How to Discern Counterfeit Christian Faith

Principles

• Without full surrender there can be no salvation

• Christians must be free of all lifestyle sin

• A tree is recognized by its fruit

• 7 Blessings Jesus said all true Christians should have

Transcript

(Transcript is auto-generated and will contain errors)

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:11

Here's what I'm telling you. You cannot have Jesus Christ in any part without full surrender. You got to stop playing this game of going to the next Bible study and going to the next conference and going to the next speaker who comes at your church and being so interested about learning things about God and being having God only in pretense.

00:00:21:13 - 00:00:41:17

You can fool your way right to hell. You can pretend and just add Bible study on top of Bible study and Christian program on top of Christian program and book after book. Quit reading Christian books. Quit listening to man. Quit sitting and watching YouTube videos. Get in the Word of God. God has already spoken. Nobody wants to hear what he says.

00:00:41:17 - 00:01:03:04

They want to hear what man says. You want some man to tickle your itching ears and tell you great things about this, and get you interested about this thing that's going on in the world and this part of God's Word. Meanwhile, you neglect, surrender and you get nothing if you do not fully surrender. And hear my friend, people want to argue with me on my YouTube videos.

00:01:03:07 - 00:01:19:06

Atheists like to tell me how wrong and delusional and schizophrenic I am and all these kind of things right. People want to argue about, oh, you're teaching the wrong word of God and perversion. And these legalists will show up and put comments on my YouTube. And here's all I tell them I don't know, are you doctrine with them?

00:01:19:08 - 00:01:28:00

Here's how you can know if you're right or if you're wrong. Let me tell you, this is one of the greatest gifts God's ever given me.

00:01:28:03 - 00:01:41:29

Here I was at a Starbucks three days ago, when I ran into a pastor, I seen reading this book about Mormons. I said, Steve, what do you hope to learn about the Mormons for this? Well, I got these Mormon guys. And, you know, I'm always having to learn about what they believe and, you know, their doctrine versus our doctrine.

00:01:41:29 - 00:02:01:02

I say, Steve, can I just share something with you? You don't have to know anything about the Mormon faith to defend the true faith. Mormons are not Christians. They believe in an entirely different Jesus. And here's how you know it's real simple. You don't have to know about Joseph Smith and his teachings. You don't have to know about the angel Moroni and the gold tablets.

00:02:01:02 - 00:02:20:27

And you don't have to know about all the different planets that you know. They each think they're going to live, and you don't need to know about any of these things. Here's all you need to know, my brother. I said if I was having a conversation with a mormon or a Jehovah's Witness or Seventh day Adventist or, you know, Church of Christ or any of these cult groups, and they want to argue doctrine like right now.

00:02:20:27 - 00:02:39:12

They want to be so offended that I even name them because they think they're right and they think I'm wrong. That's what cults do. Cults think they're the only ones who have it right. And I would say the same thing to Catholics. I say the same thing to Pentecostals. I say the same thing to every group that thinks they're the only ones.

00:02:39:12 - 00:02:57:13

Right? The charismatics who think you're not saved unless you speak in tongues. I say this to every one of those. You want to know how you're right. You want to know how you can definitively know who's right and who's wrong are you? Listen, now, when you're standing on stage preaching to the people who you're going to tell, if they don't hide, they're under a curse.

00:02:57:13 - 00:03:19:22

What a lie from the pit of hell. Not those people that you're telling. You need to have the blessed life. You got to send your tithing. Tithing is an old covenant principle. I haven't tithe in decades. Look at my life. Is my life. Blessed is my life under a curse. Am I missing out on all the things God has promised because I haven't sent a tithing, I give way more than a time.

00:03:19:24 - 00:03:40:25

I give everything just like in acts two. They sold all that they had. They gave everything they had to those who were in need in accordance with what their needs were. In the new covenant, we give out of a cheerful heart, not under obligation. 10% is an obligation. 10% was the law. It was given to the Levites. There are no more Levites.

