Can someone tell me what makes a Christian? Can you tell me who the Christians are in your church? I have thought about this and have my own ideas about what makes a Christian.
Is a Christian an older person who has nothing better to do than just sit around and read the Bible while passing the time of day? Maybe the older person has no family living close by to help pass a few minutes a day.
They may have out lived all their friends they use to associate with. When was the last time a Christian invited them out to do something and get them out of the house?
Is the person sitting close to the front of the church a Christian? Maybe that person has a hearing or vision problem and has to sit close to see and hear the activities going on in the front of the church.
The widow lady that is always in church when there is something going on has to be a Christian right? Could it be they are just lonely and make all the events just to be around other people and not feel as isolated when they are by themselves. Could some of the Christians just take a few minutes once in awhile to talk to them to make their life have more meaning, the answer is yes.
By all means a Christian has to be the young couple with the two little children. Could be the young couple has martial problems and are looking for help from some of the people they perceive as being a Christian but are to ashamed to ask for help. When is the last time a real Christian has taken the time to visit the family and see what their wants and needs are.
There is no way the woman sitting in the back row could be a Christian. You know she was very permissive a few years back. After her divorce there were several men from out of town that spent the night at her house. Sometimes she even had two men at a time spend the night. Had anyone ever thought that the men might be her brothers and uncles that came to help her repair her home? Did anyone even ask her if she needed help?
How could the man sitting to one side be a Christian? He had a run in with the law over things he said was his and another person said it was theirs. Did any Christian ever take the time to ask the man what really happened? Maybe the man had bought the items from another person and had a sales receipt for the items.
Surely all the deacons in the church are Christians. Goodness they were looked at and talked to then were voted on to become a deacon. Were any of the people talking to them able to read their inner most feelings? Does being a deacon make a person a Christian or do some men just want to be a deacon for the title?
There can be no doubt the preacher is a Christian. He has all the answers to the bible and gets up and preaches a Hell Fire and Brimstone message on what we are doing wrong. He is always there for the sick or the person needing a lift up and a prayer said with them.
Which Christian among us has the ability to look a preacher in the eyes and be able to tell if he is truthful in all he says or does? We often put a preacher on an altar and expect him to be perfect, which is not going to happen. We want to forget they are human just like the rest of us. They can stumble and have bad thoughts just like the rest of us.
From the list above, can you tell me which of the people in the list can say they are Christians? The truth of the matter is no one can tell who is or is not a Christian. You can't tell by their actions or their words. Nearly everyone can walk and act as a Christian, but that doesn't make them one. All or none of them can be a Christian.
The thoughts I have on a Christian has to do with the person and their relationship with Jesus Christ. Until that person has had a one on one experience with Christ they are missing the mark.
A person has to ask Christ to forgive them of their past sins and accept him as their personal savior and invite Christ into their heart to even start to become a Christian. We have to accept Christ on blind faith since he died for our sins over two thousand years ago.
I can not save you, your mother and father can't do it for you, no preacher priest or rabbi can do it for you and no other person on earth can do it for you.
Good deeds and good works won't cut it either. Although these should be second nature to a Christian. You are the only one that can ask Christ into your life and accept him as your Lord and Savior.
When you truly accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit enters your body you will know it that moment. Things will look and feel different and you will act different. When you truly accept Christ your old ways will look incomplete and out of place.
After you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior you have just barley touched the wonders Christ has to offer you. If you let him into all the corners of your life and let him lead you, the journey will be one that is filled with a love of Christ and your fellow man.
A lot of people think just because you are a Christian you will never sin again. That is a long way from the truth, as you will be tempted and tried time and time again. You will stumble and fall more than you would like to think possible.
Just because you stumble doesn't mean God has given up on you, on the contrary, God is always there for you if you will just let him. That is the time you have to reach for God's hand again and ask to be forgiven and turn from that sin.
As a Christian you will be judged by Christians and non Christians. Probably the hardest people to judge you will be your fellow Christians. Always remember one thing God did not give us the right to judge someone else. That right is reserved for him and him alone.
No one can tell who is or isn't a Christian that is a matter only God and the person involved will know for sure. When we stand before the Judgment Throne of God there is going to be a lot of surprised people when God says I'm sorry but your name is not in the Lambs Book of Life.
The thing is a Christian doesn't fit a certain pattern or mold. They can be short, fat, just right, old, young, middle aged, bald, white headed and yes even a blonde.
They can be yellow, brown, black, white or green God does not look at what is on the outside of a person but what is on the inside. If God just looked for pretty people not too many of us would fit the bill. If we Christians would stop trying to judge people and accept them as they are just think of what we could accomplish with God's help.
If Christ can take a sinner who has accepted him as their Lord and Savior and love them, what right do we have to judge or deny that same sinner anything connected to Christ's love and forgiveness?
John three sixteen and seventeen says it all for me.
For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes on him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it but to save it.
We live in a small town in West Texas close to Midland and Odessa. We have been married 47 years, have two daughters, four grandchildren and a spoiled dog. We visit the area nursing homes to check on the elderly and make sure they are taken care of. We have gathered a mountain of hugs and smiles doing this. My wife likes to work in her flower beds and cook, while I pass the time in my shop or doing work for the elderly that they can't afford to hire someone to fix for them. We stay active in our community and church.
My wife and I have started a new web site. (http://www.wesellnmail.com) We are new at his but we are having a great time learning. We have Bulova, Casio, Seiko, Invicta, Pulsar and Timex watches on our web site at this time. You can also sign up for a free new letter that has a new Pecan recipe in it each month. We have tried to make it a family web site so every one can enjoy it.
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