What does it mean to be a Christian?
There were a few verses in Hebrews 12 that stood out to me this morning, even though I've heard them hundreds of times before...
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us through off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
For context (since I hate taking scripture out of context in any capacity), the author in Hebrews 11 has just been talking about living in faith and the faith demonstrated by so many well-known people in the Bible, such as Abraham, Moses, Rahab, etc. His thoughts right before these verses say, "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Therefore..." And that's where we pick up.
But what does this have to do with being a Christian?
We'll get there, but first I also want to direct your attention to James. In James 2, after first talking about why favoritism should be forbidden, he starts talking about faith and deeds. He even includes examples of how you can say to someone in need, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but if you don't actually do anything to help them or their situation, then it's pointless. There's no meaning behind the words if you're not going to support your claim. "In the same way, faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." But then, you know, what if someone says, "You have faith; I have deeds."? James writes,"Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."
So, I thought we were talking about being a Christian. What's all this got to do with it?
Everything actually. But I suppose this would be a good time to remind you that God gave up his only Son to send him to live among humans, to suffer in ways humans suffer, and then to die. To die for You. And, if you believe in Him, you can have eternal life with Him. Christians have accepted this gift and chosen to give their lives to God for His glory, not for their own. Different people have different opinions of how to go about this and what this kind of living looks like, but that's irrelevant (or at least it should be) if you consider how awesome it is that you have the God of creation accepting you and the Son of God giving you the chance to start over with a clean slate and change the course of your life. He gives your life meaning and purpose through Jesus' words and commands, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." So not only does Jesus give Christians a command of telling more people about his awesomeness and welcoming them into his family, but he also promises to be with his followers forever! Dude, we have the God of the universe walking alongside us to help us accomplish a mission he directly gave us himself! The least we could do is obey, especially since he died for us and forgave us because that's how much he loves us. It's unimaginable! Yet here we are.
So, this is what Jesus did and what he tells his followers to do, but how does this relate to everything else you talked about? Seems like ya kinda skipped that part.
Well, this is the most basic groundwork we have, so this is where we start. The verses in Hebrews I noted were about living in faith and devoting our lives wholeheartedly to God while keeping our focus on Jesus, who died for us. Knowing the extent of his love and exactly what he commanded, as well as the promise he gave of always being with us, help us to better understand why the author of Hebrews says we should not only live a life of faith, but dive hardcore into this life. So, the verses in Hebrews 12 I mentioned about running the race with perseverance and fixing our eyes on Jesus are a reminder of how personal this should be. Many of us know what it's like to run a race, even if it was just for that gym class you hated (or loved, to each their own), and we know how appealing giving up can sound. We know what it's like to be so focused on one thing that everything else seems irrelevant, which changes our perspective. The author of Hebrews is reminding us that we should be strong and hold our positions, and not let anything distract us from how great God is and what He wants us to do.
Which then takes me to my next point in James. James reminds Christ-followers that you can't just say you believe in God and call it good. You have to act on your faith in order for your faith to be validated. Not that faith is invalid without action, but more like it's useless. If you believe in God and aren't willing to follow the command Jesus gave of making disciples and loving people (which is one of the greatest commandments mind you, found in Matthew 22), then are you really following Jesus? Are you really being a Christian?
Let me ask you something: Do you want to live the way Jesus says to live?
This isn't asking if you already do or not. This isn't asking if your family does. This is a matter of the heart. If you want to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for you, then you have to decide for yourself if you're willing to accept the craziness of Christianity, because it is crazy. I mean, how many people are so passionate about their faith that they talk to anyone about it, that they want everyone to know how great what they believe in really is. Think about this not just within Christianity, but outside of it. Is anyone living passionately for what they believe in? Sure, but is that passion Jesus? It should be.
Nowadays, at least in American culture, we don't live like this. Christianity has become far too legalistic in my mind. It's more about showing up and going through the motions than it is actually living the kind of lives God calls us to live. So tell me, are you living the Christian life? And if not, do you wanna start?
