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Are You A Christian
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Are You A Christian?
I often ask people this question. I ask after we have talked for a while. I try to be polite and only ask if it seems like the right thing to do. To date, I have had no one get offended by the question. I get such interesting answers.
I sometimes get a “no.” I am surprised at how seldom that is.
I sometimes get a firm “yes.” I'm also surprised by how seldom that is.
Most of the answers I get are somewhere in the middle.
I met a young man and his girlfriend while camping. They were kind enough to give me very good travel suggestions. They asked about what I was doing and I told them. I eventually asked if they were Christians.
The young man answered that he was raised Episcopalian. I followed it up with asking again if he was a Christian. He quietly said yes but that he wasn't acting on it right now.
The girl's answer was that she went to a Christian elementary school. I told her that Christianity was a choice and wasn't about a school.
She admitted that she was mixed up. Her parents were Chinese and are Buddhists. Her Christian education confused her. She doesn't know what she is.
The young man said they were both seeking. As I talked to them, I realized they really were seeking. They were seeking everything.
They were seeking a career. They first told me they were elementary teachers. I smiled because I have taught in elementary school and loved it. As we talked, they changed it to "we have taught elementary school." They are no longer teachers. They left teaching and are trying to decide what to do next.
They are also seeking the perfect place to live. They left one city and are camping through other cities. They don't have much money but are being careful with what they do have. They are heading to stay with friends but don't know where they want to live.
They are also seeking countries. They may spend some time backpacking and living in Europe.
They are seeking relationships. They are together but the young man told me they were only going to stay together until it didn't work anymore.
As I listened to them, I realized they were seeking God and didn't even know it. If they found God, they would know the answers to everything else. I begged them to find a Christian church and to go 6 times without questioning what they hear. I also encouraged them to find places to pray while they were camping. They smiled in an embarrassed manner but didn't commit.
Please pray for this couple. I don't know their names. God knows who they are. What I do know is that they are seeking God without having a name for it.
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 NIV
I met a woman and we became friends. I asked her if she was Christian. She hesitated and then looked me straight in the eye. She said, "I am but you won't think I am."
She said "the whole world doesn't think my church is a Christian one."
I laughed and said she must be a member of the LDS church. I guessed right.
I told her that while I had opinions about her church's doctrine, I didn't have opinions about the individual members of her church or any church.
I believe what people tell me. Being a Christian isn't about what church you belong to. It is about accepting the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. She says she has done that and I believe her. She thanked me for not judging her.
I also told her that one of my very closest friends was a member of her church. I told her that we had shared deeply and that we were both spiritual mentors for the other. I admitted that I simply didn't believe much of the doctrine of her church and that if I did, I would belong to her church. I told her I was very comfortable with my friend's salvation. I also believe my friend trusts my relationship with God.
God is so good. This woman needed some help in an area that I have strength, hope, and experience in. She has problem and hasn't even faced how serious it is. If I had judged her Christianity, she wouldn't have been able to hear what I talked about later in the conversation. God was in that conversation and I believe it will make a difference in her life. Pray that this woman will find the help she needs.
Being a Christian is about a personal decision and action. We confuse the issue if we make it about anything else. It is a relationship with Jesus the Person. Through understanding Jesus the Person, we develop a meaningful relationship with all aspects of God.
I see becoming a Christian broken down into 5 steps. These steps are from the Bible. Many authors make it 4 steps. I use the same steps but break the last one into 2 separate steps. I find it easier to explain that way.
I like steps because they make climbing easier. Like any set of steps, people can stop and rest all along the way.
Step 1: Believe that God's desire for us is for his to have peace and love.
This sounds like something from the 60's movement but it simply is the truth. I'm not surprised that the children of the 60's were seeking peace and love. We are built to seek peace and love.
God made us. Like any parent, he loves us dearly. His desire for is for us to have peace. He made us to love him with all of our heart, soul, and mind. When we do that, we experience joy beyond our wildest dreams.
Jesus says, "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly." John 10:10
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that so ever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Step 2: Admit that we are seeking God but are separated from Him.
