Christianity A Lifestyle

Christianity A Lifestyle 

In the book of Deuteronomy we read,

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  Deuteronomy 6:5-7.

Christianity is a lifestyle dedicated to God. It is a way of life. It’s loving God with all of our hearts. It’s impressing Gods commandments on our children. Talking about them at home and when we walk along the road. It’s praising and thanking God when we lie down to sleep and thanking Him every morning when we wake up.

If you claim to be a Christian do you do this? 

 Living a Godly life

James the half brother of Jesus writes,

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  

Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.  

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. James 3:13-18.

James here contrasts earthly wisdom with Heavenly wisdom. He notes that bitterness and selfish ambition do not come from God.

Wisdom that comes from God is “pure peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

Individuals who possess this kind of wisdom according to James, “sow in peace and raise a harvest of righteousness.” 

If we claim to be believers in Christ Jesus then we must take a look at our lives. We must take a look at our actions and see if we are exhibiting wisdom from God. 

If we are not then we need to make the changes immediately.

We must cry out to God in prayer, and ask Him to show us what we must do to live a life as close as possible to the ideal life He would have us live.

Please think about it.

In a hand barrow

In a hand  barrow

The apostle Paul wrote,

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” 2 Timothy 3:1-4

I firmly believe we are in the time the apostle Paul spoke about and have been for some time. 

In his book "Essentials in Christian Faith" John B. Harrington, published in 1958, there is a quote that could have been written yesterday.

It's from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948:

"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.'"

Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution. 

Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all... For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency courage."

What Gallico is speaking about is what the apostle Paul predicted. And the solution to the problem. The only solution is the Love of God.

Jesus 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 neighbour as yourself.'  

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40.

Sadly many calling themselves Christians today especially where I live in North America are not showing love toward their fellow man.

They have mixed their faith with politics which as someone has said is like mixing water and gasoline. “The water in undrinkable, the gasoline unusable and the whole thing is explosive.”

I firmly believe that Paul Gallico and many in the world today are looking for what true Christianity offers. A life style love. The apostle Paul noting a Christians lifestyle is defined by

"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,   gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:22-25.

If you claim to be a Christian, a true follower of Christ Jesus. Are you living what the apostle says in Galatians?” 

If you are not a Christian looking for answers to the meaning of life. Take time to read the Bible, pray and ask God to direct you the a church that is truly following the word of God.

Please think about it.

Our Focus

 Our focus

The apostle Paul writes,

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."  Galatians 2:20.

In this statement the apostle Paul makes it clear that once we have accepted Christ as our saviour it is no longer we who live but Christ in us.

Upon accepting Christ into our lives our focus should change form ourselves and what is good for us. To one of doing the will of Christ.

If we claim to be a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus we should be studying the scriptures to see what God requires of us. 

We must do this in order to grow in Christ Jesus. To become Christ like. Because wether we like it or not when we claim to be a Christian people will look at our lives and judge Christ by our words and deeds. As Francis of Assisi wrote,

"The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon some persons will hear today" 

                                                                             Francis of Assisi

Please think about it.

Peaceful and Holy lives

 Peaceful and Holy lives

The writer of Hebrews states,

"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.

Do you live a holy life? By that I don’t mean are you quoting scripture all the time, or bringing attention to the fact you read the bible and pray all the time.

In the book of James we read,

“Humble yourself before the Lord 

and He will lift you up.”

                                James 4:10.

Francis of Assisi wrote,

Francis of Assisi wrote,

“Preach the Gospel at all times 

and when necessary use words.”

                                         Francis of Assisi.

If we are living peaceful and holy lives people will notice and gravitate toward us. At the very least living peaceful and holy lives shows those around us we are no threat to them. While at the same time opening doors allowing us to present the Gospel of Christ.

So are you living a peaceful and holy life?

Please think about it.

A way of life

 A way of life.

"Here, O Israel: The Lord our God is one.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

These commandments that I give to you today are to be upon your hearts.

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, and when you lie down and when you get up.

Tie them as a symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Write them on the doorframes of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

The way I read this those who believe in God are to make Him a part of their lifestyle. We are to love God and honour God in all that we do. We are to impart our beliefs in God to our Children in word and in deed.

If you consider yourself a believer in God, a believer in Christ Jesus, God’s one and only Son are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Jesus for all

Jesus for All

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                 Matthew 11:28-30.
I believe that every one needs to come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Sadly I think way to many people calling themselves Christians both in the media and out are turning people away from Christ.
I see this particularly in North America pastors and evangelist using their so called freedom of speech to jump all over and condemn those they disagree with.
Many point to homosexuals and bash them as if they have some special sin. They protest outside of abortion clinics and heap condemnation on those who work there and those who go into them. This should not be so.
Jesus who is the Son of God and has the right to judge never once said anything against the secular authorities of Rome.
True he debated and disagreed with those within his own religious community but never once did he say anything against those outside that community.
Sadly I think North American Christians are there own worst enemy when it comes to reaching people. Particularly those with different lifestyles.
Neither Jesus or his apostles ever judged anyone. They simply presented the love of God.
The Apostle Paul when speaking in Athens I believe gave the best message ever given by a follower of Christ.
Athens at the time was the centre of culture. It was also the centre of pagan worship and practices that would have been very much at odds with what Paul believed yet he never condemned them onece.
The message he gave he was invited to give by Epicurean and Stoic philosophers at the Areopagus a meeting place in Athens where ideas were discussed.
The book of Acts records that he said,
“Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.  
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.  
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” 
                                                                              Acts 17:22-31.
The book of acts also records the reaction to those who were there. It is the same reaction people have today about the Gospel of Christ. The book of acts recording,
“When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”  
At that, Paul left the Council.  
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.” 
                                                                                 Acts 17:32-34.
The question to the non-believer reading this is what do you believe about Jesus?
I understand that it is very easy to lump all Christians into one group and say we are all a bunch of hypocrites. I wouldn’t blame anyone who’s been the victim of an attack by those who claim to be Christians.
But even Jesus said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only 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 drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 
                                                                                                               Matthew 7:21-23.
I would ask all who read this to read the words of Jesus and the apostles written in the New Testament for themselves. Even make a sincere prayer to God to show you the truths in the Bible.
Please read with an open mind and heart and I know God will show you the truth about Jesus.
Please think about it.

A Christian Thing

A Christian Thing

  “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 
Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.... 
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
                                                                                        Psalm 32:1,2,5
Here is the central theme that rings through the entire Bible both New and Old Testaments.
The confession of sin and God’s forgiveness of our confessed sin.
The apostle John wrote,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
1John 1:9-10
  The apostle Paul writing to the Romans 5:6-9 explains:
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” 
                Romans 5:6-9.
C.S. Lewis notes,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” 
                                          C.S. Lewis
Lewis also said,
“He(Jesus) died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.” 
                                C.S. Lewis

In accepting Christ as our Saviour, we are saved from the wrath of God. We as Christians are confident before we shed our mortal bodies that we will be with God.
John writing in his gospel,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. 
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.... 
       Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” 
                          John 1:1-4,12,13
For those outside the Christian faith I know it is hard to believe but it is what we believe.
We believe one can have a personal relationship with God. That you can become a child God. All we must is accept that Jesus is the Son of God, admit we fall short of God’s ideal for our life, confess our sins to him and accept the Salvation He offers freely to every individual.
If we are wrong we as Christians have nothing to fear because at the very least correctly following a Christian lifestyle is a good upright and moral way to live.
However if we are right there is a lot to worry about.
Think about it.