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We now have one high priest. His name is Jesus. Jesus doesn't need your money, but there are sure enough denominations who insist you know why? Because it pays that $9,000 like bill every month. And when you don't give your tithe, things get tight. To have all that infrastructure and that big fancy building, that big fancy building is going to hell.

00:04:03:16 - 00:04:21:01

What we call church today is dead in God's eyes. This whole idea of showing up once a week and hearing a new sermon. So you fall flat by Tuesday. This is all going to hell. This is all false Christianity. Do you think God wants people spending $9,000 a month on a light bill? Don't you think that money could be better?

00:04:21:01 - 00:04:41:03

You sent to somebody who needs food that day, or all the entertainment and all the fancy stuff? I'm sorry, but this is not what church was ever supposed to be. The church is you and I sitting here on my porch talking about Jesus church is you and I praying together two or more gathered in my name, not 5000 with a big fancy set of instruments.

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That stuff is not church in God's eyes. How do I know I'm right? How do you know if what I'm saying to you is not radical, ridiculous, legalistic, crazy faith? How do you know? My friend? This is very serious. I want you to know Jesus Christ taught one principle. And if you have eyes to see, and if you have ears to hear, as Jesus would say, let him who has ears to hear, hear.

00:05:03:22 - 00:05:20:27

I'm only going to tell you this. Let him who has ears to hear, hear what I'm about to say. If you're watching this video right now and you think I'm whacked and you think I'm missing out and I'm a cuckoo because, you know, God gave me a divorce that ended in 777 days after he showed me 777 100 times.

00:05:21:00 - 00:05:45:25

And then God tells me to read page 777. In my Bible, where I see the exact story of a God who is the ultimate executor of justice, who defends one when one is defenseless. And it basically tells the whole story of my divorce. If you think I'm nuts that God uses numbers to direct me to passages, and when I follow the passage, it's always exactly what I need to know, exactly what I need to know it.

00:05:46:00 - 00:06:05:13

And I'm getting the results that I'm getting in my life by following God's providence to direct me to passages. If you think I'm nuts, maybe I am. How do we know? How do we know that God speaks to me in these unusual ways, and that I'm not some whack or some freak? Or how do we know I'm not being led astray by the devil?

00:06:05:18 - 00:06:28:08

The devil can do miracles. I'll tell you how you know. How do you know if your denomination is headed in the right direction? How do you know if the church you're sitting in is a true minister? I hear people say all the time. Marty preached a great message. Do you know something? False preachers preach great messages. False preachers preach about Jesus and about God, and they preach about repentance.

00:06:28:08 - 00:06:50:04

And they even preach about holiness and purity of heart. You know, you could be 99%. You could be right on every doctrine in the Bible. You can have everything right. And if below the surface you love money, you're going to hell. You're a false teacher. What does the Bible say? Those of corrupt mind who think that godliness is a means to financial gain?

00:06:50:06 - 00:07:08:05

If you ever hear me preach to you that if you follow God, God will bless you financially and do all these things for you. Funny. And you'll have all this stuff. I'm gonna tell you something. I'm a liar. Yes, God will give you your needs met. Yes. Part of that is giving you money. But if you think God's going to make you rich, what does it say?

00:07:08:05 - 00:07:37:01

Paul says to Timothy, command those who are rich to not be arrogant and put their hope in money, but to be generous and give away, storing up treasures for themselves in the life to come. The love of money is the root of all evil, and below the surface your pastor or your favorite internet teacher can share with you all these great things and speak all this wisdom and all this deep, profound stuff, most of which they've just copied from another man's sermon.

00:07:37:04 - 00:07:55:23

Or they've gone to sermon illustration.com and gotten all their sermons, and they put together all this stuff for man. The Holy Spirit's not in it, but the whole you're motivated and week after week you're just motivated by some new powerful brother anointed message. Meanwhile, the guy loves money. Meanwhile, here comes the next series the guy is going to teach on you.

