Christian Living - What it Means

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Living the Life

Sometimes it's easy to simply float along and live life.  Get up, go to work, come home, surf the web, watch a movie, eat dinner, go to bed, get up, go to work . . . it can be an endless cycle of calculated, purposeless life.

Calculated?  Typically.  We all have reasons why we do what we do.  We have our reasons for getting up, for exercising, for going to bed at a certain time, for marrying who we do, for having kids . . . we calculate the benefits and risks, then we make decisions.  

Purposeless?  Often.  "Oh, I have a purpose," you say.  Then what is it?  If you think honestly about it, and you're like me, you'll realize your purpose is often to please yourself.  We go to work to make money . . . for ourselves.  We make money to buy things . . . for ourselves.  We get educated . . . to further our careers . . . so we can have better lives.  We buy things, we play with out toys, and we think our lives are important.

But if you're living for yourself, then guess what?  Your life lacks purpose.

A life with purpose produces fruit for the kingdom of God.  A life without it, well . . . doesn't.  Living a Christian life doesn't mean you have to follow a set of rules; it means you walk with the Spirit of God; it means you strive to know Jesus Christ and do His will; it means you live your life for God, not for yourself.  Everything you do, everything you think, everything you are . . . should be for Him.  He gave His life for us.  It's our reasonable service to give our lives to Him. 

Featured Article 

Overcoming Sin

Thanks for going to Scripture to find your answers. One of the Spirit's close associates is the Word of God, as the Word is His sword (Ephesians 6:17).

I think it is critical to spiritual maturity that we keep our minds focused on Jesus (Colossians 3:1-3; Hebrews 12:2). Don't think about the devil or sin, or any such thing. As Paul exhorts us in Philippians 4:6, we want our minds to think about things that are lovely and pure. Since the battle is won or lost in the mind, it is important to engage the battle in the mind to reform life. And, the enemy in the mind is . . .

Overcoming Sin


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Do You Know Him? 

Knowing God is not rocket science . . .

Many people claim the title "Christian." Yet many of the same people ignore what Jesus tells us in the Bible. The Bible teaches about true Christianity; about becoming a disciple of Jesus.

First, we must believe. Read these verses. The Bible plainly sets forth belief in Jesus as the requirement for eternal life.

Within the context of Scripture, we understand that belief requires action. We believe, we give up sin, and we seek to love God with our entire being.

read the entire article . . .

The Key to Knowing God 

What is the key to living a successful Christian life?

Sometimes I sit and wonder. I wonder why I sin so often. I wonder why my resolve fades so quickly. I question why God seems so far away. Why do I get angry? Why do I argue? Why don't I love people? The list goes on. We call ourselves Christians (if you aren't a Christian, then check out my testimony) and yet we seem, to ourselves and perhaps to others, so unspiritual.

Imagine you've just been hired for a new job. Your boss gives you instructions on how to succeed, then says, "But the most important thing is that you're on time. You can mess up in other areas, but for you and I to have a successful relationship, you've got to be on time." Would you show up on time? I would. Now, if God gave us such an all- emcompassing, all-important instruction that ensured a solid relationship with Him, wouldn't we do it? In fact, God gives us just that.

read the entire article . . .

What is Christianity all About? 

A successful Christian life revolves around one thing . . . knowing Jesus.

Ultimately, Christianity is about knowing Jesus. Both the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter make this most clear. The Apostle Paul states in Philippians 3:8-10 that he counts everything else to be rubbish that he may know Him. The Apostle Peter states that we have all things that pertain to life through the knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3). And, of course, John makes this the theme of His first epistle, as demonstrated by his opening lines. And Jesus Himself said that eternal life is simply knowing the Father and His Son, Jesus (John 17:3). There is a lot of great wisdom in Scripture and a great many "principles" for daily living. But it is all just so much vanity and chasing of the wind unless we live in the knowledge of Him, every day. Ultimately, His people are those who have chosen to love Him with all of their energies.

read the entire article . . .

How Can I Know I'm Saved? 

You can know that you have eternal life . . .

