Set Religion Aside

I think that we all need to go back to the drawing board. I believe it is very important that we look at the origin of the name CHRISTIAN so that we can be worthy bearers of that name.

Christians got their name from their association with the Lord Jesus Christ (see Acts 11: 19-26). The people must have seen things in the lives of these disciples that made it evident that they were "little christs". The Bible  makes us understand that we are gods; sons of the Most High. A Christian is no longer a slave but a child of God. If then we are sons (and daughters),  our character traits must support that claim. Our spiritual DNA determines our physical characteristics. Now that we have been joined with Christ, we are new creatures. We no longer want to sin but seek to please our Father and Master. Jesus Christ went about doing good and so did the disciples.

The believers in Antioch got a very large dose of God's Words that they got saturated with The Lord and there was no two-way about it- Christ was oozing out from their systems so much so that the world saw what was coming from them. And it was nothing other than Christ.

A Christian is a spiritual person (here I am talking about the real Christian and not someone who has chosen Christianity as his/her religion). This is why it is not possible to live like Christ in the flesh. No matter how hard you try to be like Him in the flesh, you will be labouring in vain. It is not by works of righteousness but by His grace alone. This implies that any attempt to do anything outside the help of the Holy Spirit makes you simply a religious person. You will not even understand what the Spirit is saying. Thus the reason many people are doggedly following the way of the flesh. The Word keeps going forth from various channels but yields no positive results.  They do not understand the rationale behind God’s instructions to us hence the difficulty to act it out. The Spirit gives life to your spirit and makes it possible to live like the Lord Jesus thus qualifying you to be called by the name CHRISTIAN.

Check this out:
For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. (Romans 2:28-29 NLT)

Enough of playing religion friends. That is not what we have been called for. Christianiy is not something you inherit from your parents. It is the product of a personal encounter with the Lord.

We must allow the Holy Spirit work on our hearts and cause the fusion between us and Christ Jesus. When this happens, we graduate from the place of religion to the place of true worship. We were made for the worship of the Almighty. We can however only worship Him in spirit and truth which further reiterates the fact that it is truly not by power or might but by the Spirit of the Lord. When we worship Him, He continues to rub off on us; making us more like Him.

At this point, we shift towards perfection. This transformation turns us into doers of His Words and not hearers alone.

Now, that’s a Christian.

A Christian obeys God’s instructions to him/her. This instructions are clearly stated in the Bible. He/she does not seek to make the words in the Bible suit his/her desires. Instead he/she seeks to have his/her life conform to the template of God's Words.

 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)

Rely on the Holy Spirit to help you to become transformed into the person God wants you to be. A Christian that He is proud of. Someone Jesus is pleased to have you share His name.

Selah

~ OMOSEBI Mary Omolola
© 2015