"I'm a Christian" do u take them at their word?

[Ddavid from NC]

When someone says, "I am a Christian", are you to take them at their word? What if their behavior is in open conflict with that statement? Does the Bible's statement, "Judge not lest you be judged", does that mean we are not to be the jury? Is there ministry without judging the validity of their statement? What if they are harming the testimony of the church? In qualifying if someone can hold a position in the church, aren't we testing the fruits of their profession?

[Guest Biblicist]

I've had people trust me with the key to their home because I told them that my children were attending a Christian school.

Good thing I'm trustworthy.

[Trusting Jesus]

Well, we aren't to be a judge and jury, but we can be fruit inspectors. A Christian is a sinner who has accepted Christ as their saviour. But it is another thing to grow in our walk with Christ. Sometimes a person just hasn't grown in their walk.

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Nathele

[Vickilynn]

Well, we aren't to be a judge and jury, but we can be fruit inspectors. A Christian is a sinner who has accepted Christ as their saviour. But it is another thing to grow in our walk with Christ. Sometimes a person just hasn't grown in their walk.

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Nathele

Shalom,

EXACTLY.

We can look at fruit, but we can in no wise ever know their heart and know if they are truly saved.

There are people who exhibit "good fruit", yet are not born-again.

There are people who are born-again Christians who need to clean up their act.

We need to stay FAR away from making judgments about someone else's salvation.

[Ddavid from NC]

But aren't we to evaluate even if we never give it a voice...how else would we know how to minister to someone or identify a false prophet?

[Vickilynn]

But aren't we to evaluate even if we never give it a voice...how else would we know how to minister to someone or identify a false prophet?

Shalom David,

In qualifying if someone can hold a position in the church, aren't we testing the fruits of their profession?

You are asking about the MINISTRY, not just the interaction between Christians?

I don't make decisions about who is hired in our church for ministry, our male leadership does that and they have Biblical criteria for doing so. And yes, their lives and living out their testimony are considered for a position.

[Ddavid from NC]

Are you suggesting this is only an activity of the spiritual leadership?

[Vickilynn]

Are you suggesting this is only an activity of the spiritual leadership?

Shalom David,

Please be more specific.

What do you mean by "this is"?

Hiring someone for a position in the church? Yes, that is an activity for the leadership of our church.

I personally do not hire people for ministry positions in our church. We have a leadership in place that does that.

[Guest LadyC]

when someone claims to be a christian but their lifestyle doesn't reflect it, that's the perfect opportunity to ask them what being a christian means to them... to ask them what Christ means to them. to WITNESS to them. there are so many "generational christians" in the world. what i mean by that is that their parents either took them to church every sunday when they were a kid, or maybe just had some abstract concept of God and Jesus and passed that down to their kids.

what are the statistics now? something like 80% of the people in america claim to be christian? but there are a whole lot of those that haven't got a clue what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ.

[Ddavid from NC]

Usually you can tell the authientic by if they are offended when you ask the how do they know they are a Christian?