- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 18,404
I don't want to be a Christian! (1)
'I have been crucified with Christ' GALATIANS 2:20
When you became a Christian, did you really look at the label and read the small print? Did you think through what you were buying into? Our churches and youth groups are full of 'Christians', but how many of them can really be called 'followers of Christ'? It's all too easy to miss-sell Christianity as a free ticket to heaven and cushy life with ready-made mates. But this is not what it means to be a true follower of Jesus.
Paul writes: 'I am crucified with Christ.' To our selfish lives those words are about as appealing as having a tooth out; yet that's exactly what we're supposed to be as Christians! In theory we should have laid down our own lives, given up our plans, our relationships, our gifts, our possessions; put them before Jesus and said 'You have them, I'll do whatever You want me to do'. But how many of us have really done this?
We can all probably remember the odd moment in an incredible time of worship and intimacy with Jesus when we gently whispered 'You can have it all'. But the sad truth is most of us walk out of that place and within 24 hours we've picked everything back up again for ourselves and carried on as normal. Think today, do I want to be a Christian; or a follower of Jesus?
written by Bob Gass
'I have been crucified with Christ' GALATIANS 2:20
When you became a Christian, did you really look at the label and read the small print? Did you think through what you were buying into? Our churches and youth groups are full of 'Christians', but how many of them can really be called 'followers of Christ'? It's all too easy to miss-sell Christianity as a free ticket to heaven and cushy life with ready-made mates. But this is not what it means to be a true follower of Jesus.
Paul writes: 'I am crucified with Christ.' To our selfish lives those words are about as appealing as having a tooth out; yet that's exactly what we're supposed to be as Christians! In theory we should have laid down our own lives, given up our plans, our relationships, our gifts, our possessions; put them before Jesus and said 'You have them, I'll do whatever You want me to do'. But how many of us have really done this?
We can all probably remember the odd moment in an incredible time of worship and intimacy with Jesus when we gently whispered 'You can have it all'. But the sad truth is most of us walk out of that place and within 24 hours we've picked everything back up again for ourselves and carried on as normal. Think today, do I want to be a Christian; or a follower of Jesus?
written by Bob Gass
