# 178 Birds of a Feather Flock Together

Most of us like to be in the company of our own kind (people with whom we have many things in common) or with people we love, emulate or highly esteem. That is only natural. There is a law that governs our actions, "The law of attraction," in which one person draws others to oneself. Another person is attracted/drawn by another. With very few exceptions, the same is true in the insect world and in the animal kingdom. We all were preprogrammed that way in the beginning by God’s nature.

That is also true of other physical objects. For example, the clouds have their own power of attraction. Have you ever gazed at the sky as a thunderstorm is about to form? Here is what happens: Under certain atmospheric conditions, a cloud that is slightly larger than the surrounding clouds, starts to attract smaller ones to itself. Meteorologists call that “when a storm is building." Within a short while, that cloud has made the sky overcast. It grew that much, that fast. The stronger clouds overpowered the weaker ones.

Then there are the universal laws of "gravitational pull" we experience here on earth. A large solid object (earth) attracts smaller ones. The smaller ones (people, etc.) cannot get away from the drawing power of the larger one without help from an anti-gravity source (airplanes or rockets). That is the reason we don’t/can’t float away into space. The uniform gravitational pull of the earth keeps us secure on its surface. If the universal attraction was not constant, just a little bit stronger, it would be exceedingly difficult—if not impossible—for us to move from one place to another. And at the same time, the moon would come crashing into our planet, and possibly the gravitational pull of the sun would suck our planet into itself.

If that constant pull was just a little bit weaker, the sun would not have the strength to keep us at a constant distance from itself. We would float away into space and away from the warmth of the sun that makes physical life possible; in fact, our sun would not continue its orbit around the Milky Way galaxy, but float around wherever. If that were the case, there would be no galaxies or solar systems. The whole universe would be a big bunch of floating debris, and it would be absolutely useless.

There is a law that is similar in the spiritual realm. All that is holy will automatically be drawn to God the Holy Spirit. How does this happen? Once a person makes a commitment to believe and live as God requires, that person’s spiritual faculties will start to be influenced by God in the person of the Holy Spirit. That attraction between God and the individual is the connection which makes a person a follower of Jesus Christ. Some church groups call that the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9. “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” The Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Truth are one in the same.

Then, think about this: Humans give off invisible vibrations which consist of attributes/qualities/thoughts which may produce identical emotional reaction in others whose spiritual antennaes are in tune to similar qualities. Some describe it as people with the same vibes or soul mates; therefore, they tend to get along well. This principle is also the same in mob violence. What many would not do when alone, when in a crowd, the overwhelming influence of hatred, etc. in that crowd persuades them to act according to the prevalent attitude.

In the spirit realm of God, there is one quality that is the most powerful and important of all—not that all others are not important—which is holiness. The end result of Christianity is holiness: becoming more and more holy every day. Those who possess this God-type holiness are the ones that God the Holy Spirit draws to Himself. Holiness is something in which a person cannot trick God just by going to church, saying holy words, and acting holy, while secretly engaging in an unholy/ungodly life (living according to worldly standards.)

Let me clarify one thing. Actually, we are made perfect and holy, sanctified and justified, in God’s sight. That is God’s work. 1 Corinthians 6:11. “. . . But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Did you notice that verse is in the past tense? Once we realize we are recipients of a priceless gift which was given to us free of charge, gratis/by grace, then if our commitment was for real, we will, because of Godly influence, start to live a holy life; it is impossible not to start changing. God the Holy Spirit has that much effect when we are actually drawn to Him. John 12:32. “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.” The word "men" also includes women and children, but excludes all that don’t belong to Him.

In time, if the holiness which was graciously given to us because of our initial commitment, belief and faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, doesn’t continue to produce a holy life, that holiness was given in vain. Some large denominations believe otherwise. They believe "Once saved, always saved." There is no Scriptural evidence whatsoever for that false belief. Prove me wrong! There are DOZENS of verses that say the exact opposite. I will present just one: In this verse, the word “if,” presented twice, shows that a person’s relationship to Christ is conditional. John 15:5. “I am the vine: you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him [that is the spiritual connection that makes a person a Christian] he will bear much fruit; [obedience to Christ’s commands that produces holiness] apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

For any church to teach contrary to that teaching is one of religion’s gravest crimes against God. With the lack of holiness, there can be no attraction or drawing of us to Jesus Christ. Holiness is not only the evidence of our love for God, but also the glue, if you will, that keeps us in the safe keeping of our Lord and Savior. But just as important, living a holy life is confirmation that our commitment to Christ is genuine. Said another way: Holiness can’t save anyone; still, it is the most necessary ingredient in the Christian life. Even grace, as wonderful as it is, can’t negate holiness. It is because of God’s grace that we have the desire and ability to live holy lives.

