As I was reading my devotional, Our Daily Bread, I came across an interesting article. The page-long devotional talked about the early Christians, and how that name came about to mean Christ bearer. The reading goes on to say that that name was adorned by scorn in the early days as Christians were considered a sect and loathed by the Jewish authorities. In reflection to our current state as Christians in America, I've come to see that we're undergoing the polar opposite of what Christianity has gone through in the past. We've become complacent, protected by the Constitution that protects our right to freedom of religion, and unappreciative of the masses of churches in this nation rich with Christian heritage. To understand what it means to be truly Christian, we've got to look at these few qualities of a Christian. To be a Christian is to be cleansed and holy; to exemplify Christ in whatever we do, to be Spirit-filled and led; and not forgetting that we are ambassadors of Christ and should not be ashamed to fulfill the Great Commission.
1 Peter 2:19 states that we are a "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God". We have been cleansed by the blood of Christ, the only fount that makes us as white as snow and heals all pain and suffering. All Christians have to believe that this is true and have experienced the free gift of healing and calming that the blood of Christ has on a sinner - one who had been separated from the love of Christ. Once we've received the blood, we're a new creation as all old things have passed and new has come. Hence we can declare ourselves to be part of the royal priesthood, one that belongs to Christ.
Our actions and words have to reflect Christ in us. The fruits of the Spirit are usually abundant in the life of one who follows Christ and acknowledges His presence in their life. A Christian does not have to be holy, but his actions and words should be pleasing to God as Colossians 3:17 states that whatever we we do, in word or deed, must be done in the name of our Lord Jesus. Without this trait, many who are nonbelievers will see through the guise and decide that we are hypocrites and liars. Hence, we must be careful to guard our words and deeds.
Christians are Spirit-led and filled. When the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles on Pentecost, we saw the power of the Spirit pour forth and it enabled the disciples to go into all the world to preach the good news of the Risen Messiah. The Holy Spirit enables us to perform the acts of Christ that our sinful, mortal would be unable to perform. The Holy Spirit also brings us gifts which we can use to expand the Kingdom of Christ, gifts such as the gift of prophecies or the gift of tongues, tools we can use to bring the unsaved to the loving presence of our Beloved Lord and Savior
We are ambassadors of Christ. If He is for us, no one can stand against. He has overcome death and the grave, so we are called to be POWERFUL! We also should not be ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes! We should not be afraid to proclaim the wonderful Gospel of Christ as it is our duty to fulfill the Great Commission that Christ called us to do. We as Christians need to have faith that we are the sons and daughters of an Almighty God, the one who called the world into being in six days and can move mountains and calm tempest-tossed seas.
To be a "Christian" in the present age is an easy thing to do, but to be a real Christian requires the same faith, action, and power that the early Christians had, and they had the ability to change the world, so how much different are we? With the power of Christ, we can do anything that He enables us to; so why not change the world we live in?
No comments:
Post a Comment