To be Christian

To be Christian
Someone once said to me the basics for being a Christian is believing in the Saving grace of  Christ Jesus. Believing that He is the Son of God, the Saviour of Mankind and accepting Jesus as your personal Saviour.
He noted that the nuts and bolts so to speak of what we believe as Christians is stated in the Apostles creed that states,
1.I believe in God the Father the almighty maker of heaven and earth
2. I believe in Jesus Christ God’s on and only Son, our Lord and Saviour.
3. I believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary
4. I believe Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate; That He was Crucified, died, was buried. That he descended in hell.
5. I believe He rose again on the third day from the dead.
6. I believe that he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
7. I believe Jesus will one day Judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost
9. I believe in the Church which is the communion of the saints,
10. I believe in the forgiveness of sin.
11. I believe in the resurrection of the body.
12. I believe in life everlasting.
All of that is true but it’s not all there is. Being a Christian a follower of Christ Jesus a lifestyle. It is putting the teachings of Jesus into action in our lives daily.
The means loving God, our neighbour, and even our enemy unconditionally. It means praying for our persecutors. It means following the words of Jesus who said,

“Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

                                                                    Luke 6:31.  

It means exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit. The apostle Paul telling us,

"But the fruit of the Spirit is 

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, 

goodness, faithfulness,  

gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law."  

                                       Galatians 5:22,23.

This in a nutshell is what it is to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.
Please think about it.

To be Christian

To be Christian
Here’s some advice from James the half brother of Jesus to Christians. He writes,
“Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.  
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.  
Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 
Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  
As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:7-11.
The early Church like the church today was expecting Christ to return soon. I don’t think they had any idea of the true scope of the job ahead of the church in taking the gospel to every one in the world.
God could have chose to show Himself miraculously to everyone in the world instantly but he did not do so. Instead He asked the early church and He asks the church today to present a message of faith.
The writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and certain of what we do not see.”  

Hebrews 11:1

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

Hebrews 11:6.

Asking people to believe what they cannot see can be very hard for many people. Additionally while the majority of people to whom they were taking the gospel believed in an after life and God in some way, the majority of people the gospel would be presented to had no knowledge of the Jewish scriptures.
Thus a monumental task lay ahead of that early church. A task that is still continuing to this day. A task that would see much hardship as well as success. That’s why James writes,
“Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.  
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.  
Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 
Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  
As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:7-11.
The church needed to be patient. To stand firm in what it believes. To be unified and not grumble about each other. To endure suffering. To look back at the old Testament prophets and Job who went through a great deal yet emerged victorious and received the reward of eternal life with God.
Looking at the Church in the twenty-first century it’s easy to say where is God? Why as He not returned?
It’s easy to say he doesn’t exist. Using the excuse that it has been so long since Christ walked the earth that therefor the scriptures must be mistaken.
The Scriptures are not mistaken. The old and New Testament are true and Jesus will one day return to this earth to judge both the living and the dead.
The call to Christians to keep the faith no matter what the circumstances you are in. To work as if Christ will return tomorrow. To plan as if that return is still many years in the future.
Jesus when he left this earth left the disciple and all believers in Him a job to do. Jesus said,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.
If you claim to be a follower of  Jesus are you doing this?
Please think about it.

To be Christian

To be Christian.
The apostle Paul writing to Timothy said,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.  
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  
In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you  to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,  which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,” 1Timothy 6:10-15
Paul reminds Timothy that the “love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”. That rather than pursuing money and the things of this world we should be pursuing,   “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” That we should, “Fight the good fight of the faith.”
Writing to the Galatians Paul states,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is 

love, joy, peace,

 patience, kindness, 

goodness, faithfulness,  

gentleness and self-control.

 Against such things there is no law. 

 Galatians 5:22,23

This is what it is to be a Christian. They are signs of a true Christian. If we are truly following Christ people will see these things in our life and be drawn to God.
The apostle Peter said,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
Dear friends,
 I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:9-12.
The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men 

and to be holy; 

without holiness no one will see the Lord.” 

Hebrews 12:14

If you claim to be a Christian are you doing this?
Please think about it.

To be Christian

To be Christian
The apostle John writes,
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”1 John 3:11-18.
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” James 2:14-20
Jesus made things simple saying,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.
The Christian life is very much a life of service. Service to God, our brothers and sisters in Christ and to the world around us. We must treat people exactly how we would like to be treated. We must treat people with love, respect and dignity even if we disagree with them.
The Jesus said,
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”Matthew 5:14-16.
We as Christians must remember this. We must remember that Jesus called us to love God, our neighbour, even our enemy.
Jesus calls us to reach out to the world around us in Love.
The apostle Peter wrote,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
Dear friends,
 I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:9-12.
There is a very famous prayer by Francis of Assisi that goes like this,

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 

                                                                                        Francis of Assisi.
If we claim to be Christians this should be our prayer.
Ask yourself am I truly living a life that is acceptable to God?
Do people around me know me for the Love of God I show?
Do people truly see God’s love reflected in me?
If people truly do see the Love of God reflected in your life, it is then possible for you to fulfill the great commission given to Christians by Jesus himself.
Jesus saying,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Please think about it.

