I joined a group of writers who discourse on things of the Lord. The first topic was "what does it mean to be a Christian" ~ this is my response.
25 December
2020
Dearest
friends,
As I ponder
the wonder of a King becoming a child again, our God coming to earth and becoming a flesh and blood human being...willingly entering the
world as a babe who was wholly dependent upon fallen man for His very needs and
sustenance, I am awed once again at this amazing gift and passionate love our God has for the people He created. In response to His love, I respond to the question *What does it mean to be a Christian?*.
The example set
forth in the Bible is one of apostles and disciples who boldly went and
proclaimed the good news of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection from the grave. Like Jesus,
they also performed signs, wonders, and miracles that were available through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus released to His own upon his death. They loved their lives not unto death (Revelation 12:11). In the Old Testament, those who “believed
God” were those who followed Him without question or understanding – Abraham of
Chaldea who left his homeland to go where God was calling him, knowing not the
destination…Moses, who led thousands in the wilderness, following the LORD as
his compass and spending time face to friend as “friend”; Joseph who followed
dreams into dungeons yet persisted in his honor of God and came out victorious
for the Hebrew nation, and Esther who obediently put her life into service for
the good of the many, willing to die for a cause much greater than
herself.
In the New
Testament, Hebrews Chapter 11 talks about the heroes of faith who believed God
and chose to pursue what He told them without necessarily ever seeing the
outcomes He had promised. Is this what
it means to be a Christian? Following in “blind faith” where we feel God is
leading us, trusting in the midst when it looks like “nothing is happening” and
“nothing makes sense”? Hebrews 11:1 and 6 says, “Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and
that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” I believe this is
a cornerstone of what being a Christian means.
We must
believe God. Not just believe in Him, but actually BELIEVE Him, His
words and His ways. To do this, we must spend time in the Bible, the written
Word of God, getting to know Him. As we do, we begin to learn His voice and His
thoughts toward us, which are consistent as He does not change (Malachi 3:6;
Hebrews 13:8). In learning more, our relationship with Him deepens; this
becomes the foundation for our life in Christ.
Jesus warns that in the last days may will say to Him “Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your name, cast our demons in Your name and done many
wonders in Your name?” Yet He will respond to them “I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:22-23) Why
would He say this?
Romans 11:29
tells us that our gifts and callings are irrevocable. This means that I can
have a gift and purpose for my life and use it for my own glory or fame. I can also
use it intending to be for God but being out of alignment with Him. I can “cast
out demons, prophesy and do many wonders” (Matthew 7:22) without ever
following God’s plan for my life. We must choose to hearken to His voice and
follow where He leads if we genuinely want to be His. Often what God is saying makes little sense
to the natural mind, such like many Old Testament faith heroes
experienced.
We risk
facing persecution or rejection, we can expect to be labeled crazy or Jesus
freaks; the disciples in the New Testament experienced much of this. However,
Jesus’ example was clear. He told us, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son
can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He
does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) and “I have not
spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what
I should say and what I should speak.” (John 12:49). As Christians, we are called to be so in
tune with Holy Spirit within us that we can do and say what He leads. Jesus walked under the power of Holy Spirit
on earth, just as we do. The only difference between He and us was that He was
so used to being in communion with His Father He could hear God’s voice clearly
and He understood the power and authority living within Him. Being a Christian means learning to know Holy
Spirit with that intimacy. It means seeking to hear God’s voice clearly and
responding to what we believe we are hearing ~ be it an impression, vision or
nudging, a still small voice in our inner man, or an emotion that is understood
implicitly to be from His heart. Everyone is wired differently and most whom I
know “hear” God in various ways; He does still speak to His children today, and
it is our responsibility to learn how He speaks to us.
I used to
think that being a Christian meant doing what I saw in the Bible. I used to
think it meant following all the things commanded and demonstrated in His
Word. It does, but it also does not. God never meant for us to take that burden
upon ourselves. We cannot conform ourselves into perfect beings, nor can we
fight principalities and powers in the heavenly places with human strength and
understanding (Ephesians 6:12). God takes full responsibility for the
outcomes in our lives, as long as we are surrendered to His Lordship. He takes
great pleasure in “transforming us into His same image from glory to glory, just
as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18b). God reminds us that it is Him working IN
US which is the transforming agent and power (Philippians 2:13). He
tells us in Galatians 2:20 that “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no
longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now life in
the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
Himself for me.”
I am ever so
thankful that I am in relationship with a covenant keeping God who takes
responsibility for both of us. My job is to Have faith, to Know Him,
and to Stay in relationship with Holy Spirit. His job is to lead, guide,
comfort, protect and conform me into His image.
Praise Jesus that He loved, us so much that He gave His life in exchange
for ours. We were “the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). We can
trust Him and His love for us even today. We can choose to surrender our
agendas and live the life He has fashioned us uniquely for and is calling us to
rise into. Oh, HalleluYAH! We are so incredibly BLESSED to be His!
God’s wonder-working
power living in us, His dedication to grow and conform us, and Holy Spirit’s
comforting, shepherding, and protecting of us makes the Christian journey an
awesome adventure of faith. My life verse sums it up well “Trust in the Lord
with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
God’s blessings on all on this fine Christmas morn!
Christie
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