Change your name or change your conduct!

"I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my Word, he will never see death ..If you love me, you will obey what I command....He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him ... If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him."
~ Jesus
John 8:51;14:15, 21, 23

Just this morning another professing 'Christian' came to bring her friend to murder her baby. She dismissed all offers of help, adoption & the commandment of God that forbids the shedding of innocent blood.Jillian was proud to say she was a follower of Christ but exhibited no fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. Jesus has already told us that MANY who insistently call Him 'Lord, Lord!' will be cast into outer darkness at the judgment. Jesus explains and identifiies the people whom He will reject : "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity." (Matt 7:23; see also Matt 25:41, Luke 13:27, Psalm 6:8) Who are these ones who call themselves His followers but are sentenced to hell? They are the people who profess to know Him but refuse to obey His commandments. The religious ones who practice sin are condemned!


Bible commentator Matthew Henry observes:
Christ here shows that it will not be enough to own Him for our Master, only in word and tongue. It is necessary... that we believe in Christ, that we repent of sin, that we live a holy life, that we love one another. This is His will, even our sanctification. Let us take heed of resting in outward privileges and doings, lest we deceive ourselves, and perish eternally, as multitudes do, with a lie in our right hand. Let every one that names the name of Christ, depart from all sin. There are others, whose religion rests in bare hearing, and it goes no further; their heads are filled with empty notions. These two sorts of hearers are represented as two builders. This parable teaches us to hear and do the sayings of the Lord Jesus: some may seem hard to flesh and blood, but they must be done. Christ is laid for a foundation, and every thing besides Christ is sand. Some build their hopes upon worldly prosperity; others upon an outward profession of religion. Upon these they venture; but they are all sand, too weak to bear such a fabric as our hopes of heaven. There is a storm coming that will try every man's work. When God takes away the soul, where is the hope of the hypocrite? The house fell in the storm, when the builder had most need of it, and expected it would be a shelter to him. It fell when it was too late to build another. May the Lord make us wise builders for eternity.


Alexander the Great, after a battle, was judging various men for their offenses in battle.
One by one, he sentenced them to death. Suddenly, there came before his seat of judgment
a very young man. He was magnificently built, with all of the vitality and the naiveness you
find only in the young."

'''What is the offense?' Alexander the Great asked. 'Cowardice in battle!' the accused
answered. Everyone hung his head, because cowardice was what Alexander the Great most
despised."

"But suddenly, Alexander's face softened and somehow the crowd sensed: 'He too is
taken with the man's youth, and with his potentiaL'"

'''What's your name, sir?' Alexander asked. 'My name is Alexander,' the young man
replied. With that, Alexander the Great was on his feet: 'Change your name or change your conduct.'

Do you say that you are a Christian? Have you continued to practice sin? Are you sleeping with someone without having made a solemn legal marriage vow with them? Have you murdered your baby or helped someone else to murder their child? Do not be deceived! Unless you have savingly repented and forsaken the practice of sin & approving of the sin of others, you are NOT a Christian. I urge you, change your name or change your conduct!

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For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments;
and His commandments are not burdensome.
I John 5:3

If we are true believers, we must expect our love for God to be tested to see if it is more than lip-service. As Matthew Henry has said: 'It is needful for us to be well acquainted with the truths and precepts of the Bible; for we may expect to be proved by temptations of evil under the appearance of good, of error in the guise of truth ..'

We must learn that we have a choice to deny ourselves or to deny Christ.

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." - Luke 9:23

Denying ourselves and taking up our cross isn't a little side issue - it is absolutely necessary to becoming or continuing to be a disciple of Jesus. If we don't practice self-denial, we aren't His disciples. It's useless to try to follow the One who was crucified without taking up our own cross daily. Unless we deny ourselves, it will be impossible not to deny the Lord. ~ John Wesley

The Lord has revealed that He identifies those who truly belong to Him. There is a visible church, filled with many lost souls who believe in God, as the demons do. The invisible church are the called out ones, the men and women who have savingly repented of sin are born-again by the Spirit of God, sanctified, set apart, for the Master's glory and use.

'Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity.'
II Timothy 2:19

Let every one who nameth the name of the Lord, as His Lord, depart from iniquity. Indeed, they only are His who depart from iniquity. To all others He will say, I know you not.
~ John Wesley

Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him.
Deuteronomy 13:4

Let us examine ourselves, whether we really possess the inward and spiritual grace of a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness, by which those who were the children of wrath become the children of God. ~ Matthew Henry

Let us fear the Lord & obey His commandments, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. In glad-hearted obedience to the Great Commission let us go out and make disciples, teaching THEM to obey all that the Lord has commanded. Let us look forward to that great Day when the Lamb who was slain receives the reward of His suffering!