Sunday, October 28, 2007

Being A Good Christian

Judging and being a good Christian have come up in the blogosphere a lot lately. I have tried to write a post about this topic as it concerns me a good deal. First off, the biggest stumbling block for a Christian is usually another Christian. That said, I am going to use me as an example for this post.

When you think of me being a Christian, you get what you see. I am a great Christian! Or am I? The Bible is the handbook for my life. I try and live the way the Lord has set up for me.

So as I run to my local grocery I instantly can pick out people living the worldly life. In church I can really see by ones life style that they are out of fellowship with the Lord. I mean, for goodness sake, he is drinking alcohol. So and so saw him just last weekend. Or he does not put any money in the tithing plate, or he swears.

Maybe I see them on Saturdays visiting with an ungodly friend. Whatever I see, I am totally just trying to live so I am living the way the Lord wants me to. Remember He wants me to be separate.(2 Cor. 6:17)

But how can I be separate and live the life the Lord wants. Remember the Great Commission?(Matthew 28:19-20) That is right, we need to read the Word and discern what He wants us to do. Now how can one go and witness and be separate? Well very easy. First not by thinking that we are super-de-duper special because we have been saved. No, we should be rushing out to witness so other people(who we were before the blood of Jesus). We should be racing to and fro, shouting the Good News.

Now back to me. What about these scriptures? Ecclesiastes 7:18, Galatians 5:23, Titus 2:12, Proverbs 23:20-21, 28:7, 23:7, Proverbs 6:16-19. These scriptures all teach me that gluttony is wrong, against God's Word, and leads me out of Fellowship...doesn't it???

I mean if I allow myself to get haughty, and cast another Christian out purely so they can learn from their sins, repent, and turn from it, then don't I deserve the same????

When we cast another out, we best first see how we are in our walk. Now I am being fairly general, but this is more of a broad statement. I know a blogger who's dear son has been long out of the fellowship of the Lord, but she never cast him out. No she prayed and prayed and then she prayed some more. Guess what? That sinner son of hers, felt the Lord on his heart and the Lord answered my blogger friend's prayer.

Now do I willingly socialize with evil people? Of course, I live in a fallen world. Each and every one of us is so filthy, so vile in our thoughts, that the Lord could only offer to cover us. We are so evil. Praise God for that. Now, do I hang out at bars? Nope..I am a housewife...not in my schedule. But I have stood and talked to a woman outside a store and she was loaded with tattoos, and she swore in her speech, but how can she ever see the Light, if one of us does not shine it on her?

What about in church? Do we all step on the scale prior to service? Are we assessed of our gluttony for the week? Do we have to give a tally of the amount of coffee, tea, and sweets that we have eaten for the week? Nope, so before one of you decides to join in *lovingly* to teach another Christian a hard lesson to turn away from their sin, you need to turn from the cupboards.

Just my thoughts...I pray that we all research what church we fit into(by our own actions) in the book of Revelation, because the works we are performing here mean nothing. Not a plug nickel. So if we are being all rigid and adhering to the Word, you have forgotten one thing, the Lord placed himself amongst the sinners. Peter repeated looked away. Pharisees are the current perfect clique in the church...and make no mistake about it, as Christ's tells us in Matthew 7:21-23...I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Christ performed all the work because we are such miserable wretches. Please do not become a legalist, pharisee, as you may cause another to turn away from the glimmer of Light. No one ever wants to be the root of another not hearing the truth.

4 comments:

... said...

"but how can she ever see the Light, if one of us does not shine it on her?"

i think this sums it up nicely. instead of using our time to judge, we should be using it to shine the light of God's love.

i love the saying... "we might be the only Bible some people read."

Pen of Jen said...

Oh I like the saying!
Thanks Diana!

MightyMom said...

well, I'm 6 of 8 weeks down in Romans. And basically, this is what it says. We are saved through the grace of Jesus Christ. Not by anything we've done or haven't done. Live by the Law and you will be judged by the Law...Live according to grace and you will be judged according to Grace....hmmmmm......

Pen of Jen said...

Yep That is what Bill said to me too!