PRESSURE COOKING CHRISTAINS
Galatians 2:20-21 (NLT): "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die."
Do you ever feel like the people that are religious are the ones with the most to hide? I know I do. I remember growing up in the south and always being told that the order of things was God, family, country, and then yourself. I was always running in to these strong willed, narrow minded, Christian people that could not wait to shove their religion down your throat. Even as a saved man I am still bothered by these people. You know who they are! They are the ones that seem to be so devout and sinless on Sunday but on Monday or Saturday night they are someone else. They are the people that can't wait to share the gospel with others and are your Sunday school teachers or the biggest givers in the congregation. They are the people that rally you to support missions and spreading of the faith but turn up their nose at a Muslim, pagan, or Jehovah Witness. They do not realize that Christ is meant to be shared with everyone not forced upon them. We may not agree with the doctrine of the other faiths, but we have an obligation to share Christ with everybody. Not in a threatening it's our way or the highway attitude but in mere conversion and light hearted debate.
If you are going to be a Christian, and a leader then be willing to back up what you say at church while you are outside of church. Be willing to let your guard down and let people in. Be willing to appreciate other cultures, religious views, and people as a whole. Build relationships not walls. Do not be an offensive Christian who drives people away from church. Instead share YOUR testimony and the story of Christ. Let them understand what Christians believe. Learn what they believe. Plant the seed, water it on occasion and allow God to be responsible for the growth. As Christians we are saved by Jesus, and only Jesus can save people. It is not our job to judge, promise salvation, or convert. It is our job to spread the word.
II Timothy 3:15-17 (ESV): "And how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."
The sole foundation of faith is to fill the spiritual void that we have when we are lost. All religions are based on people searching for a higher power; something that helps us to make sense of the world around us and to help us accept life and death.
To be a Christian you have to believe in God, believe in the virgin birth, and believe that Jesus is the son of God who was sent to die on the cross for the purpose of forgiving humanity's sin. By asking for forgiveness of our sin and by asking Christ to enter our hearts and become our savior we become Christians. We become SAVED and are granted eternal life in heaven by God. Remember Jesus was the only religious figure to claim to be the spirit of God. No other faith has the courage or right to make that claim.
Romans 14:11 (NIV): "It is written: "as surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' "
Do not hide your sin from the people in your church. Do not put on a show when you show up on Sunday. Be willing to expose the things you are ashamed to admit before your church family. If you continue to hide who you really are you will only allow the sin to grow. Let it out into the open and be yourself. When you do this you will no longer have to concentrate on what you have to hide, and can begin to fill your heart, mind, and soul with the spirit and the word of God.
II Peter 3:17-18 (ESV): "take care that you are not carried away with the lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity."