Born again people are defined by Paul as; "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that we should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which at one time had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." To the world we are unusual, strange, unconventional and uniquely belonging exclusively to or identified distinctly with somebody or something else. We need to stay focused and know that; we are only pilgrims passing though this dispensation of time and our focus must be on our mission and true calling by God our Father to be His hand extended to those who cross our path to point them to Jesus Christ who is the author of what true life represents.

If we are to mature in Christ Jesus; we must be able to clearly define the world of the kingdom of God by using Godly wisdom verses the enticements of the devil to get us to focus and make our physical life goals as the motivation of getting our permanent prizes from God the Father. This is what our true fight of faith is all about. Unless we know the weapons and precepts of spiritual warfare; we will be like weak lambs that will be led to the slaughter house.

Webster's defines Godliness as; devoted to a worshiping of God in accordance with human established or prescribed rules. Let me make a simple point. I don't know how many denominations we have in the world let alone cults and different sects not including Satanic worshipers and people who worship God's creation rather then the creator Him self.

I have had over the years many encounters with people who have crossed my path that have been ordered by the Lord. I worked in a private school for ten years training adjusters from different insurance companies how to write estimates on property damage due to storm or fire damage. These classes were two and three weeks long. People from all over the country and some from over seas were what my classes were made up with.

They tell Christians teaching in public schools that they can not share their beliefs to their students. If ever the church of Christ needed to get some back bone and proclaim the gospel it is now. In ten years of teaching I met only two born again believers out of thousands who were bold enough to share the gospel of Christ in my classes. There were times when you would think that we were having bible classes along with the education they were paying for. What a marvels and invigorating time I had in those days of teaching in a secular school.

At times I had a fear that I would loose my job because of my witness for Christ. I had some Christian friends tell me that it was not my responsibility to witness for Christ because; I was not getting paid for that. Born again believers telling me not to witness for Christ, which was hard for me to believe. I never knew how the Holy Ghost would lead and open up different discussions in class whether on a one to one basis or the whole class during the day's activities. There never was a class that I didn't have the opportunity to share the gospel and lead some one to Christ on some occasion. On one day I polled the class on what their foundation was in their believing system. There were twenty in the class and I almost laughed at the answers because of my shock as to what I heard.

Thank God I caught my self and grief took over for my laughter. One person said; an ameba was what he believed in. Another said creation and trees and flowers were his foundation. Another said there was no God. One said, they kind of made up there belief as the situation dictated. However, one said with great boldness that their faith was in Jesus Christ. We live in America and to have people believing in these kinds of foundations is sad and disgraceful and it seems to me that God better send missionaries to America to preach the gospel.

The true description of the word godliness is a person operating in the divine DNA characteristics of God. There is no such thing as true Godliness life unless a person has been born again from above causing them to be the temple that God lives in. There are thousands of god's people can worship and they can use Jesus name or some other reference that sounds and looks good and it is accepted as the basic principles of our Christian faith in many circles however; it is in our inner heart where Christ Jesus wants to sit enthroned and we can be preoccupied with the cares of the world and we have nothing but deception and end up worshiping false gods.

It makes no difference whether you have fifty in a church assembly or ten thousand; it must be the Holy Ghost doing the inner work on men's heart in these assemblies. Unless we know how to recognize the presence of God with power and be lifting up Christ Jesus which brings the personal witness of his presence; all we have left is utter nonsense and man making God into his own image.

The last four articles I have put on the web site; I felt impressed to put what Paul said in Galatians 2:19-21 because; it is vital we understand how to surrender to the Lord and let Him reign over our life. I need to reinforce this statement by him again.

He tells the Galatian church this because they had got side tract in making up their own concept of religious beliefs and he had to warn them, he states; "For through the law I died to the law so that; I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in my physical body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through me following laws, Christ died for nothing."

People who are religious follow man made ideas of what they think godliness represents or some other conglomeration of truth. They can be born again or not following laws of certain denominations because they have never been truly descipled and are following the traditions of men. You can not incorporate and sully your righteous position in Christ with the traditions of men. If you do; you will be trying to serve two master and end up loving one and hating the other. I must repeat my self again. Double minded people will be unable to receive any thing from the Lord because; they are unsure of their righteousness in Christ Jesus.

We next come to faith which gives us the power we have to be able to fight. You will notice as we go along that; these characteristics must be taught in chronological order if they are to take on shape and substance so we can mature because; we must be hearing the Holy Ghost in us doing the instructing.

Webster's defines faith as; a system of religious beliefs, held by people having different principals of political faiths. Let us again remind our self that; we are peculiar people who have been set apart from the world as Christ's ambassadors and scripture tells us that there should be no distinction between born again believers of different denominations. Man's faulty thinking takes God's sheep and puts them in different camps teaching them different doctrines. However; there is no such thing in God's thinking that we should judge our self from a human stand point of either being a Greek or Jew. All born again people are God's children who God sees in Jesus Christ's image and only that. Jesus was not denominational. He was God's first born again Son and we who are born again are also His children.

