For Christ's Sake

Christianity has a bad wrap. 

Even, among Christians. 

But, why? Well... Money begging and laundering. Sex-capades and trafficking. Social media battles. Pridefulness. Arrogance. Ignorance.  (See previous post "Church and Sin"). Yelling and screaming. And above all, benightedness and confusion. 

This is not a post bashing the Church, Pastors or phony Christians. 

This is a post, written to say, Jesus is amazing. Living with Him and in Him is incredible. And the more I have the privilege of knowing Him, the more scared I become for what I was doing before and what others are possibly doing now, under the presumption that they are "saved." 

In the Church world, to be "saved" means you have probably gone up to an altar, after the preacher preached, at some service likely on a Friday night or Sunday morning, possibly during a Revival or Conference and definitely said, "I believe with my heart and mind that Jesus suffered and died, rose from the grave and is coming again." 

I think I was 14 when I said that. I didn't doubt those facts before, never doubted them since, and don't doubt them now. But, if you asked me to tell you what that REALLY means...nothing. I went to church Sunday after Sunday, until college, I slacked a (cough, cough) little then, but I was convinced I was saved, though I rarely opened a Bible, prayed a bit more than occasionally, oh, and never shared my faith intentionally. I knew Jesus got me, even though I also knew He said that if I loved Him, I would obey Him, and I wasn't, but yeah, He definitely got me, even if I don't quite know how, or why. 

Christianity is the only religion on the planet that you do not have to do anything to receive and keep the love of your God, except believe. It is the only religion where God loved us enough to literally put on flesh, like us, to understand us, to show us He could and to show us He cares. In a world where we turn our backs on Him, we sin against Him, we forget that He is our creator and we owe Him our lives, He still came to save us. 

I believed for a long time, like every other religion, to be in Christ meant to work. I thought I had to earn His love, I thought I had to beg and plead for access to Heaven, I thought I had to twist and turn and press to have a true relationship with God. Because I knew I was sinful, just like everyone else, but I also knew when Christ died on the Cross, He died for my sins, but I didn't understand HOW. 

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21(NIV)

I had no comprehension of the fact that when Jesus laid on that Cross, He literally exchanged His perfect life for our imperfect ones. God allowed Him to substitute our sins for His life, so that when He sees us, He sees Him, His righteousness, His goodness, His faithfulness. It reconciled us and freed us from the penalty of our wickedness. 

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him
Colossians 1:21–22

I had no comprehension of the fact that when Jesus rose (and He did RISE!), the power that He rose with is the only power in this universe that matters. The same and only God that can give life, is the same and only that can take it away, and is the same and only that can give it back again - that is true power. Hence, His promise to us of eternal life. 

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
1 Corinthians 15:54-55

Maybe I didn't know these things because I barely opened a Bible. Maybe I didn't know them because I was too busy reinforcing my Christianity by listening to preachers on YouTube talk about my earthly enemies, the new promotion that's coming, the everlasting "turn around" or relationships. Maybe I didn't know because no Church I visited spent enough, if any, time on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Maybe I didn't know because I didn't care to know. 

Whatever way, I am glad I know now. Furthermore, I'm glad I understand now and I'm glad I have much more understanding to develop - that makes a journey fun!

Christians go to church, read their Bible, obey God's commands to pray and love one another, not because we have to, but because we want to be like our Savior. How great it is to believe in a man who never sinned, who never fell into temptation and who has provided the power for those who believe to live as closely to that as possible. How great it is to believe in a God who can do all things. So, if you aren't obeying what God commands, as I wasn't, or you have no idea what He actually commands, as I didn't, let's do some reflecting today. Let's ask ourselves if our Christianity looks like Christ, not our Mother's Christianity, not our Pastor's Christianity, not our Grandfather's Christianity, but Christ's - and only Christ's. He was a real man and is a real God. He's thankfully left us a pretty clear guide, and I trust the Bible is not only accurate, but sufficient. 

My prayer is for Christians around the world that above all, they pursue Christ. My prayer for non-believers around the world is that they see more Christians who look like Christ than "those" who don't. My prayer is for more Christians around the world to discover, more and more each day, what Christianity means, and that it changes their minds and hearts. My prayer is for more non-believers around the world to discover, more and more each day, what Christianity means, and that it changes their minds and hearts. 

5 ...I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; 6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.
Philemon 1:5-6