Saint or Sinner: The Watch Letter

Last week, Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn was preaching and started speaking words from a gospel song: “A saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up.” If you listen to the song “We Fall Down,” the singer goes on to sing that when we fall (sin) we can’t stay there. As the song goes on, the singer says that we must run to God’s arms because they are open wide, and it’s not too late to go back and get up from the place we sinned.

I was reading the Bible early Saturday and that moment in service came up along with some questions. Have we really gotten up from our sin? Are we sure we are the saints we say we are? As the song says, saints choose to get up from their sin and not go back to it/stay in it. A saint lives a repentant life and hates to sin.

A sinner is a person that actively commits sin, rebels against God and does not sincerely repent. They are reprobate (hardened, always goes rogue, has no genuine shame about sin). A sinner is likened to a hardened criminal (one who has made a commitment to being a criminal and disinterested in changing). They are rigid, unyielding with a hardened attitude. Does this sound like us? Where have we refused to yield to God, change our attitude, be reshaped by the word?

In Luke 18:10-14, Jesus tells a story about two men going to the temple to pray. The Pharisee proudly proclaimed his righteousness but was insincere and unrepentant in his thinking. The publican (the one who the Pharisee considered a sinner) was repentant. In verses 11-12, the Pharisee said “God, I thank thee, … I am not as other men are … or even as this publican. I fast twice a week, I give tithes….” In verse 13, the publican stood far off, recognizing his sin, and “would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven,” but cried: “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

Chief Apostle Gunn tells us that every day we must repent (which is not the same as just feeling bad/sorry about what we did). We must return our whole life to God daily and ask for forgiveness for our sins of commission and omission—with a made-up mind to not do the same thing again. A saint recognizes they must wash before God every day. A sinner, like the Pharisee, may make their face look clean coming to church, but leaves everything else unclean, and therefore remains in their filthiness and corruption … and is okay with that.

Chief Apostle Gunn teaches us that repentance can be thought of like a penthouse. It’s one of the highest levels in a hotel or condominium. He said repentance is returning to our highest level of service to God. It’s the same thing as getting up like the song says. Saying “I repent” is saying “I’m leaving the sin behind, and anything that displeases you, separates me from you, and weighs me down in the spirit.”

Yesterday, during a called service, Apostle Quanterrius Josey taught the word. And one thing he said was we must ensure that it’s not those small sins (those little things we think are not that serious and we want to keep doing) keeping us out of Heaven. His wife, Apostle Terah, backed up the word with a testimony about a woman whose refusal to listen to God about having patience with her children led her to eternity in hell.

I came across notes from some of Chief Apostle Gunn’s messages from March 15 and June 23-28, 2020. I pray they will help us all reflect and turn. Today is a chance to get up from sin.

· Don’t shift! Change. Shifting is not changing.

· Where are we being a tom cat? Rebellious, stubborn … a pet to sin/the devil/the world!

· Bitterness, grudges, rebellion stunt your growth!

· It is impossible for God to hear corruption! ( Ex: praying unrepentant)

· Die to politicking instead of being saved!

· Get rid of all your trash!

· When you cast the devil out don’t let him back in with the same ole’, same ole’!

· Stop getting drunk on the world of wrong!

· Without God, prosperity is a curse!

· Our change has already come, so why are we going unchanged?

· Is sin a reproach to you?

· Wake up from the bad choice you made!