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2Cor. 13;

5 Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Or know ye not as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed ye be reprobate. 6 But I hope that ye shall know that we are not reprobate.

7 Now we pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is honorable, though we be as reprobate. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9 For we rejoice, when we are weak, and ye are strong: this we also pray for, even your perfecting. 10 For this cause I write these things while absent, that I may not when present deal sharply, according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not for casting down.

(ASV)

When I enlisted in the US Army I had a long list of rules I was expected to learn and to obey. I had, after all, signed a contract that I would submit for, at least three years to their leadership. For this reason, it was incumbent upon me to keep check on the condition, that I might cause my superiors to be pleased with my service, that I might be considered for advancement.

When a Christian, literally, devotes his or her life to the service of Jesus, there is not a contract signed with a pen and ink, rather, there is a purchase transaction that takes place. Jesus died on the cross for the purpose of giving us the opportunity to return to the Service of God. When we do this, the purchase is completed and with that purchase there is an adoption that takes place. (Romans 8)

Now, with this in mind, we need to remember our childhood. I know that when I was a small child I wanted my father to love me and I feared disappointing him. Now as Christians, we have a father that will never fail us and as members of His Family, we need to do as the opening passage suggests. We must do a Spiritual Inventory of ourselves and remain faithful.

In addition to that we must not, and I do repeat, we must not conform to this world! As members of the family we have a responsibility to help one another. When we encounter or discover a brother that is straying we must be bold enough to step forward and to help him. It does not matter that the world has fallen in love with Matt. 7:1 and ignores the rest of the book, we are no longer of the world, our home is in the Kingdom of Heaven and our Father is God, we are not to become more like the world.

I have this, nasty, according to the world, habit of confronting people when I see a possibility of helping them. As a result I find myself banned from a number of Christian Websites. I recently suggested that a particular gentleman do a Spiritual Inventory and I am now banned from one more website, calling itself Christian. It seems to me that the world is filled with people that are willing to name the name of the Christ... as long as it does not interfere with their personal wants.

I will still stand the ground I was saved on... I hope and I pray you all will.