Ye shall know them by their fruits

How can we know who the true believers are.
Jesus said we would know them by their fruits, if a person professes to believe but isn't being conformed to the image of Christ then we can know they are not true believers.
A true believer will forsake everything and put the will of God above everything. That's not very popular these days, most "Christians" have Jesus as a buddy who helps them when they get into trouble but they don't want Him to interfere with their plans.
Today's mega Churches make the unbeliever comfortable in their sins, they don't confront sin and they don't preach repentance. They would never say, you must lose your life to gain it and they would never say you must give your life to Christ.
The best way to fill a Church is to embrace everyone exactly as they are and give them affirmation, just don't confront their life of sin.
It's very rare to find a true believer these days, it's just as Christ said it would be in the last days. many would fall away and the love of many would grow cold.
God will accept nothing less than 100% of our love, our minds, our strength and soul. I wonder how many true believers there are in the world. I think we would all be shocked to find out how few there really are.

You had me all the way until "today's mega-church." The definition of a "mega-church" is any church with over 1500 people. In which case, I am a member of a mega-church.

I am a member, and yet I do not go to Joel Olsteen kinds of "services." I live in a large city, go to a church that preaches the gospel by teaching the Bible. And I mean "teaching the Bible," as in starts at Gen. 1, works to Rev. 22, and returns back to Gen. 1. Given it's just a few verses every week, it takes generations to do that. But that's what we do.

And then we do the fruit of the spirit through ministry--helping the poor, disabled, homeless, people stuck in sin, and caring for them, realizing them are us! We minister outwardly and inwardly. And we're fine knowing we all come short of what the Lord wants from us, but have fellowship with him and fellowship with one another so we can gather our strength to reject our sinful ways and keep on following. We're not "comfortable" in our sin. We know he is the way, and he is the one who breaks sinful habits. But, I can attest to it being good not having to hide I'm a sinner from my brothers and sisters because they seem good and I don't. We all know no one is as good a they seem, but there is the Lord who helps us grow and end the sin cycles. That is our comfort.

And we do grow as a church. We grow as people because we're given the grace to do that, and grow in numbers because of the grace to do that too. And when we get a little too crowded for three services on Sunday, it's time to start another church. We are the daughter churh of another era. And we are the parent church of 16 other churches in our city.

Please don't judge "mega-churches" as if we're all heretical like Olsteen or one of the multitude of money-grubbing false teachers. After all, Jerusalem had a mega-church before the tribulation.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love. It is not easy to judge love.

Hi Jackson, I agree (with an exception), because this idea has also created a problem for us as Christians these days, hasn't it! The reason it has is because the Biblical/Godly kind of "love (agape) .. does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth" .. 1 Corinthians 13:6.

It seems to me that truly "loving" others (as Jesus would have us do) never means making someone "feel good" about themselves and their lives, especially if they are involved in some flavor of ongoing sin that they have no desire to give up/surrender to Christ. In fact, as I think about it, that would actually be "hating" them instead, wouldn't it!

~Deut

Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Even back then Jesus said that there are few that find eternal life, so how much less today when many who claim Christ are relaxed in their walk with Christ, wanting to hold unto sin and think they are right with God.

Also notice it says few there be that find it, all the while saying God chose them to be saved without their choice, but then why do they have to find it.

We have a choice, and it is that belief that God chose them without their choice in the beginning that is the cause for many hypocrites, millions of them, for they think since they have been chosen without their choice they can never fall so they engage in sin, and enjoy it, and then say they cannot abstain from sin, and sin does not affect their relationship with God.

But they sin on purpose, and do not try to beat it, and if they hate sin they can beat sin by the Spirit.

The Bible says that what seals the saints by the Spirit is they depart from iniquity, and a Spirit led life will not sin, and only if they are led of the Spirit are they saved.

But we see them holding unto sin, and enjoying it, and thinking they are right with God, but then they are not led of the Spirit.

But I have to watch myself for I do not want to act like holier than thou, but I am a human too that has to watch my lifestyle,

In Jesus day knowone was saved.
Salvation Was offered only after Jesus' death.

Poor Moses, Abraham, David, etc.

How can we know who the true believers are.
Jesus said we would know them by their fruits, if a person professes to believe but isn't being conformed to the image of Christ then we can know they are not true believers.
A true believer will forsake everything and put the will of God above everything. That's not very popular these days, most "Christians" have Jesus as a buddy who helps them when they get into trouble but they don't want Him to interfere with their plans.
Today's mega Churches make the unbeliever comfortable in their sins, they don't confront sin and they don't preach repentance. They would never say, you must lose your life to gain it and they would never say you must give your life to Christ.
The best way to fill a Church is to embrace everyone exactly as they are and give them affirmation, just don't confront their life of sin.
It's very rare to find a true believer these days, it's just as Christ said it would be in the last days. many would fall away and the love of many would grow cold.
God will accept nothing less than 100% of our love, our minds, our strength and soul. I wonder how many true believers there are in the world. I think we would all be shocked to find out how few there really are.

In Jesus day knowone was saved.
Salvation Was offered only after Jesus' death.

Yes!

I do not believe a man or branch able to produce fruit or agape love

Today's mega Churches make the unbeliever comfortable in their sins, they don't confront sin and they don't preach repentance. They would never say, you must lose your life to gain it and they would never say you must give your life to Christ.
The best way to fill a Church is to embrace everyone exactly as they are and give them affirmation, just don't confront their life of sin.
It's very rare to find a true believer these days, it's just as Christ said it would be in the last days. many would fall away and the love of many would grow cold.
God will accept nothing less than 100% of our love, our minds, our strength and soul. I wonder how many true believers there are in the world. I think we would all be shocked to find out how few there really are.

You can’t possibly be suggesting that nobody in the OT will be saved. Are you?

I hope I’m just missing something somewhere...

Because most if not all pastors of these mega churches are deceivers whose god is their belly or self interest whose end will be their destruction.

St. Peter warned once in the Bible that these people use their members as merchandise.

if I were you, if you will just join a church then join a church whose existence can be traced back from the 1st century era.

only Catholic or Orthodox Church are the only churches whose existence can be traced back to 1st century and you need to investigate with an open mind to determine which of the 2 is the real continuation of the 1st century Christian Church.

If you are a former Catholic then I advise you to research on the net to know how Catholic teachings have Biblical basis (they are called Catholic Apologetic) before concluding that Catholic Church's teachings are unbiblical/paganic or both.

you may ask former Protestants or from any Bible Based groups such as Scott Hahn and priests who are experts in Apologetic of RCC such as Fr. Steve Shott and Fr. Abe Arganiosa.