ONLY BELIEVE?

Posted on Aug 23, 2020 by Shane W. Roessiger | Comments (0)

Is it all about “only believe”? We know that unbelief is sin, it is powerless. It is what will ultimately stop God in His tracks. So, is “only believe” enough? During this message, you will see line upon line, precept upon precept, that it is not enough. Even the devil also believes and trembles (James 2:19).

A lot of Christians believe, but they do not tremble like the devil trembles when the very Word of God also tells us in Philippians 2:12 to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling!

Read James 2:18-20, Luke 8:49-51, and John 1:11-13.

“To all of them that believe on their name, to them He gave power...” There is something that must come with belief, which is power! So “only believe” is not enough! “Only believe” and carry no manifestation of the power is not enough. The word “believe” is mentioned 237 times in the New Testament alone, but believers “only believe.” They do not really believe because they don’t carry any proof of their belief. People say that they believe but do they really believe? They do in their own mind but what about in the heart?

In Acts 8:3-24, you will find an excellent example of someone who “only believed” but was not converted: SIMON! The Word says that Simon believed, and he was even dunked in water (baptized). Then when he saw the miracles done by Peter, he wanted to purchase that gift with money. Peter said, “Your money perishes with you because you think the gift of God can be purchased with money.” He said to him that he has no part or lot in this matter. Wow! Simon believed. Simon was baptized. The Baptists probably will say, “Simon was on his way to heaven.” But Peter said, “You are in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity.” Simon believed and was baptized in water but there was no baptism of the Holy Spirit which is a seal of God, no true repentance and humility that bring conversion. You can dunk yourself in water 100 times and believe, but if your heart is not ready, it is all works of the flesh, not of the Spirit! This is where religion, steps and formulas show no power.

Another great example: Nicodemus! In John 3:1-2, Nicodemus said, “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou does, except God be with him.” If Nicodemus really believed in that he would have repented, but he did not. His action did not carry any proof of it. Jesus asked him, “How shall you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” Only a converted person can really understand the things of the Spirit.

The Bible says that whosoever believes in Him – He is the Word – shall have eternal life. But we must believe in HIM, not in the image of Jesus, or the image of the cross, but the Word of God. We must believe in Him, the whole Word of God. Only those that eat the whole Word, the guts, and every part of the Lamb, will receive eternal life. If you believe but do not eat that means that according to the Word of God, you cannot have eternal life. That was a sign about eating every bit of the sacrifice or even burning it all.

What is the right definition of belief? Let us get it from the Word. Through believing in His Word, it says you might be saved. Belief does not come from our mind but from the heart. Nicodemus believed that he was a teacher that came from God, but he did not believe in His words.

Many that “only believe” are already condemned because the only thing that they do is to believe. They are a powerless breed of believers. Many believers are not saved. How do we know? There is no sign of life in them or righteousness. Picking a religion or denomination don’t make you a true believer. In this writing, I will show some deep thoughts of believers.

Read Romans 10:1-17.

So many believed Jesus but what made them a true believer was a true conversion. Do you know you may be getting discipled, but you may not yet be converted? Without conversion, there is no change in the spiritual realm. That is the reason people don’t submit to the righteousness of God anymore. They believe with their minds but not with their hearts, and mouths.

They are emotionally moved but never surrendered. Only God knows who really believes in their hearts.

With the heart, you believe, and with your mouth, you confess. So many are just following a belief system! The problem is that people confess with their mouths and never believe with their hearts. They said a prayer – a public confession one day – and on the other day, but belief vanishes away. Nothing was really done unto salvation. Because real belief always brings a change. When Romans 10:13 says to “call out in the name of the Lord,” it means in desperation for help, desperation for finding a savior. You call out on the One who saves because you hate your sinful life!

Who has believed His report? Who has believed His Word? Being born again only comes from repentance and by the Spirit, not by the flesh or by man. It is called conversion. Matthew 18:3 says, “I say unto you, except YOU BE CONVERTED, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Conversion meaning: From darkness to light. From old to new. From non-believer to believer! From one action to another action! From death to life! From being blind to seeing!

