Being a Christian
“Your real,
new self (which is Christ's and also yours, and yours just because it is His)
will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are
looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds, you know,
for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good
impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of
impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about
originality will ever be original whereas if you simply try to tell the truth
(without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine
times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. The principle
runs through all life from top to bottom, Give up yourself, and you will find
your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of
your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in
the end submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life.
Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours.
Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for
yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair,
rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him
everything else thrown in.” ― C.S. Lewis,
Mere Christianity
Some people
have strange ideas about what it means to live as a Christian. Some think it
means you have to always be well presented, go to church twice every Sunday,
not stay out past midnight, and never, never have fun.
Others think
it means giving up all trace of individuality, giving all your money to the
church, and living in some sort of commune.
Still others
think it’s about withdrawing from the world, losing touch with reality, and
only ever mixing with other Christians.
Unfortunately,
some Christians also believe these myths, and give the rest of us a bad reputation.
Happily, we
can tell you that none of the above is what real Christian living is about
.
Christianity
is all about having a relationship with the God who created us.
So to live as
a Christian, you actually have to be one. That may sound obvious, but many
people try to ‘live a Christian life’ without having any understanding of what
Christianity is all about.
Pastor Greg
Laurie brings about a wonderful article about being a Christian. As Greg have
often said, the best defense is a good offense. And instead of trying to just
hold our ground as Christians, we should gain ground. We should move forward.
We should tell others about Christ.
When you
identify yourself as a Christian, that is a good way to make yourself
accountable, even to nonbelievers. By saying in your workplace (without being
obnoxious), "I am a Christian," by saying to members of your family
or in your neighborhood or among your friends, "I am a follower of
Jesus," you are putting that stake in the ground, and they will be
watching you and evaluating you.
And frankly,
they will be evaluating God, too. They are will be thinking, So that is how a
Christian acts. That is how a Christian treats his wife. That is how a
Christian treats her husband. I get it. That is how a Christian raises their
child. That is how a Christian does thus and so. . . . They will be watching
you. And nothing is worse than getting your behavior corrected by a
nonbeliever, especially when they are right.
Has that ever
happened to you? You did something inconsistent, and your non-Christian friend
said, "I thought you were a Christian."
"Well, I
am, praise God!"
"Then why
did you just do that?"
Maybe you
should just say it was because you sinned and then thank them for calling you
on it.
When a
believer is walking in fellowship with God, he or she will want to tell others
about Christ.
Everyone has
a testimony, which simply is their story. You don't have to go through
adversity to have a testimony. What would people say about you? You have a
testimony. The question is whether it is a good one or a poor one.
The gospel is
that Jesus died for sinners on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead (1
Cor. 15:1-4). His death was a sacrifice
that turns away the wrath of God (1 John 2:2).
This is the only way to be saved.
Jesus is the
one who died for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). He is the only way to the God the Father
(John 14:6). He alone reveals God (Matt.
11:27). He has all authority in heaven
and earth (Matt. 28:18). It is only
through Him that you can be saved from God's wrath (Eph. 2:3). He can forgive you of your sin (Luke 5:20;
Matt. 9:2). He can remove the guilt that
is upon your soul. Jesus can set you
free from the bondage of sin that blinds your eyes, weakens your soul, and
brings you to despair. He can do this
because He bore sin in His body on the cross (1 Peter. 2:24) that those who
trust in Him would be saved.
If you are
not a Christian, and want to be delivered from the righteous judgment of God
upon you due to your sin against Him, then come to the One who died for the
sins of the world. Come to the One who
died for sinners (Matt. 11:28). Turn
from your sins. Believe and trust in
Jesus. Receive Jesus, who is God in
flesh, who died and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4) as your Lord and
Savior. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your
sins. Receive him (John 1:12). Only He can wash you clean from your sins and
only Jesus can deliver you from the righteous judgment of a holy and infinite
God. Pray to Jesus. Seek Him.
Ask Him to save you.
Blessings,
Raj Kosaraju
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