There were a few verses in Hebrews 12 that stood out to me this morning, even though I've heard them hundreds of times before...
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us through off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
For context (since I hate taking scripture out of context in any capacity), the author in Hebrews 11 has just been talking about living in faith and the faith demonstrated by so many well-known people in the Bible, such as Abraham, Moses, Rahab, etc. His thoughts right before these verses say, "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Therefore..." And that's where we pick up.
But what does this have to do with being a Christian?
We'll get there, but first I also want to direct your attention to James. In James 2, after first talking about why favoritism should be forbidden, he starts talking about faith and deeds. He even includes examples of how you can say to someone in need, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but if you don't actually do anything to help them or their situation, then it's pointless. There's no meaning behind the words if you're not going to support your claim. "In the same way, faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." But then, you know, what if someone says, "You have faith; I have deeds."? James writes,"Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."
So, I thought we were talking about being a Christian. What's all this got to do with it?
Everything actually. But I suppose this would be a good time to remind you that God gave up his only Son to send him to live among humans, to suffer in ways humans suffer, and then to die. To die for You. And, if you believe in Him, you can have eternal life with Him. Christians have accepted this gift and chosen to give their lives to God for His glory, not for their own. Different people have different opinions of how to go about this and what this kind of living looks like, but that's irrelevant (or at least it should be) if you consider how awesome it is that you have the God of creation accepting you and the Son of God giving you the chance to start over with a clean slate and change the course of your life. He gives your life meaning and purpose through Jesus' words and commands, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." So not only does Jesus give Christians a command of telling more people about his awesomeness and welcoming them into his family, but he also promises to be with his followers forever! Dude, we have the God of the universe walking alongside us to help us accomplish a mission he directly gave us himself! The least we could do is obey, especially since he died for us and forgave us because that's how much he loves us. It's unimaginable! Yet here we are.
So, this is what Jesus did and what he tells his followers to do, but how does this relate to everything else you talked about? Seems like ya kinda skipped that part.
Well, this is the most basic groundwork we have, so this is where we start. The verses in Hebrews I noted were about living in faith and devoting our lives wholeheartedly to God while keeping our focus on Jesus, who died for us. Knowing the extent of his love and exactly what he commanded, as well as the promise he gave of always being with us, help us to better understand why the author of Hebrews says we should not only live a life of faith, but dive hardcore into this life. So, the verses in Hebrews 12 I mentioned about running the race with perseverance and fixing our eyes on Jesus are a reminder of how personal this should be. Many of us know what it's like to run a race, even if it was just for that gym class you hated (or loved, to each their own), and we know how appealing giving up can sound. We know what it's like to be so focused on one thing that everything else seems irrelevant, which changes our perspective. The author of Hebrews is reminding us that we should be strong and hold our positions, and not let anything distract us from how great God is and what He wants us to do.
Which then takes me to my next point in James. James reminds Christ-followers that you can't just say you believe in God and call it good. You have to act on your faith in order for your faith to be validated. Not that faith is invalid without action, but more like it's useless. If you believe in God and aren't willing to follow the command Jesus gave of making disciples and loving people (which is one of the greatest commandments mind you, found in Matthew 22), then are you really following Jesus? Are you really being a Christian?
Let me ask you something: Do you want to live the way Jesus says to live?
This isn't asking if you already do or not. This isn't asking if your family does. This is a matter of the heart. If you want to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for you, then you have to decide for yourself if you're willing to accept the craziness of Christianity, because it is crazy. I mean, how many people are so passionate about their faith that they talk to anyone about it, that they want everyone to know how great what they believe in really is. Think about this not just within Christianity, but outside of it. Is anyone living passionately for what they believe in? Sure, but is that passion Jesus? It should be.
Nowadays, at least in American culture, we don't live like this. Christianity has become far too legalistic in my mind. It's more about showing up and going through the motions than it is actually living the kind of lives God calls us to live. So tell me, are you living the Christian life? And if not, do you wanna start?
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