00:07:55:23 - 00:08:13:08

Tell him you're under a curse unless you send a tithe. You want to know why you can't make ends meet? Because you're under a curse. You're not sending tithe? No. You want to know why and don't meet because you spend more than you have. And because you don't trust God, you're not obeying him. You haven't forgiven that brother of yours who didn't pay back the last time you gave him money.

00:08:13:12 - 00:08:32:10

You haven't forgive your ex for the way they treated you. You continue to trust in man rather than trusting in God. You don't show all the the violations of the teachings. The command. That's why your life is under a curse if you're under a curse. First Corinthians 1622 Paul pronounces a curse on your life and on my life.

00:08:32:10 - 00:08:56:18

If we don't love God, you say, but I love God. But are you loving God according to his love language? Does God know you love him? I know my wife loves me and she knows I love her. We speak identical love languages. There's no confusion on either of our parts. You know how God knows I love him because I obey him.

00:08:56:18 - 00:09:22:07

First John five three. This is love for God not to stand in cry Ooga booga. Tears flowing down. Emotion. Emotions got a place. But that's not love for God. If you do that on Sunday morning and then you go to work and you're gasping at the water cooler, or you're envying somebody on Facebook, or you're withholding forgiveness, or your love and money, or you're gossiping about somebody in your Bible study sex life.

00:09:22:07 - 00:09:45:14

You are not loving God. Loving God is to walk as Jesus walked. Anyone who confesses the name of Jesus Christ must turn from all wickedness. Anyone who claims to know him must walk. As Jesus walked. That is love for God. And if you don't love for God, but you call yourself a Christian, your life will look like a curse.

00:09:45:17 - 00:10:02:03

People contact me all the time. This isn't working and this isn't working. And I have bad health and my well can't sleep at night. And I have all this anxiety and I've lost this and I've lost this there life. I say, wow, it looks like a curse. You know why they call themself a Christian? But they've not yet put the intentional teachings of Jesus Christ into practice.

00:10:02:03 - 00:10:26:25

You know why? They're hard. Who wants to take up a cross and deny themselves? It's much easier. Listen, it's much easier to just have a relationship with Christianity. Just keep going to church on Sundays and Alleluia! Praise God and tell the pastor how great of a sermon he preached, and just read the next book and go to the next Bible study and go serve at the next evolution and go to the next event they have at the church.

00:10:26:25 - 00:10:54:27

Just keep doing Christianity. Don't surrender. Don't stop the love of money. Don't treat your anger. Issue, or your control issue or your jealousy issue like cancer. That's going to send you to hell. Don't. Don't mess with those things. Don't worry about getting, you know, victory over sexual sin in your life. Don't worry about those things. Just keep a relationship with Christianity.

00:10:54:29 - 00:11:15:20

Just keep listening to the next YouTube video. In the next YouTube video, just keep watching the next sermon jam and the next sermon jam. My friend, you're going to Christianity yourself. Right in the hell. You're going to end up being one of those who Jesus Christ says, I'm sorry. I warned you over and over in the Bible. Matthew 721 to 23.

00:11:15:20 - 00:11:42:20

Not everyone. And Jesus actually says, if you look at the also written most, he says most are going to fall away. Matthew 24, 12 and 13 because of the increase of wickedness in the world, the love of most will grow cold. But he who stands firm to the end will be saved in the end times. The spirit clearly says that many will depart from the faith, or they may still profess Jesus Christ.

00:11:42:20 - 00:12:01:25

They may still show up at a building they call church. But Titus 116 says there are many who claim to know God, but they deny him by their actions. And so Jesus is going to say to most, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Not everyone who says to me, I'm a Christian.

00:12:02:03 - 00:12:21:06

I went to church, I did all these things, went to heaven, but only he, only he or she who does the will of my father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and perform miracles and cast out demons in your name? The charismatics busy doing all these amazing things for God.

