Changing the Face of Christianity
Reversing negative Christian stereotypes, by helping Christians to be more like Jesus Christ.
Luke 17:3-4. “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
The message: don’t hold grudges. Forgive quickly. For our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, rebuke if one of us sins, but be ready to forgive if they show a true repentant heart. And even if they don’t, forgive them anyway.
Luke 9:23 (NIV)
23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.“
We are called to deny ourselves and “take up our cross”. What does that look like? What is the practical application?
When we deny ourselves (emptying ourselves and allowing Christ to take up residence inside us), we do not lose our identity. We instead lose our self-centeredness. This is a good thing. Think of all the relational problems we encounter each day. Every one of them (in my opinion) is caused by being self-centered, instead of focusing on loving and serving others.
So how well do we do at denying ourselves and truly living with Christ as the top purpose and passion of our lives? When thinking about the next thing to buy, do we buy things that God values (clothes for the poor, food for the hungry), or do we buy things that WE value? How about when making an important decision about a job or in picking a mate, do we consider what Christ would have us do, or do we focus on what WE think is best?
I’m sure there are some of you that would score highly on this. If you are one of them, then you are truly a blessing and witness of what Christ can do in our lives. I’m also sure there is an overwhelming majority of us that would fail miserably. Maybe the better question is what direction are you heading in? The goal should be to seek after Christ more and more as we mature in our spirituality. No one starts at the end. So, just take the first step and start inviting Christ to be the center of your life today.
My confession is I too would fail if tested on this. It is far too easy to be a consumer. And many of the things I buy only add to my standard of living, as opposed to offering assistance to someone in poverty.
Our mission is to help Christians be more like Jesus Christ. To be more like Jesus Christ, we need to do what he says and follow his pattern of behavior.
Please join us in our mission to Be More Like Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:29 (MSG)29 “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.”
We are called to become like Jesus. What does that look like? What is the practical application?
The real question for me, and for all of us is where is your heart for God and for others? Are we on a journey to mature and transform into Christ-likeness or are we just someone who said an alter call prayer of confession once a long time ago…stagnant and spirit-less.
16 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. 17 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? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
We are called to love others, even give our lives for one another. We are called to help each other in times of need. We are called to act…not just pay lip service to loving others. I know many many good Christians who help others when they are in need. Many Christians are incredibly generous with their time and money. They are living breathing examples of Jesus Christ walking the earth today.
My confession is I often come up short when opportunities to love others presents itself. A beggar is standing next to an entrance. He asks for any change I might have. I say I don’t have any on me. Yet in my car, 10 feet away, I have some change. One day, that change will get put into a bag, accumulated and eventually taken to a bank so I can make a deposit of $7.32. It does me no good, but to a homeless man it may mean a warm cup of coffee on a cold day. A simple gesture of love, and I pass it up. God please forgive me.
Our mission is to help Christians be more like Jesus Christ. To be more like Jesus Christ, we need to love others. When we shower others with love, we literally are the hands and feet and face of Jesus Christ that the world so desperately needs to see.
Please join us in our mission to Be More Like Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:3 (NIV)3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Imagine a beggar holding out a hand for anything someone would give him. That desperation and feeling of need for someone else to provide sustenance is the spirit that Jesus is talking about. When we have an attitude similar to a beggar toward God and his provision and life-sustaining power in our life, we have an attitude of being “poor in spirit”.
Jesus says in John 15:5 something that relates to this attitude.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
When we come to the humble conclusion that apart from God we can do nothing of Godly value, we have embraced the attitude of being “poor in spirit” which is pleasing to God.
Now, time to hold up the mirror and compare our lives to the attitude God seeks in us. Do we fall on our knees each day and authentically and humbly thank God for being the source of our life and the source of everything valuable and true? I know some of you do. I believe some of us don’t.
The evidence shows itself through our interactions with people in THIS world. Do we EXPECT others to treat us a certain way as if we have earned it or deserve it? Do we take things and other people for granted? Do we share our time, treasures, and love with other people who are just as needy as us?
Please join us in our mission to Be More Like Jesus Christ.