In short, if we are genuine Christians, it could be said that we will have two forms of holiness. The complexity of holiness is the combination of: 1) as mentioned in paragraph 8, the God-given holiness which is far superior to: 2) “acquired holiness,” living holy lives, which is a result of our love and obedience to all that God commands, etc. This next sentence is the most descriptive and important of all else in this post. Read it several times and keep it on the tip of your mind at all times. Our “acquired holiness” is a life-long process of activating our God-given holiness (that of Jesus Christ) so that we will actually be able to EXPERIENCE His holiness to a greater degree every day. The life of Jesus is or should be every Christian’s only role model.

To be holy means to be concentrated on and dedicated to the works of God; at the same time, it means to be separate from the things of the world; they may not seem evil or sinful in themselves, but they have nothing to do with holiness. A person cannot be a follower of Christ without living a holy life. They who belong to Christ are becoming holier as they continually grow into the likeness of Christ. Holiness is the combination/sum total of all other Christian requirements, qualities, etc. There are many, many Old and New Testament Scriptures that emphasize the absolute need for holiness in the Christian life.

We, with our sweet-talking words and smiles, can fool many of those around us, even ourselves. Also, we may be deceived/tricked into believing others are holy. One who cannot be deceived is the Holy Spirit. Ted Haggard deceived thousands in his 20 to 30 years in the ministry. But his preaching gives him away to anyone who truly knows the Lord. We have to be extra cautious aboutto what church we belong to and who we listen to. The Christian life is like going through a mine field. The land mines are placed where a person would least suspect they would be. Not organized religion, but the New Testament, with a little help from this blog, can help anyone figure out exactly where those land mines are.

One of the best ways to avoid false teaching, even if it doesn’t sound false, is to become intimately acquainted with what the New Testament teaches, and then adhere to that Godly intimacy with obedience to what it commands, regardless of how unnatural it seems, or what people like Haggard say. In their sermons, these heretics don’t include things like sin since they say, “The sin issue was dealt with by Christ. Anyway, people don't want to hear about that." That leaves the door wide open to live as one pleases, in the name of Christ. Then that false expression of the Christian religion is looked upon by unbelievers as a Christian hoax, or worse yet by many who see it as an easy way to slip into heaven while still having a hell of a good time (doing what comes naturally). Remember this: Sins that don’t seem like sins are the ones most likely to send us to hell. That could be one of the worst heresies in all of Christianity.

Another heresy that is prevalent in organized Christianity, which I have written about extensively, is the preaching that God wants all His people to be materially prosperous. That is a blatant lie. Anyone that is into that type of theology is for certain without the Spirit of Christ. Those people lack holiness, and without holiness there can be no drawing unto God. Rather, God desires all His people to be spiritually prosperous (His life).

There is no way we could ever make ourselves holy enough to be accepted by God. That is the exact opposite of what many religions are teaching in their attempts to live holy lives. We as Christians, as previously mentioned, are made holy by God’s grace. Grace means free of charge. There is a catch, however. Why does God give us His/Christ’s holiness? Answer: so that we can live holy lives. If we say we have accepted His gift of holiness and then do not start and continue to live holy lives (works), guess what? There can be no way Christ through the Holy Spirit can draw us unto Himself. He couldn’t even if He wanted to, because it is a violation of God’s law of attraction.

The end result of Christianity is living a holy life. That is what Christianity is all about.

Let me try to end with these thoughts: We have a wonderful God, don’t we? If, by some chance, we inadvertently and on a very rare occasion were to slip and miss the mark, no problem; God looks at our motives, desires and determination as much as our actions. And if our motives, etc. are in line with God’s purpose, we have someone who will speak in our defense: Jesus Christ the Righteous One. 1st John 2:1-2. Though this verse gives us hope if we were to sin, God’s kindness is not available when we use this verse as a catchall to live as we please, as some do by silently changing the word “if” into “when.”

Concluding thoughts: For those who desire to be the very best Christian they can be—that should be every Christian’s goal—it would be wise to reread the complete book of 1st John. He is an extremely holy Apostle and makes the sin issue very clear with no ambiguities. Actually, it would be a holy idea, if one has the time, to memorize the whole book of 1st John. It is only a few pages long.

To sum up, I hope: Another aspect of Christianity to consider is that we must make certain we are doing all that we should be doing; if not, the deadly sins of omission come into play. Whatever we are doing or not doing, we must always remember that “Birds of a feather flock together.” Laws cannot be broken or compromised, especially in the spiritual realm, where cheating may take a person where he/she doesn’t want to go: Ouch.

This post is easy enough to understand, even by unbelievers, but it cannot be put into practice unless that person is continually drawn by God. Where do you and I stand?