00:12:21:06 - 00:12:44:13

But what does God say to them? You loved money. Deep down you loved money. When I looked at your heart, the majority of your life decisions were revolving around money, not around me. Your meditations were on how you're going to make the next payment, or how you're going to secure the next thing, or what you're going to do with, and how are you going to come up with the next money, or how are you going to secure your money?

00:12:44:16 - 00:13:14:05

Your life revolved around money. Money was your master, not me. I told you in that passage in Matthew chapter six, you had to have good eyes. I sandwiched the passage of having good understanding in between. Do not store up treasures on earth and no one can serve two masters. You can't serve money. And right in the middle of those passages, I laid the secret passage that said, you have to have good eyes to see, and if you don't have good eyes to see, your whole body is going to be full of darkness.

00:13:14:05 - 00:13:29:09

What I was trying to get you to understand is that if you don't see money right, if you don't see how I see money, you're not going to have good understanding on anything else, and you will end up hearing fully from me. I never knew you.

00:13:29:12 - 00:13:51:20

You went to church, you did all these things, but you still had lust. When I watched you in church, I'd see the way you stared at that woman. I'd see the way you stared at the lady at work. I heard how you gossiped about the sex life of the other lady in your Bible study. I saw how you withheld unforgiveness from that person who didn't pay you back, or who abused you when you were a child.

00:13:51:22 - 00:14:09:12

I saw how you were unmerciful to that person at work who really needed mercy. I saw how you were never pure in heart. You kept watching all these shows. You thought that it was okay. You just kept watching all these programs and filling your mind with garbage. You grieved my spirit. You didn't want to say no to the world.

00:14:09:15 - 00:14:30:00

I saw how you would spend hours on Facebook lusting because the lust of the eyes is never satisfied. At their vacation trip, you looked at all their highlight reels and you became jealous. You can't see the corruption in their lives behind closed doors. Nobody put that on Facebook. But you obsessed about having a life like they had. You lived in the fear of man.

00:14:30:00 - 00:14:48:24

I told you in Matthew chapter ten, do not be afraid of men who can kill the body, but after that can do nothing to the soul. I told you, be afraid of the one who, after the body is dead, can destroy both body and soul in hell. I told you to fear God, not man. And didn't I told you to have faith in God?

00:14:48:24 - 00:15:10:15

But you didn't. I told you not to worry. But you worried your whole life. You worried about this and you worried about that. And when I looked at your life, what I saw was that you never trusted me. And yet you saw the stories of the Israelites who I killed in the desert because they refused to trust me and believe in my deliverance.

00:15:10:17 - 00:15:25:22

I see that you went to church. I see that you fed the homeless. I see that you served in the soup kitchens. I see that you read all these Bible studies. I see that you filled your house with Christian music, and you always talked about God. And everywhere you went I see all these activities. I see that you put the pictures in your house.

00:15:25:22 - 00:15:49:14

I did this, but when I looked at your heart, what I noticed is your Christianity was in pretense. It was not authentically coming from your heart. And I told you in Matthew 520 that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the right of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will never enter the kingdom of God. What I was telling you in Matthew 520 is that it has to come from your heart.

00:15:49:16 - 00:16:18:02

You need to be guilty and convicted in my eyes, of being a true follower of my ways. Through your actions. When I saw the men opening up the roof and putting the paralyzed man down on a mat, I put the words in there. When Jesus saw their faith for a reason, I wanted you to meditate on that. I wanted you to understand that in this life I gave you, I needed to see your faith.

00:16:18:04 - 00:16:38:26

Your faith needed to cost you something. I told you, no servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. If they hated me. If they hate you, remember they hated me first. No messenger is greater than the one he sent. I tried to tell you that in order for you to participate. Romans 817.

00:16:38:29 - 00:16:59:11

In my glory, you're going to also have to participate in my suffering. I told you in Philippians 129 that it's been granted on you on behalf of me, Jesus Christ, not only to believe on me, but to suffer for me. I told you in Hebrews that once made complete although he was a son. Hebrews five eight although he was a son, me, I was a son.