For some, this is easy. For those that have been in the pits of Hell, it is no problem to admit separation from God.
For others who are very self-sufficient, this is more difficult.
Without God, there is a perpetual longing. I see it everywhere.
I have heard that there is a God shaped hole in all of us. We may try to fill it with jobs, moves to other cities, money, or new friends. We may even try to fill it with addictions like food, drugs, or alcohol. Nothing fits but God.
The intelligent and friendly couple I met at the campground are seeking everywhere and don't even know what they are seeking.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
I see the word "glory." It is such a wonderful word. There is nothing like being in the "Glory of God."
I've heard sin explained as "missing the mark." If we are not experiencing "Glory," we are missing the mark.
"The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23
This can mean spiritual death and even physical death. I lost a son to AIDS. I understand this scripture. He came back to God in the end but he still had AIDS.
This separation from God is very serious. It can be eternal. Physical death while being spiritually dead means eternal separation from God. This is our choice but like any choice, it has good and bad consequences. Hell is real. Satan is the powerful force of evil. Not believing it doesn't make it “not true.” Again, I say, this is serious.
Step 3: Believe that Jesus Christ came to show us the true path to God.
"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me." John 14:6
God sent Jesus in love. We get so lost and mixed up. We try so hard to do it by ourselves. He sent Jesus to show us how easy the Way is.
Christianity is the only religion that offers grace. You don't have to work for what God offers.
Many religions and people believe in God and even have a relationship with Him. They just don't believe in Jesus.
Jesus is the tender, loving, forgiving part of God. Accepting Him softens us and changes our hearts forever. True Christians have a tenderness that is beyond human explanation. We are promised that we can actually become like the sweet and tender Jesus. To be like Him, we must first believe in Him.
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
God understood our natures and knew about guilt. Grace is so simple. We don't have to be good enough. We simply have to surrender. I believe that when Jesus is says, "no one comes to the Father but through me," he is saying that accepting unconditional love and forgiveness is the only way to the Father.
Step 4: Individually make the decision to believe and accept Jesus.
Like any other polite visitor, Jesus will knock on our doors. Unless we open the door, he won't come in.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone heard My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him." Revelation 3:20.
Step 5: Pray to receive the Person, Jesus, into your life.
Jesus Christ is a person. We can know him and have a personal relationship with him. Like any other relationship, it involves getting to know Him and communication.
"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even those who believe in His name.” John 1:12
We pray a simple prayer confessing our separation from Him. We admit that we have "missed the mark" and are not experiencing the "Glory" of God. We ask him to show us that "Glory." We thank him for sending his Son to earth. We invite Jesus into our lives.
"That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
If you are a Christian I thank God.
If you are not a Christian, I beg you to pray this prayer immediately.
Don't wait. These are the most important words you will ever say. They will change you forever. It will only bring good things. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.
It is the truth. I sometimes hear the words, "truth is relative." I don't believe that. Truth is truth. Look it up in the dictionary.
It is true that there are 4 seasons in most places.
It is true that we have no cure for AIDS.
It is true that there are men and woman on earth and we are built differently.
It is true that there are 24 hours in a day.
It is true that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. It is true that we have the best possible relationship with God when we know all three faces of God. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
If you are not a Christian, join me in saying these simple words: If you don't like my words, say your own but I beg you to pray and ask him into your life.
Oh My Dear Jesus:
I believe You are the true Son of God. You came to show us the way to love, peace, and joy. You died on a Cross accepting the burden of my mistakes. Thank you for that perfect gift.
I have been so separated from You. I have tried to do things my own way and it hasn't worked. I have made mistakes and I have missed Your "Glory."
Send this "Glory" to me now. I accept that You took any punishment that was due to me. I accept Your free and perfect gift of grace and forgiveness.
I will try to follow You and stay close to you. Help me when I fall. Teach me.
I praise You that I'm already forgiven for the mistakes I have and will make.
I love You. I trust You. I will follow You as my Lord and Savior.
In Your Name I pray,
Amen
That is all there is. If you prayed that prayer, it is done. This is a promise from God. Don't doubt it ever! We will spend an eternity together with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
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