Saul preached the Gospel of Christ with a lingering bad reputation.

Acts 9:20-22

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 9:20-22

As new Christians, we immediately want people to know we are not the same person that we were before. We begin sharing our born-again experience which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ written on our heart. In our testimony is the declaration that Jesus is the Christ and Son of God. Many do not come to Jesus through the churches of today, but if we ever found ourselves in a manmade church, we would think the congregation would want to hear how we came to live for God by faith in Jesus Christ in the presence of the Holy Spirit. There should be rejoicing with the new-born Christian.

In today’s culture, which is global, they never let go of a person’s past. Especially those who serve the beast that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do which will never let the followers of Jesus Christ forget who we were before coming to Jesus Christ, Satan is the accuser, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan!” Zachariah 3:1-2 Satan recalls within our memory and feelings how sin-plagued we were and how we were contrary to the way of Jesus Christ. The beast empowers those of today’s culture with uncanny knowledge and heightened intuition to be able to humiliate, embarrass, and scrutinize Christians with past behaviors. God says, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan!”

As followers of Jesus Christ, be assured that God has forgiven you of your sin, even though the beast and those of this world never will. The mercy and grace of God is everything to us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” Ephesians 2:8 “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 We will grow in strength as the Holy Spirit does the work of Sanctification within us, to cleanse ugly attitudes from our spirit. By living the life of Holiness, we glorify the name of Jesus Christ. A life without Holiness is filled with unbelief in God, filled with resistance to Jesus Christ, and filled with opposition to the presence of the Holy Spirit.

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled…” Hebrews 12:14-15

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11