The Secret of Being A Christian Revealed- Part II
Well, now you are halfway to knowing everything you need to know about being a Christian. Ok, not everything, but the essence of everything. The foundation that all the rest hinges on. Hopefully by now, you have all read part one. If not here is the first secret: Being a Christian is all about love. It is that simple.
Part one was about your internal self, part two is about external. Part one is about being, part two is about acting. Young people, if you are wondering what God’s will is for your life, I am going to reveal it here, so pay attention.
God’s desire for us can be summed up through two passages of scripture. The first is James 1:27. True religion is caring for orphans and widows and keeping ourselves unstained by the world. The unstained part we will look at in the future, because there is much false teaching in the church regarding this. Today, we are going to look at the caring for the orphans and the widows, because this is an echo of what Christ said in Matthew 25: 31-46. In this passage, Jesus states explicitly that your access to your inheritance in Christ is based on how you treat those less fortunate than yourself. I am not kidding, it is right there.
An easy assumption would be that I am advocating a works based salvation here, so let me be crystal clear, I am not. No man has ever worked his way into salvation. The Bible is very clear on this, because then we could boast. So what is Christ saying?
It goes back to Matthew 7:17 where Christ is saying that every good tree bears good fruit and every bad tree bears bad fruit. What we do for those less fortunate is not to earn anything, it is a reflection of who we have become in Christ. You want to know if you are saved? Consider how you feel about those that are important to God. A future post will be regarding the flaw in how we in America (my world reference is limited, and I cannot speak for other parts of the globe) present the gospel.
Remember, salvation is not claiming a train ticket, it is a life changing belief. It is granting Lordship. It is full submission. It is loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind. Remember, many will call Lord Lord only to be sent away. (Matt 7:21-23). These are people who believe they are Christians, they thought they had bought there ticket, and Jesus reveals to them that it is counterfeit.
If you look at your life, and if your body, mind, and soul are not transformed into looking more like Christ every day, then you need to check your relationship. You need to fall on your knees and repent. Christianity is not about tickets, it is about transformation.
Therefore, if you have been transformed, you will meet the needs of those less fortunate. If you are like me, one of the struggles in America is coming in contact with those who are truly needy. We are so insulated. Most of us make over 200 times what over 50% of the worlds populations makes (according to some stat I heard, but do not remember the source of.) How can we have true/pure religion in America? Where are the less fortunate? I can help, you can donate to me, do you see the google donate button to the right? Just below the dancing elf. Ok, there is no button, because God has truly blessed me, but I do have some answers for you. Oh, btw, there is no elf either in case you are still looking.
In America we have prisons all over the place, get involved with a prison ministry. Sponsor a child overseas. Most of us could sponsor at least 2 for what we spend on our cell phone bills each month. Give to soup kitchens. Start a soup kitchen. I could keep going, but I think you get the idea.
One thing that God has allowed me to be involved with is Feed Your Family Feed The World. Myself and my business partner built this to have a direct impact on orphan children in Africa. We believe that not everyone can afford $30 a month out of their budget. Especially now. However, we also believe that there are few in our country who do not keep food on their family’s table. With that in mind, we built a vehicle where every time you buy something for your own table, a child is guaranteed food, clothing, medical care, and education for a day. In less than a year, God has used his people to guarantee that Ornella is sponsored for more than four years.
Keith (my partner) and I deserve no accolades for this, we are merely conduits and caretakers. This is a testament of what God does when his sheep hear his voice. I not putting this out there to inspire you to buy something, if you do great, if not great. That is between you and God. I put this out to you as an example of what God creates with willing hands. Be willing.
Do you remember the old western movies where inevitably someone puts there ear to a train track so they can know if a train was coming? This is what Christians need to be doing, but not our ear to the track, but our knees to the floor. We need to tap into the source and put ourselves in his hands. We already know what he wants us to do, now it is just a matter of figuring out how.
If you find yourself reading this, and are confused; you have no burden for those hurting in the world, confess it to Christ. Ask him to transform your heart. Jesus is very clear that when we give to the needy, it is the same as giving to him. None of us would deny Christ food, but every day people die of starvation. None of us would deny Christ a drink, but every day people go thirsty.
Imagine if all the so called Christians in the world had their lives transformed by Christ and starting caring for the needy. The world as we know it would never be the same.
In summary, love God, love others as Christ loves them, and care for those in need. If you just do those three things, your life will be radically different. As for me and my house? We will be sheep, not goats.
Teenagers, young adults, are you looking for purpose? Do these three things and you will look no more.
Well Said Kurt!
My pastor gave a sermon highlighting the very same things a while ago. It’s hard for me to find the balance. I would help people (financially) at the risk of my own family’s financial stability – isn’t that what we’re called to do? Right now our church is raising money for a building by “sacrificial giving”. But there’s sacrifice and then there’s foolishness. Where do you draw the line?
Pastor Andy- Thanks
Becky- Personally, I do not see sacrificial giving as part of building a building, I see it as part of meeting needs. The American church is so caught up in building and comfort that they have lost sight of what is truly important. That is not to say buildings never need built.
I don’t think our church has made it a priority over things that are more important. We’ve thought long and hard and prayed even harder about the whole process. We really feel like God is leading us in that direction for a number of reasons.
As for meeting the needs of other people, I could make the same argument about giving until one’s own family is in jeaparody. I feel like we have so much, but constantly fight the convenience of things or the happiness/satisfaction (whatever you’d call it) of my children. I feel like I haven’t done a very good job of teaching them how to give, yet we are constantly giving things to other people (Salvation Army, ect.). I look at our basement and am overwhelmed by the number of toys they have (most of them given to us), yet it’s so hard for me to get rid of any because they do play with them all. I guess it’s my laziness for not wanting to listen to the fallout if I get rid of something (with or without their “permission”) and they decide they want it later.
I feel like there are more issues to consider than just – I have this and you need it so I’ll give it to you. So where is that line?
Sorry if I was unclear. I was trying to illustrate a difference between giving to building and giving to those in need. One is a biblical mandate, the other is important, but less so.
In response to your question as to where to draw the line, I do not think there is one Biblically. God does not have a line. However, there I do believe our country and a good portion of the world have a very distorted view of being needy. In the bible there are three things, food, shelter, and clothing, that we should provide if we have them. Wii’s, restaurants and the like are wants. So if we someone in need of food, shelter, or clothing we should meet that need. (trust me, I am preaching to myself as well)
All that being said, I do not believe we are to subsidize laziness. This makes giving harder because we need to be informed. We need to know the situation and actually be a light and not a checkbook.
I hope that clarifies where I am coming from. Thanks for reading and commenting.