Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/7266

7266 Characteristic of the living christian....

January 26, 1959: Book 77

As long as My spirit is not yet working in you, you are merely followers or formal christians, for My spirit's working is the characteristic of the church which I Myself founded on earth. Only then will you belong to this church founded by Me when My spirit can express itself in you, that you hear its voice, that you are thus awakened to life, which proves My spirit's working in and on you. And the sign of My spirit's working is that you are alive, that you have become true christians, thus also true doers, not just hearers of My word. A dead christian does not have these signs, he goes about his life, he will hardly speak of Jesus Christ and His act of salvation, he will also not make an effort to live a life of action; yet he calls himself a christian because he has not yet understood what I mean by this. A christian is a true follower of Jesus, a person who makes an effort to live his earthly life like Him, which consisted of unceasing activity of love and an intimate bond with His father, Who was in Him. This intimate bond must first be established with Me in Jesus Christ if My spirit is to become effective, if it is to be able to express itself by gaining influence over all thinking, willing and acting. Then the human being will be guided by My spirit, for I express Myself through the spirit and make My will known to the human being. Thus the human being must live a second life next to his earthly life, he must strive spiritually, for which a formal christian has no time because he is imprisoned by the world which does not release him. The spiritual christian lives his earthly life on the side and the spiritual life fills his purpose in life, for he is impelled by the spirit from Me which never lets him rest. And thus every spiritual thought, every bond with Me, every impulse to do a good deed, every deeper understanding of spiritual knowledge and ever new desire for it is all to be regarded as 'working of the spirit', and all this also characterises a living christian, whereas the formal christian is completely lacking, for he is not so much moved by the life of his soul as by the life of his body, and spiritual bonds are alien to him because they are inconvenient to him and he therefore avoids them. And therefore he is a dead christian who will not be able to prove his 'life' when he is put to this test. For a person is not a dead christian with impunity, and one day it will become apparent how deep he is still in the grave, how darkened his spirit is and how far away he himself still is from being a true follower of Jesus Christ. And that is why only a few people have the right to call themselves christians, because most of them are not, even if they belong to ecclesiastical organisations but do not honour them. For in all these organizations people can take the right path of following Jesus in order to then also possess the characteristic of My church as true christians: the awakened spirit which now guides and teaches them, which brightly illuminates their path of life and which truly has an effect on the human being in the best sense, because it is My spirit which expresses itself in you and I also truly only give you what is good for you and your souls. And every one of you can awaken the spirit in himself to life if he only seriously wants to fulfil his earthly task, if he seriously wants to unite with Me, Whom he recognizes as his God and father and establishes this intimate union through loving activity.... For anyone who practices love establishes unity with Me, Who is love Myself, and My spirit will radiate through him and give him light.... He will now only ever be active in My will and gain eternal life while still on earth....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers