What it Means to Be a Christian.

The sinner's prayer, we hear it all the time at the end of Church services and often are encouraged to say it with those who are praying it for real. But, what happen's after the prayer? There is nothing magical about that prayer. You aren't a Christian just for repeating it. So what need's to happen in order to really be transformed by God and actually be a Christian (Christ follower). Although it is preached more often than anything else, being a Christian is not just about love, grace, forgiveness, and prosperity. Yes, God does offer that to us, but not because we said a simple sinner's prayer. That prayer is only saying to God "I want you to come into my life, change my heart, and make me a new person in you. I want to love you, worship you, and know you." In order to do that it take much sacrifice, hard work, determination, and sometimes hardship! I will not stand here and tell you that being a Christian is easy, it is very hard! But it is the most rewarding and worth the time and effort things you will ever come to know.

1. You must turn from sin (darkness) and run to God (light). Your sins cannot be forgiven until you do so, but once you do, your sins will be forgotten forever. (Acts 26:18 "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." and 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" ) You cannot be transformed into a new being through Christ if you hold onto your old self. How can an alcoholic ever overcome his disease if he never put's the bottle down?( Proverbs 3:7-8 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones."
2. In order to truely become a Christian you must give the reigns over to God. Forget about your plans, because more than likely he will change them. You must come to know that God know's best. He knows the desires of our heart and it is his wish to grant us those desires (Psalm 37:4 "Take delight in the Lord,and he will give you your heart’s desires.") What I mean by this is don't have your life all planned out to the point where you get bend out of shape when something runs off schedual or God forbid if something doesn't happen all together. You should still have an idea of where you are headed, but acknowledge God and he will help you (Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him And He will make your paths straight.") This really is the hardest thing to do, because this requires you putting God first in your life, but there is absolutely nothing more rewarding and fulfilling.
3. Obey God and abstain from sin. ( Exodus 20:1-17  ¹ Then God gave the people all these instructions ² “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. ³ “You must not have any other god but me.⁴ “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. ⁵ You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. ⁶ But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.⁷ “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.⁸ “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ You have six days each week for your ordinary work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.¹² “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.¹³ “You must not murder.¹⁴ “You must not commit adultery.¹⁵ “You must not steal.¹⁶ “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.¹⁷ “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”) The 10 Commandments, also found in Deuteronomy 5, are the Laws of God and it is written on our hearts wether we learn that these thing are wrong or not. Everyone feels guilty when they do something wrong, that is why. Another thing that I would call the 11th Commandment would be giving all your first's to God. The first part of any earnings (10%) to the Church (not so they can use it an abbuse it, it is God's design that it goes to the Church because from there he will multiply it and it will come back to serve you and other in need, just be sure you are really going to a capital C Church (see previous post to know what a capital C Church is like)), the first part of your day, your first child, your first anything. Why? Think of it as a savings account. Your money starts to build and once you reach a certain amount you can go blow it on something that you really wanted, a nice vacation, etc. God takes that 10%, multiplies it, uses it in ways that you cannot even imagen, and then rewards you for it. But, do not give for the reward. Give out of the goodness of your heart and the knowlege of what is right. (Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.¹⁰ Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.")

Now, a little side note on talking to God for new believers and old ones who have never really gotten it. I was raised in Church, but was never a real Christian untill 13 years of age. It was then that I developed a real relationship with God (see a previous blog) but I won't go into that. I just wanted to encourage who ever is reading this that you are not the only one who think's talking to God is a little awkward, because it is. Haha! It takes awhile gettting use to it, but you will feel so close to God. What I had to do was literally talk to God. It is easy to talk to him in your head and listen for him in that way too, but in my junior year of high school I decided to step out of my comfort zone, and get closer to God. I made the time I spent driving to school (20minutes) my time with God. I started literally talking out loud to him. I, like a lot of people I'm sure, didn't know what to say sometimes, so I would just look around and the surroundings and thank him for the flowers and comment on how cool things were. Haha! I just became my self with God, I was real with him. Don't get me wrong, there were times where I even said to him "people going by probibly thing I'm crazy talking with no one in my car and laughing." That was the closest I ever felt to God, and the most meaningful 20 minutes of my life that I could ever spend doing anything. I laughed so much with God those mornings, sometimes at myself, and I broke a communication barrier. Everyone knows, or should know, that all relationships will struggle, if not fail, if there is lack of communication. It is the leading cause to arguments and misunderstandings, and it is just as vital to your relationship with God as it is to your family, friends, and significant other.

This blog is not a crash course on how to be a Christian. I wrote this for new believers and ones who have been on the ride for awhile because this is what a Christian should look like. Real Christians do not live in prideful sin (being proud or ok with your sin), because they are so consirned with how God thinks of them, living in heaven, and setting an example for fellow believers. It's not about who's the best or worst Christian, it's about living a life that put's God first, a life worth living, a life so full, and a life worth talking about and being remembered once you pass. I don't think that I'm the only one who has ever wondered, "What if we are all fooled, what if I die and there is just nothing." Well, honestly, God has proven himself to me way too many times for me to ever not believe in him. And even if he hadn't, I wouldn't change a thing. I am a better person, people look up to me because I am on the right track, and I have never felt so much joy, love, fulfillment, and purpose as I do being a Christian. I have fallen off track before and I didn't like who I was, at all.

The Importance of Church

I was once one of those who said "I dont need Church to be a christian." That statement is somewhat true, but Church is such a huge part of being a christian. I don't think I'm the only person who has ever gotten fed up with "Church." The show, gossip, hurt, politics, and manipulation that goes on in many Churches is horrible and wrong. I called these places churches with a lower case C because they are not what a church should be. A Church is a place where you can come as you are. A place that welcomes all people, no matter if they come in drunk, high, sick, or plain crazy. It is a place where Christians can come and encourage one another, reach out to other together, and worship God. A Church goes beyond for walls, a stage, big lights, good sermons, great worship leaders, programs, and Sunday mornings. Church last through every day out of every week. A real Church is a family, always in contact, always encouraging, always hanging out, always challenging one another, and always reaching out to the lost. It is a place that should feel fulfilling, exciting, challenging, and bring immense joy. Not stress, grief, regret, and anger. And when you find a real Church, all the other things fall into place. Like tithing, serving, and reaching out to the lost. It just comes naturally and it's no longer a struggle to do. I am so proud to say that I am finally apart of a Church. A Church that began out of the faith from one man that started in a garage to having multiple campus' across America and an online site that ministers to every nation (with internet access). A Church that is not a mega church, or that has ever done one fund raiser to accomplish all it has. It is a Church of rock solid leadership and commitment to one goal - to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. They truly do that even to the extent of allowing free sermons, bibles, and all ministry resources to be downloaded, watches, and shared. This, is a real Church and it only gets better and better. This Church, is Life Church (www.lifechurch.tv) and it is incredible and what I believe is 100% what God intended Church to be.

What's the Big Deal About Jesus?

Have you ever noticed how much Jesus is talked about by Christians? Yet very few know how revolutionary Jesus really was. It goes beyond being the son of God conceived through the Holy Spirit to a virgin. Or being the first leader to befriend the sinners and low lives of the time. Jesus was born in approx. 3 B.C ( http://www.pointsoftruth.com/articles/jesusbirth.html) and during that time, the schooling was very different than how it is now. Back then, everything was religious. Children were required to memorize the entire Pentateuch which is the first 5 books of the Bible. School was conducted by the priest and if a child memorized well and pleased the priest they could move forward in their education, but most were turned back over to their families to learn whatever their family trade was. The exceptions tho, could move on to the second level, and if they still pleased the priest, onto the third. The point of this is to achieve the job of being the priest's disciple, and when a priest saw the potential and knew a child could do what he does he would ask them to follow him (http://nooma.com/nooma-dust-008-rob-bell.php). Two words, but the two most wanted and unheard words of that time. To be a disciple of a priest, I would imagine, to be the equivalent to being a celebrity's best friend. That is probably one of the reasons why the priests did not like Jesus, and why he was so revolutionary. Because he assumed the stature of a priest, without going to school and become a disciple. That would be like someone who is a CEO being demoted so that average joe on the street with no college degree, and even possibly no high school degree, take your spot.
That is also why the men that he called to be his disciples dropped what they were doing, and followed him. He used the words of the priests, and they knew what they meant (an example of this- Mark 2:14). Powerful words. Enough to make young men stop right in their tracts, leave what they were doing that very moment, and follow someone they did not even know. Do you know how hard it is to get anyone to do that? Most of us are constantly multi tasking, and we finish what we are doing before we really listen to what someone is saying to us or before moving right along to the next thing. At the moment, the only thing I can think of that causes people to stop in their tracts is disaster. We see it all the time, you'll be driving on the highway and then all of a sudden traffic is backed up and you think you might be stuck for hours until you get a little closer and realize that there was an accident, and then almost immediately after that accident it's basically open road. But everyone has to stop and look for a few seconds before moving along. Another point I would like to add is that these men obviously weren't the best of the best in school! They were working in their family trade! It's not like Jesus didn't know who the best of the best was, but he didn't want the best kids who knew scripture. He wanted ordinary men, who were all different, and completed a purpose. I think that part of his choice of men is to show us how he see's us, with so much potential for greatness. One of his disciples, Levi (Matthew), was a tax collector. Tax collectors were considered thieves, and very well hated by the society in which they lived. Another was his very own betrayer! He choose Judas even though he knew that he would betray them. Some were just fishermen, but non the less Jesus choose them all one by one. Each with their sin, lack of faith, values, and belief. But he didn't look at that, he saw who he knew they could become and who they would be later on. He continuously forgave and did what no other man did before him, that is why he changed so many lives and people flocked by the thousands to see him. I will end this blog with a quote from my pastor.


"To reach people no one is reaching, we'll have to do things no one is doing." - Craig Groeschel