What’s happened between the Church of Acts and what we now know as Christianity? It seems that if it can be customized to the whims and ideologies of this postmodern world, then we may not have had a real grasp on what it means. The purpose of Christianity is in its definition, “follower of Christ” but, it’s been labeled as a religion as oppose to the divine lifestyle God requires of us. The world has rejected us for so long because we’ve “sold” Christianity to them as a religion (a man-made organization) instead of a redeemed relationship with Jesus Himself. Here are the 3 best ways to represent Christianity on the earth.
1. Tell the truth!
Being a believer of the Gospel and whole heartedly submitting the knowledge of Christ is easy, what’s hard is walking out His commands on a daily basis. Everyone in the world understands how impossible it may be to be human being who tries to walk in the ways of the divine. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 The difficulties of discipline, of not falling, of a kind of perfection that emulates the life of Jesus. So, they scoff at our struggles and condemn the way we pretend to have it all together, to only then judge them. It’s as if we’ve taken the greatest sacrifice of God, wrapped it in gold, only to deliver it to the world with filthy hands! Let’s just tell the truth! It is hard to be a follower of Christ wrapped in bodies that need, want, and crave the things we shouldn’t. The truth sets us free and lets the world know that saints are sinners who are so in love with God, we’ll run this race blindfolded if we have too, as long as we get to Him.
2. Be faithful!
As believers, we are guilty of abusing grace at one point or another in our walks with God. Being a new creature happens instantaneously in the spirit realm but, our bodies and minds are on a journey to live that out for the rest of our lives. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Getting it right” will take some practice and there is grace for that but, when the world sees our flailing, our inconsistencies, they’re not going to want to join us. There has to be a noticeable divide, an otherworldly difference in our lives that convinces the world that believers carry Jesus in their hearts. It takes undying commitment and faithfulness to God for transformation to take place. Being a vessel of His goodness and love is what will win them over.
3. Gain knowledge!
If we are truthful most of our first experiences with accepting Jesus was emotional. There’s nothing wrong with that but, it also does nothing for the discipline needed to continue to know who He is. We find those secrets, those beautiful mysteries in His Word. How is it the world knows more about our God than we do? It’s true, their intent for gaining this kind of knowledge is to debunk Christianity but, how is it that we live with the Word on our phones and bedside tables, and never really dive into what it’s saying? How can we make the case for Christ without knowing all the facts?
Saying things like “God changed my heart.” or “I believe He’s real” does absolutely nothing for this generation. In this new era of information and the need for authenticity, we have to know our “stuff”! Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. Jeremiah 33:3 We are confronting a world that wants the facts before believing the truth. The Word deserves for us to deeply study its scriptures, more than any other book or tv show, our devotion to God must ignite a passion for who He is! Let’s gain knowledge and change the world.