"…On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria." (Acts 8:1 NIV)

The history of the early assemblies of believers in Acts is rich; it would do us all good to spend some time reading about the birth of the church and be reminded of the power of God at work to establish His Word in the hearts of both Jew and Gentile.

Tonight my heart is overwhelmed with passion to seek the Truth. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…" To seek Truth is to seek Him. To accept the Truth and to live the Truth is what separates us from mere churchgoers or those who call themselves religious yet are not true believers.

Vladimir Lenin is quoted as saying, "we can close the churches and put the leaders in jail, but it's very hard to drive faith and belief from the heart of a man once he is contaminated by them."

What is a true believer? He or she is one whose belief in God completely consumes their life. A true believer believes inside and out—one whose belief/faith is so much a part of them that they cannot partition their lives. They are believers through and through, in thought, word and deed. A true believer lives his life as led and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God.

Many times people will call themselves Christian simply because they aren't Muslim or Hindu, etc, though their lives bear no fruit—no evidence of living a surrendered and Spirit led life. A true believer, on the other hand, will be "contaminated" by his faith—inseparable from his faith, living a surrendered life as led and empowered by the Spirit of God.

The word "believer" as used in the New Testament comes from the Greek word pisteuo which means "to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ); to believe, to commit, to put trust in."

A modern-day Saul named Sergei Kourdakov who was ultimately martyred for his faith, was taught by the Soviet KGB that belief is the enemy, not religion or the church. In his book, The Persecutor, he wrote: "The church represents no threats. Religion represents no threat. It's the Believers themselves who are the threat… belief is our enemy, not religion. This is why we don't call them Christians or church-goers. We call them Believers. They believe inside, and to root this belief from their hearts is a very difficult task."

By definition of the word, are you a believer? Would you be found guilty if true believers were being sought out and persecuted because of their faith?

Take some time to consider this especially given the uncertain times in which we live. Search your heart, examine your life; if you are unsure, please contact me or speak to a true believer and ask them to lead you to an abiding faith in Jesus Christ. Don't wait another day…settle this issue now!

Father, I make this declaration to You and I am not ashamed to share it publicly: I am committed; I stand and will continue to stand as led and empowered by Your Holy Spirit. No one can "root" this belief from my heart because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that You are able to keep that which I have committed unto you until the day I meet You face to face. Lord, I am a believer and I refuse to compromise even in the face of persecution. I acknowledge my faith and trust in Your ability to prevent anything or anyone from separating me from Your love through Christ Jesus. I am persuaded …I am a believer! In Jesus' name and for His glory alone, amen.

"For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." (2 Timothy 1:12 KJV)

© Jan Ross
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