The apostle John wrote a little book in answer to your question, that we call 1 John in our Bible. John tells us that he wrote this book so that we may know that we have eternal life (1 John 5:13).

Jesus told us that if we place our trust in Him, we will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:14-16). The Apostle Paul tells us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved (Romans 10:9-13).

read the entire article . . .

Tithing - Does Scripture Mandate It? 

The New Testament is strangely silent on the tithe . . .

The tithe first appears in Genesis 14:20 where Abram gave to Melchizedek of tithe of all. This passage tells us nothing else about whether this was what God expected or what we should emulate. In Genesis 28:22, Jacob made a promise to God to give a tithe if God brought him back to the land. The tithe appears again in the law where God gave to the Levites the tithes of the Israelites and gave to the priests the tithe of the Levites (Numbers 18:21-26). God also commanded a tithe for the support of celebration (Deuteronomy 14:23-29).

In Malachi 3:8, the passage most often quoted on the subject, God tells the Israelites that they have robbed Him in their tithes and offerings. In the New Testament, the tithe is not commanded, unless the reference in Matthew 23:23 & Luke 11:42 is seen as an indirect command.

Though the New Testament teaches much on giving, it is strangely silent concerning the tithe. Thus, passages such as Romans 12:13, 20; 1 Corinthians 13:3; 16:2; 2 Corinthians 8 & 9; Galatians 6:6, 10; Ephesians 4:28; Philippians 4:14-19; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 6:17-19; Titus 3:1, 8; Hebrews 13:16; James 2:14-16; I John 3:17-18 give us a great deal of instruction on giving, yet without ever mentioning the tithe.

I ask the reason why?

read the entire article . . .

Is Drinking Alcohol a Sin? 

Living the Christian life isn't about following a set of rules . . .

There are some clear prohibitions on drunkenness:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit ...
Ephesians 5:18

And there are clear instructions to avoid causing others to stumble:

Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
I Corinthians 8:13

It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
Romans 14:21

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
Romans 14:13

Drinking to excess typically caused problems for characters in the Bible.

read the entire article . . .

Does the Bible Talk about Drugs? 

Where in the Bible does it say doing drugs is a sin?

You will not find the word "drugs" in most English versions of the Bible. However, the New Testament portion of the Bible was originally written in Greek. The Greek word "pharmakia" from which we get our words "pharmacy" and "pharmaceutical" is found in Galatians 5:20 where it is translated into English as "sorcery" but has an underlying meaning of "drugs." It is one of the results of living a life apart from the Spirit of God. The Greek word is also found in Revelation 9:21 where it is listed with murders and sexual immorality as being something from which people have not repented. The same Greek word appears in Revelation 18:23 where it is linked to wicked Babylon and to deception.

For Christians, there are two additional reasons why drugs that are not medicinal are a bad idea.

read the entire article . . .

Can Lust be Beaten? 

It is possible to control oneself (really) . . .

First, there is a difference between lust and natural desire. I believe that all (or nearly all) humans have a natural desire for sexual intimacy. I believe that God created us with such desire. However, God created us with a will that is stronger than the desire and with a design that the will keep a reign on that desire. Thus, one of the fruit of the Spirit is "self-control." We are told not to yield our members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but to yield ourselves unto God and our members as instruments of righteousness. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, Paul urges us to abstain from sexual immorality and to possess our vessels in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God. Paul speaks in Romans 1 of those who turn that natural desire into an unnatural desire.

Thus, the desire for sexual intimacy is not sin, at least as I understand Scripture. I think that many in the church in the past have greatly erred on this matter, seeking to become monks to drive away the desire, only to find that the desire remained. The ascetics went out into the desert to flee from the desire, only to find that the desire came with them.

read the entire article . . .

Your Feedback 

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Lensmaster

gods_grace_notes wrote...

Eric,
I can see the love of Christ shining in your eyes... and eloquently spoken prose.

You address many important issues with candor and grace. May you be equeally blessed in return,
Connie
: )

ReplyPosted October 08, 2008

Lensmaster

CJPate wrote...

Straight to the point, yet speaking the truth in love. Keep working for the Kingdom!

ReplyPosted September 30, 2007