Real Christianity
Have you
ever taken a look at the Christian world today in comparison with Christianity
in the book of Acts and the Epistles? Paul stated to Timothy the following: “In
fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (2 Timothy 3:12). I see no ‘maybe’ or ‘possibly’, but only a
definite ‘will’. The apostles and other godly men of the Bible ... “through
faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised;
who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the
edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became
powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead,
raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that
they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while
still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed
in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and
goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- the world was not worthy of
them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the
ground,” (Hebrews 11:33-38).
This
is the guaranteed consequence of living a godly
life – an obedient life by faith. Of how many of today’s Christians can
this be said? Do most of us not keep ourselves busy with comfortable living,
entertainment, business, sports and fitness – in essence self gratification?
How much of what we do are aimed at building the Kingdom of God? What
percentage of our time and money are devoted to the command in Matthew 28:18-20:
“And Jesus came and
spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I
have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age,’” and
to Mark 16:15-18: “And
He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be
saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will
follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak
with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and
if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay
hands on the sick, and they will recover.’”
How
many pastors and church leaders prepare their entire flock to reach out and
make a change to the world? Are most Christians and their leaders not basking
in the sun of comfort and self-indulgence whilst a handful of faithful ones
desperately try and bring the world to Jesus?
What
do you think? Could this be considered a sign of self-centredness, of
satisfying the flesh - prostitutes keeping the soldiers’ minds occupied with
carnal desires so they are not able to see the true plans the Holy Spirit has for
their lives? Meanwhile the Holy Spirit keeps calling over the two-way radio...
(See earlier messages)
Have
you ever imagined the power of God’s Kingdom here on earth if all of His
children minimized on personal and carnal needs and maximized on the
development and application of their Holy Spirit given (1 Corinthians 12) and
motivational (Romans 12:6-8) gifts? Have you noticed that none of these gifts
is meant for personal satisfaction or enrichment?
Maybe
we should sit still for a moment and picture a force of thousands of imitators
of Jesus, Peter, John, Paul, Timothy, and so on - no-one owning much
materially, but all accomplishing the same as is recorded in the Bible? (To be continued)
No comments:
Post a Comment