrong. If we have hatred for someone, God sees this as murder. Murderers cannot enter the kingdom of God. You must forgive anybody who has ever hurt you in anyway and remove anger and your indwelling hatred for anyone.

7. YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.

Whether you commit adultery in your mind (secret thoughts) or by the letter you have broken the Seventh Commandment. In Matthew 5:28 Jesus says, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

8. YOU SHALL NOT STEAL.

We know that to take something that does not belong to us is wrong. To steal is a sin punishable by death according to God’s Law. Have you ever stolen anything, regardless of its value? You are a thief. The Bible says that a thief cannot enter the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9, 10)

9. YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS.

How many lies have you told in your life? God is holy and cannot lie. He commands all to be truthful. The Bible says that liars are an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 12:22) and that liars will have their part in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8). Lying is serious to God.

10. YOU SHALL NOT COVET.

To covet is jealous desire. Have you ever wanted something that was not yours? This covers all things including people and objects. Do not covet your neighbor’s house, his wife, his property, anything.

The first four of the Commandments deal with loving God. The next six Commandments deal with the love you should have for all people. The Bible says, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). How many of the Ten Commandments have you already broken in your life? As you may now realize we are all under God’s wrath because all of us have broken these Commandments more than once. Jesus said that even if you have looked and lusted for a woman you have committed adultery in your heart (Matthew 5:28). And if you have had hate in your heart for your brother, it is the same as murder (hatred for brothers and sisters in Christ see 1 John 3:15). Whether by the letter or by the spirit, you are guilty in God’s eyes. This is serious to God. God is Holy and He is all powerful beyond our conception. God knows everything about us and He knows our thought life. We cannot get away from God. God is omnipresence, omnipotent, and omniscient. He knows us whether we want to believe it or not.

God gave us free will. He did not want us to be robots programmed to love Him. He wants you to choose Him over sin.

When we compare ourselves to others we don’t appear too bad, but when we compare ourselves to God’s Law, even in our righteousness we are filthy rages. “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness’s are like filthy rags; and our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6). Heaven is for the righteous. Heaven is a holy place. Only perfect people and forgiven people are accepted into heaven. Heaven is eternal life. Since we are not perfect (no one is or was perfect [sinless] except Jesus, the Lamb of God), we must be forgiven to enter heaven and have eternal life. Without Jesus we are all condemned.

Our Personal Testimony

Each of us has come to Christ in a different way. Our story it our story. It is unique, yet in many ways it is also similar in many ways to others who have been born anew. Your story cannot be refuted. It is yours, you own it and God gave it to you to share with other and to share with the lost so they might know and believe.

If You Don’t have a Dramatic Personal Testimony

Many Christians do not have a dramatic personal testimony to give. You may have been raised in a Bible believing household and received Jesus as your Lord and Savior at a young age and have led a life with consistent obedience to the Lord. If you feel your personal testimony is not very interesting and you have not been healed of any type of fatal disease, you could use somebody else’s testimony. Perhaps, someone you know. Your testimony can also be how God has protected you from sickness and disaster and how he has provided for all your needs as His obedient servant.

Offering Paul’s testimony is also a power story. Paul’s epistles tell us that by the work of the Holy Spirit, Paul became a dominate force in the first century. He never met Jesus when Jesus was a human being. Only after Jesus’ death and resurrection did he meet and get to know Jesus. You could share the story of Saul (Paul) as the Lord revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus.

Grace, mercy and peace be yours in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Seres kez gou dam (Armenian): “I give you my love”,

Mihran Kulhanjian

Mihran Kulhanjian

President and founder

Christian Revival Mission, Inc.