Now from scripture faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 & 6 by Paul when he says; "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

The definition if faith in the Greek Concordance identifies it as a under girding of spiritual power and mental ability to communicate and understand the voice of the Holy Ghost with in us. Scripture tells us that we have been given the spiritual ears to hear the instructions of how we are to mature in Christ's image. A person must be growing in their understanding that God does not lie and the word of God as it is being spiritually inspired and being written on the fleshy tables of our heart where the motives and direction of our life are made has a secure substance that we learn not to doubt it in our daily walk with the Lord. This causes us to know that our steps are being ordered by the Lord as he always intended.

Our meditating on the word of God becomes a treasure map of learning God's way of thinking to the point; you judge all your daily encounters with people and earthly influences by what God says in scripture which keeps a person secure and not moved by what they see and hear. This makes you know that; you have secure promises of God explaining your warfare of life on this planet. It is us operating in the faith of Christ Jesus that acts as a protected hedge around our heart as a physical force field would protect our physical body from a out side force.

Man kind has a plan about life that becomes obvious because; it is self centered and not God centered. Our security in Christ can only become stronger as we continually go through a persuasion process by having the Holy Ghost instructing us from within.

Paul also in His continuing instruction to Timothy to encourage Him says this in 2 Timothy 1:11-14. "I was appointed a messenger, apostle, and teacher of this good news. This is also why I'm suffering the way I do, but I'm not ashamed. I know the one in whom I've placed my trust. I'm have been persuaded that God is powerful enough to protect what he has placed in my trust until that day I see Him face to face. Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you heard from me with the faith and love that is in Christ Jesus. Protect this good thing that has been placed in your trust through the Holy Spirit who lives in us."

We all in some capacity are being nurtured by the Holy Ghost with the different gifts that were deposited in our spiritual bank account the day we became born again through Christ Jesus. Operating in the faith of Christ verses having faith in Christ Jesus has two different meanings. Having faith in Christ Jesus represents the dead letter of the law verse operating in Christ Jesus faith; is a living emotional relationship with God Him self. That is why Paul told us earlier that; we have to let Christ live again through us. He is using our hands and feet and tongue to go and touch and say what Jesus said to the world when he walked the earth through Christ who lived in Him and; we are to do the same.

Paul told the Corinthian Church this; "Christ didn't send me to preach the good news with clever words so that Christ's cross won't be emptied of its meaning. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved".

Paul had learned that revelation from the Holy Ghost made no sense to his natural thinking and to this day it will make no sense to the carnal thinking man or woman. That is why we have to seek with great passion and tenacity through the faith of Christ Jesus because that is what persuades us how righteous we are in God's sight and what our righteous position in Christ represents. It is our daily hunger and our spiritual reality as we come to truly believe that; God our Father is trying to raise us up to a higher opinion and love for our self that persuades us to stay focused on our heavenly calling where our permanent home is.

In reference to Paul saying that; without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Let us clearly understand that the love that God has for us is not self centered on any needs that he has other then His children welfare. When we as His children or even the unsaved of the world get side tract and make their every day focus on their daily needs and block out God‘s passion and love to interact with His wisdom and care; it grieves the Holy Ghost because of their wanderings from His protective hedge and this is what does not please Him. This idea that I have heard for years from many pulpits that God is displeased with His creation is childish nonsense and a controlling spirit to keep God's kids in their dippers and ignorant of the agape love that he has for His children. We will talk more about God's love as we continue in these other characteristics of our maturity in Christ Jesus.

Get it forever settled in your mind and heart after you have had your born again experience that; you can not sin against God but; you can sin against your self due to your ignorance or still being addicted to a childish life style that hinders you from walking in freedom in God's kingdom.

James in James chapter 4 tells us that when we live by trying to obey laws we put judgments on our self and others and only God has the right to judge His creation by His criteria. All sin consciecness is us thinking that we have broken a law and as born again believers we have been delivered from judging our self as law breakers. We were law breakers however; we have been born a new by God's unmerited favor and even though we are in a maturing stage of learning our righteous position in Christ with weakness and faults; God our Father calls us saints and not sinners.

Any time we judge our self and others; James tells us in James 4:17 this'; "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." It is us constantly being reminded of our right and wrong thinking that causes this sin entity to stay alive in our mind and heart. I personally believe through my experiences with born again believers these past forty five year in my attempt to walk in the admonition of the Lord that; the majority of the born again churches are teaching a sin conscience gospel to the saints of God and keeping them focused on self rather then God's forgiving grace which makes God see us as blameless in His sight.

We sin against our self when we have this stinky thinking because from the Greek Concordance sin is defined from a born again stand point as a child of God erring, missing the mark, losing their allotment and not sharing in a prize. A person who thinks in terms of judging him self may love the Lord with all of their heart however, in their desire to walk in obedience to God's commands, they have the idea that, they have to pull themselves up by their own boot straps and work harder at trying to be obedient.

Their understanding of God‘s laws have been so indoctrinated into their heart and mind that; their awareness of being a law breaker is what dominates their thinking rather then letting the faith of Christ being the motivator of their life for when they set them self up as a judge; shame goes along with their judgments of them self and they feel unworthy to have true fellowship with God their Father and walk in heavenly places with Him. I could write another hundred pages here because there are some serious bondage that the body of Christ has been entrapped in due to them not understanding what their blameless righteousness is in God's eyes. However for now we will continue on our next characteristic which is patience in part 5