would you die for christianity ?

[jculver]

...

And then I wake up and have a cup of coffee.

In reality I deny Jesus every day by the way I treat others, my attitudes and my unwillingness to speak up for him when I know I could.

I frequently stumble over much lesser hurdles than a firing squad.

Indeed we all stumble over much less. Very good reply here I would say, very realistic. Your dream is pretty interesting lol

I think we could all "speak up" more often and I really grill myself over that sometimes too. In the free world right now, where we have freedom of religion, our real enemy is our ego, not people who want to murder us for our faith. Our ego gets in the way of us ministering and a number of other things. We don't have to fear death, but we fear embarresment and alienation.

I said it would be easier to die for Christ than continue living for him because in a way, dying is the easy way out of here. So that is pretty easy for me to say, but my motives might not be 100% right. I haven't been a Christian long and I already feel weary from trying to serve. The entry fee into the body of Christ is free, but the monthly cost is everything you have I know I should be enjoying my service, but I just don't have enough faith yet to always have that amazing joy. So maybe it isn't right for me to just welcome death as a way out of further service, but I guess if God puts you in that situation 1. He knows you are ready to say "yes", and 2. It's your time to go. For me it's pretty cheap if I just died for Christ, I have no children, I know my family would get by without me and etc. The real deal is a mother or father who would die for Christ with enough faith that God would take care of their children and spouse.

As Christians we can't really even "live" this life, because we are living for the next. In our next bodies we will not even be able to sin which will be the ultimate freedom to live. This life is difficult because righteousness becomes our master but we are still under some bondage to our old fleshy ways. True freedom from temptation is in the next life. We can live happily knowing that we can no longer commit sins that move us away from our Father. That will be real freedom.

 

[billyeah]

Interesting though. Is it harder to Live for Christ, or to Die for Him?

 

[Dreamer]

Jesus doesn't ask us directly in the bible to die physically for Him---although there is that possibility that the time could come when we could die for Him. He does ask that we "die to self and our sin" so that we can walk with Him, but that is not physical death, either.

Jesus DOES ask us to live for Him. So that's what I'm going to concentrate on, living for Him. If the time comes that I need to die for Him, I will ask for strength at that time. In the mean time, I will study His Word and follow Him.

I think He mainly wants us to love one another. It's by love that others are brought to Christ. The Good News of Jesus Christ, of what He has done and is doing today, cannot be muted by any other occurence.

Jesus died, and Jesus lives! Tell the Good News! And live. Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough worries on it's own.

This is the verse that I wanted to say before and couldn't find it. Chad just posted it in the shoutbox! Mark 13:11--NIV--Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

 

[Faithful Son]

God bless your heart auntie Dreamer, Amen!