00:16:59:11 - 00:17:25:18

I learned obedience to my father by what I suffered, and once made complete. It says that I became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey me. Not who all who believe in me are not, who all create a club with my name on it called church. But all who obey me. And you know that road rage problem you had?

00:17:25:20 - 00:17:43:24

And you know that money problem you have, and you know that anger problem you have and that lust problem you have, and that temper problem you have, you didn't want to deal with it. You didn't want to deny yourself in that way and received help from me by the Spirit of Christ such that John 831 I wrote these words to the Jews who believed in me.

00:17:43:24 - 00:18:07:06

I warned them, I told them, if you hold to my teaching, you're really my disciple. Which means if you obey me, you're really a Christian, he says, then you will know the truth. I told you that if you obeyed my teachings, then you will know the truth, and the truth would set you free. And when you heard the Jews say to me, but we are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone, how then can you say we shall be set free?

00:18:07:13 - 00:18:35:09

I explained to them that everyone. And by the way, you are included in the everyone. I explained to them that everyone who sins is a slave to sin, and a slave has no permanent place in the family but a son, somebody who's been set free. The difference between an Ishmael born of human natural resources and an Isaac, a son is a member of it forever.

00:18:35:09 - 00:18:55:25

He belongs to the family forever. So if the son set you free, you will be free indeed. I told you all of these things. I told you that the blood of Christ cleanses you from all sin. I told you in first John, he who does what is right is righteous. He who does what is wrong is of the devil.

00:18:55:27 - 00:19:14:12

I told you, this is how you know whether or not you're from the devil or from God. Anyone who keeps on sinning, anyone who says he knows him but continues in sin is a liar, and the truth is not in him. My friend. Here's the final point I want to make in this video. How do you know if what I'm telling you is right?

00:19:14:18 - 00:19:30:20

How do you know if my spiritual experience is from God or if I'm deceived? How do you know if I battle against your denomination, or your pastor, or your false teacher? If I say this guy's a false teacher? Not how do you know if I'm right? Or how do you know if you're right? I'll tell you how you know.

00:19:30:22 - 00:19:55:00

Jesus said in Matthew 1233, make a tree good, and its fruit will be good. Make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad. He says. No bad tree can bear good fruit, and no good tree can bear bad fruit. He says a good man brings good up out of the good stored in him. A bad man or an evil man brings evil up out of the evil stored in him.

00:19:55:02 - 00:20:13:08

And here's how you know if you and I differing opinions on doctrines and you believe your church is right, or your way of thinking, or your favorite teacher is right and I'm wrong, and I'm just saying you can use this even for yourself, in your own debates with other people. Don't get in the doctrine arguments. Ask yourself this do you possess life to the full?

00:20:13:10 - 00:20:35:12

John 1010 Jesus Christ promised the abundant life, and here's what it is. It's seven thing. Okay, these seven things are Matthew 631 through 36, divine provision seeking first the Kingdom of God. God promises to provide you all your basic needs your water, your food, your shelter. He takes care of you. Matthew 1128 to 30. Rest for your weary soul.

00:20:35:12 - 00:20:57:01

Do you possess rest? Do you feel that you have rest in your soul? Or are you weary and struggling and striving to make life in God work? John 413 through 14 A contentment freedom from the things of the world. I don't desire anything in the world. I have some things, but I'm completely detached from them. There's a peace that comes with that.

00:20:57:01 - 00:21:27:20

That's incredible. Not thirsting after what other people have, not, you know, getting on Facebook and envying what you know. Oh, I don't have this. No contentment, no thirst for the things in the world. God is. You're all John eight 3136 freedom from sin. If you're not free from sin, you're missing God's very best in your life. John 1427 A peace that surpasses all understanding, even in difficult circumstances.

00:21:27:23 - 00:21:57:04

It doesn't mean you won't have difficult circumstances, but the peace of Christ is yours to be had. John 1427. Don't forget that verse John 15 5 to 8. Do you have fruitfulness in your life? Is your life being used to make an impact in other people's lives in such a way that it lasts? I'm not talking about you're being a motivational speaker in somebody's life where you can get them pumped up for a couple of days or encourage them, but do you see lasting fruit?

