Tenderness and Toughness

Tenderness and Toughness

Blessings friends, Pastor Nick, I just wanted to jump on here and give you a brief word on how to recognize — an undeniable way to recognize — those that legitimately have entrusted themselves to Jesus. There'll be two things that will always be evident of a genuine believer. Number one is their tenderness to Jesus, His message, and His work. There's a sensitivity to the person who hears the message of the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, they welcome it when God is at work. And they received the message as it is the word of God, which is a supernatural work that only God can do, as we find in First Thessalonians is brought to light they received the word as it was, because of how the word was revealed to them. That is, God was involved in it with power. And it was a word revealed, not just to them, but within them, and therefore their heart is humble. Their spirit is meek and teachable. And they are sensitive, they welcome the word with no restrictions. That's what we see, on the day of Pentecost, when Peter preached that message, and they welcomed the word of the gospel. And that is the distinguishing work of God. That's what faith looks like. It's moved. That's what a sensitive heart is. Noah, for example, Enoch, who walked with God, to walk with God, you go with God, he went with him to walk with Him. And Noah was affected by the word, the warning, the word that came to him and it moved him, there is always always always going to be that tenderness to the message like King Josiah, when he received the word, his heart was tender before God sensitive before God, when Zacchaeus heard Jesus call him out of the tree, there was a sensitivity.