About the Book

Book:  The Portrait of A Christian

Author: Raymond Sopp

Genre: Non-fiction, Theology

Release Date: November, 2019

The apostle Paul, with great knowledge of Scripture, said in Philippians 3:7–8: “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ.” (NASB)

It takes a courageous person to take a second look—to lay down their life—just as the apostle Paul. Are you willing to take a second look, to lay down your life? The Portrait of a Christian was written to help you do so.

For more than thirty-eight years, Minister Raymond D. Sopp studied the Scriptures, not to parrot God’s Word through memorization but just to know God’s heart as He communicated through His Word. To know anyone’s heart, you must listen to their words.

Raymond wrote The Portrait of a Christian to challenge and provoke thought to those who desire a closer relationship with Christ. He wanted to paint a portrait of God’s heart through thirty-one separate commentaries—starting with the importance God placed on His Gospel and ending with a Lost Love. All of us must earnestly contend for the faith!

Click here to get your copy.

About the Author

Minister Raymond D. Sopp has been a born-again Christian for more than thirty-eight years and ordained for more than eighteen years. He is not affiliated with any organization, nor a denomination. This has given him a unique opportunity to view the entire realm of Christianity from an objective point of view. His heart broke when he saw so many inconsistencies within the Church at-large. He inherently knew in his heart that the best way to point out error is to expose the truth in a way to provoke thought and challenge the Christian reader, while at the same time reach out to the nonbelieiver.

 Concerned by the teachings that he heard, or better yet, what he did not hear, he started a ministry on May 1, 1996 solely focused on reaching the world. (Sopp Ministries became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization on January 1, 1999.) The only purpose this ministry has is salvation both within and outside the Church at-large. Being somewhat overwhelmed, he knew he needed to stay focused on delivering a narrow message—a message that will cause all to examine themselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) to see if they’re literally born-again—to a true and biblical salvation—a simple message that has both temporal and eternal implications.

More from Raymond

Do you believe we’re approaching the Last Days? Are you seeing the season change—beginning to see leaves fall to the ground? Yes! Then, The Portrait of a Christian, is a must read for you.

There are several warnings given to the professing Christian in God’s Word; to me, the most terrifying warning to the professing Christian for this time we’re living in is what Jesus said in Matthew 7:15–23: “‘Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.’ Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (NASB)

The book I wrote, The Portrait of a Christian, is to help the professing Christian not to be one of those who just say “Lord, Lord.” Are you willing to take a second look at your Christianity? If so, then The Portrait of a Christian was written for you.

Although the author is very upfront about his passion for Christ, I sometimes had a very hard time following him. He talks about miracles that Jesus performed but explained that He didn't want  anyone to tell of them. It made me reread the paragraph to grasp what the author was trying to say. We don't want a church that is big on productions or worldly things but a church that is reverent to God. Miracles happen everyday but the author is wanting Christians to go beyond that. The authors focus is on "God's holiness and righteousness, which was, and still is, my greatest need." 

I think of an onion that has been stripped of all its layers. It is exposed and has no way to hide its imperfections. That is how we need to see ourselves. God wants to strip away our bitterness, unforgivesness, pride and anything else that stops us from being in His presence. As I read the book I realized how much deeper the author goes into scriptures and how little I really knew. He makes some good points that I want to live by. We need to be genuine in everything we do. When we pray we need to be genuine while praying for others. I thought that was so powerful to read. Are we genuine when we tell someone we will pray for them?  If someone asks me to pray for them, I stop and do it right then.  People put on Facebook all the time that they need pray. The comments are "I will be praying." As a Christian I want to be genuine when I say I'm praying. 

The author gives great examples such as people being on a jury. He explains that the jury decides the fate of a person by what they hear. They didn't see the crime happen but are willing to put someone in prison or set them free. Now lets put that principle to our faith. We can't see Jesus but we have facts that He is who He says He is.  There is a lot of information in the book and scriptures that I have decided to reread the book as a bible study. I'm not clear on all the points the author made so I need to allow God to show me where I am struggling. I do think the author is passionate about God and desires for everyone to know Him. He delivers a good message with examples that did help me in some areas I didn't quite understand. Overall I think reading the book gives us things to think about and perhaps dig deeper into what the Word says. 

" We must never forget that whatever trials we find ourselves in , God is in control."

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 27

Texas Book-aholic, January 28

Inklings and notions, January 29

Artistic Nobody, January 30 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 31

deb’s Book Review, February 1

janicesbookreviews, February 2

Discipling4Life, February 3

Blossoms and Blessings, February 4 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, February 4

For the Love of Literature, February 5

For Him and My Family, February 6

Through the Fire Blogs, February 7 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 8

Godly Book Reviews, February 9

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Raymond is giving away the grand prize of a $50 amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f531/portrait-of-a-christian-celebration-tour-giveaway