00:21:57:07 - 00:22:15:21

Do you see lasting fruit happening in people's lives for Christ? Are people making sacrifices and denying themself and surrendering their life to Jesus Christ, or people turning from sin as a result of your witness? And if you're sharing the Word of God with them, is there a fruitfulness? Is that coming out of you? Do you have an abundance of answered prayers?

00:22:15:23 - 00:22:40:24

God promises to answer prayers. You may ask me for anything you wish, and I will do it. If you're remaining in him and he's remaining in you. That's John 1548. Do you have an abundance of miraculous answered prayers? Not common grace. Even sinners can think that God's answered their prayers because really, God provides common grace. In Matthew chapter five verse 45, God speaks and says.

00:22:40:26 - 00:23:04:29

He sends his rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. He sends His Son on the evil and the good. That essentially means God is providing in some basic way for everybody. You have to find out is God providing you more than he is? The coincidences that your neighbor's bragging about who doesn't know Jesus, they're getting provided for by God to.

00:23:05:02 - 00:23:23:18

Has God told you of things in advance he's going to do and then blessed you? John 1427 I tell you these things before they happen, so that when they happen you will believe all the major blessings in my life. God told me about them before they came. I now know how God is with me. He wants you to know that same thing.

00:23:23:21 - 00:23:45:20

John 15 nine through 11 is the joy of Christ complete in your heart. If you're missing these things, my friend, you can know you're missing God's best and you're following a wrong doctrine, a false teaching, or you're perhaps being lazy and not putting the teachings of Christ into practice. Listen, if you want this, if you want to show God you mean business.

00:23:45:20 - 00:24:09:16

If you really want to get after God and follow heart after him and seek him wholeheartedly, I want to challenge you to take the John 717 challenge. I spent two years because I had a burning desire to help people know God. I want to help people find this. This indignation you see in me comes from knowing that things could be a lot better for people than they are, and that my father is being neglected.

00:24:09:16 - 00:24:30:14

And what we call church today is like a whore of Babylon. It looks more and more like people really just worship money. Sure, they can preach a great sermon, but how many of those people behind the scenes are being directed by your money? God says you can have no part of money in him. Give it all up. Take the John 717 challenge.

00:24:30:18 - 00:24:51:28

Jesus says, if anyone chooses to do God's will, which is to obey his teachings, we get this from verse 16. The teachings that he says you hear are not my own. They come from God who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will and put these teachings into practice, he or she will find out through experience that my teachings come from God and I'm not speaking on my own.

00:24:52:00 - 00:25:14:03

God wants to make his home with you. Jesus wants to manifest himself to you. John 1421 223 but you have to give him faith, as evidenced by your actions that he can work with. Take the John 717 challenge. Go to relentless heart.com and just click the challenge button. I've taken the painstaking process of doing it all for free.

00:25:14:03 - 00:25:36:15

You can listen to the entire thing on audio. You can go through all the teachings of Christ where I tell you practical insight and what that means, how to apply it in your life. And then I share stories, very transparent stories about my own failures, my mess ups, how God dealt with me along the way, and also how I finally found victory and began to experience life to the full.

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And I've also included a few years worth of research on cross-references where you take the teaching of Jesus, and I've traced it back all over the Bible so you can see more what that teaching means by seeing what the totality of God's Word says about the subject. You can get all of the teachings, all of the story, and all of the insight for free by taking the challenge.

00:25:55:29 - 00:26:23:06

Show God you mean business. Don't just walk away from a video like this feeling either mad, frustrated, or motivated, but then not do something about it. Put the teachings of Christ into practice, my friend, and he'll be with you. And one day it's my prayer. You're going to have the same problem. I am an inability to use words to express the gratitude that you have for all that the father has done for you.

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Be blessed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ bye bye.