To be Christian

To be Christian
        T. H. Huxley wrote,
“Throughout the history of the Western world the Scriptures have been the great instigators of revolt against the worst forms of clerical and political despotism.  The Bible has been the Magna Charts of the poor and of the oppressed; down to modern times no State has had a constitution in which the interests of the people are so largely taken into accounts, in which the duties so much more than the privileges of rulers are insisted upon, as that drawn up for Israel in Deuteronomy and in Leviticus; nowhere is the fundamental truth that the welfare of the State, in the long run, depends on the uprightness of the citizen so strongly laid down....The Bible is the most democratic book in the  world.” T. H. Huxley.
The Bible is a book that deals with the welfare of the individual. There are over 2,000 scriptures that deal with responding to the needs of the poor. Jesus said,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.
If you claim to be a Christian you should be treating others in the same way you would like to be treated. We should even be demanding of our religious leaders and our political leaders that they do the same.
Someone once put it this way to me.

If you love your freedoms, 

you should want that for others. 

If you like to be loved 

you should love others unconditionally. 

If you have a good education 

you should wish that for others. 

If you have good health care, 

you should wish that for others. 

In short as Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.
James writes,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” James 2:14-20.
I like to point to health care. It to me is a basic human right. Everyone should have the right to the best possible health care. Yet millions not just in the third world but in the United States don’t have access to health care at all. And there are politicians who would make health care harder to get.
Even in Canada where I live, as good as the health care is, there is things lacking.
Today as I write this and as you read this people are dying of starvation in a world that has enough food to feed all it’s inhabitants. Even in the western nations people go hungry because they have to chose between putting a roof over their head and food.
There are many living on the street simply because they can’t find affordable housing. How sad.
Christian organizations do help. But we as individual Christians need to be calling on our leaders both religious and political to do more to help the poor.
It is what Jesus would have us do.
Please think about it.

To be Christian

To be Christian
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” 
                                                                                                                                     Psalm 1:1,2.
I write today directly at Christians particularly those in North America and the west in general. I write with the hope they will look at their life and actions. That they will assess what they are doing and if necessary make a change.
Billy Graham once said,
“Make sure of your commitment to Jesus Christ, and seek to follow Him every day. Don't be swayed by the false values and goals of this world, but put Christ and His will first in everything you do.”
 Billy Graham
Jesus set the standard high for Christians. When asked,
 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                                                                       Matthew 22:36-40.
Jesus did not stop there however He said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,...”  
                                                                                                 Matthew 5:43,44.
He said,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” 
              Matthew 7:12.
Question: Would you die for an ungodly person, for a sinner? Jesus did. The apostle Paul writes,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
Romans 5:8.
This is how far we could be called to go. Think about it.
There are Christians around the world being persecuted and put to death for their faith. One figure I read was a Christian dies every seven minutes somewhere in the world for their faith.  They are dying because they are presenting the word of God to the people around them. Christians are going to prison for witnessing for Christ.
Christians in many parts of the world do not have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Yet many that would call themselves Christians especially here in North America would squander that right and bring God’s name into disrepute.
I think of something I heard about in the United States where a person who had a business did not want to serve as they put it “homosexuals” as it was against their belief. I ask the question would they discriminate against, adulterers, or convicted thieves?
Jesus didn’t. Jesus died beside a thief. Jesus sat and ate with tax collectors and spoke with a Samaritan woman all considered sinners of his day and spoken against by the religious leaders of his day.
As Christians we must as the Psalmist say’s
“...delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” 
                                                                                                                                Psalm 1:2.
But while we must delight in the law of the Lord we cannot use it to discriminate against anyone we interact with in this world.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” 
                                                                Romans 3:23,24.
That “all have sinned” meant “ALL” you, me, and everyone who has ever lived. As a Christian we know we are save by the grace of God. However how can we reach the world if we discriminate who we associate with. Who works in our businesses, or buys from us.
Remember,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
Romans 5:8.
Billy Graham said,
“Racial prejudice, anti-Semitism, or hatred of anyone with different beliefs has no place in the human mind or heart.”
                     Billy Graham.
Jesus speaking of himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16,17.
Jesus showed that love of God by associating with everyone whether they were considered a sinner or not. Jesus did not pick and choose who he associated with because of his religious beliefs. Him sitting with the Samaritan woman and the tax collectors proved that. Jesus showed unconditional love to all.
As Christians we need to practice true Christian Love. Paul defined this when writing to the Corinthians. He wrote,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
Love never fails....
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  
                                                                                                           1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.
Are people seeing this kind of Love in you?
Please think about it.