Read Matthew 13:15, John 12:40, and Luke 22:30-32.

Many believers have not experienced a real born-again experience. Peter believed Him but there was a specific moment that he really got converted. Then the signs of his conversion were manifested. Jesus had to go to the cross so all the disciples could be converted. They believed in Jesus because they followed Him for three years. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a sign of conversion in Christ. We have cheapened everything when this is our only agenda: get a prayer card filled out or convince someone to recite a prayer. No! Salvation is a supernatural occurrence! That radical change is evident.

True conversion must happen on Earth! Only when you are converted will you be able to strengthen others. You can try day after day to stop sinning when you “believe only” but if you never experienced a true repentance, you would never experience a true salvation.

Surrender is the essence of life. Give up and God steps in! The free gift of salvation costs us our pride. Free gift! He did it all on the cross, but to receive that free gift, we give our lives to Him.

Read 1 John 2:16, 1 Corinthians 6:15-20, and 1 Corinthians 7:20-24.

The new man is clothed in humility. True believers make the right choices. False believers make the choices they want to make. We are not our own. Many just pick a “belief system” called Christianity. Salvation starts at repentance and not at believing. Why don’t we preach the cost of getting salvation? Many have cheapened it, but I tell you: He paid for the salvation at the cross! He promised heaven over hell. I can get anyone to pray, but Jesus Himself talked about sitting down and counting the cost.

Many were invited for the supper, but they didn’t sit down. They come but they do not eat the Lamb. There is still room in the Father’s house. Many of them that were invited did not taste the Lamb.

It is NOT all about “only believe!” Why do you really want to follow Jesus? There is a cross for you. There is repenting. There is a forsaking all. There is a giving up our own life. It is NOT about “only believe!” It is about covenant. It is your life for His life. Exchange our life for His.

Read Luke 14:7-35.

Let’s smash some sacred cows today. What is belief? If you do not commit with a unbroken commitment, it is not covenant. We cannot just believe. We must have covenant. We need to smash cross-less gospels. It is life for life. Heart for heart. Will for will. Flesh for Spirit. It is all about being a living sacrifice. Many died in the wilderness because their hearts were hardened through unbelief. They saw the miracles. They were the chosen people, the apple of His eye. But God said in Hebrews 3:12, “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God." If we do not believe Him now, how will we stand in the end, when temptation is high? We say we believe but by works of faith we deny Him.

It is NOT about “only believe.” It is about covenant with the creator. It is about believing on every Word. It is about believing the need for repentance and transformation. Without holiness, we cannot see Him. “Only believe” will not take you up to the mountain of the Lord. We must see the real signs of believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, such as sanctification, renewing of the mind, and transformation!

Fruits of salvation will be manifested when you stop just believing only. Some are just focusing on the outward works of Christianity. Just the baptism of water is NOT enough! We must hear some revelation from the vessel. We must see some fruits of eternal change. All things must become new.

Read John 7:33-53 and Mark 16:14-20.

If you think that “only believe” is enough, you better show me some of these signs: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” The Lord will work with those who not only believe but also do what He commands, and He will confirm the signs of their belief.

So, let’s go back to where we started: James 2:18. You say that you believe, prove that to the world. The devil believes as well. Let us all cut off those dead limbs. We need to eat the guts, every bit of Christ (Bread of life), let us all eat! We will eat your Word from head to toe! We must bear witness of our believing in You. If we lost something, Father, help us to find it again, like that silver piece in the kingdom of God! If we are just believing without proving it or manifesting it, let’s repent and run to Him: “Father, our hearts are crying right now: save us, heal us, deliver us! We all cry out for God today, “GOD, HELP OUR UNBELIEF!” Because our “only believe” is not and will never be enough! Shane Roessiger

ONLY BELIEVE?

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