Your Case for Christ

“Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man…I have a greater witness than that of John.” [John 5:33-36]

Christianity is not a religion and should never be regarded as one [except when we fill out forms, of course]. I appeal to you to listen to the rest of it before leaving this site; it is okay to challenge your knowledge every once in a while. We all agree that there is a religion that is an aspect of Christianity, but to define Christianity completely as a religion will be a fallacy.

With very elementary analysis of the subject, we can see that Jesus did not bring a religion called Christianity, since He never called us Christians; we were first called Christians by people who weren’t necessarily believers in a city called Antioch several years ago [Acts 11:26]. On the contrary, Jesus said He brought life [John 10:10] of a different quality – life like God has it. That life is what Christianity is about; it is the reason for every other aspect of our service to God.

I will not be going into other reasons why Christianity is not a religion in this post; you can read James’ definition of religion in James 1:27 and determine for yourself if Christianity fits solely as a religion. I only touched on Christianity not being a religion in order to set the stage for today’s subject. Religions need to be defended, because they are based on philosophy (searching the way), but Christianity, on the other hand, is based on the way [Jesus] not a searching of the way. The finality and absoluteness of Christianity shows us that it does not stand by reason of men’s defense or ‘nondefense’ of it. It stands anyhow!

The purpose of this post is to re-establish the Deity of God in the hearts of believers. “What do you mean by that”, you may ask me? Many times, we Christians are tempted to play the defense attorney for God in very unnecessary places. For example, some of us have found ourselves spending hours convincing an atheist of the existence of a God that does not need any man’s testimony [according to the opening scripture]. Have you ever thought of the fact that, regardless of whether you believe in Him or not, He is [Isaiah 43:10]? Think about it; before we were, He is – not was [John 8:58]. Many of us only talk about God when an argument ensues; after such times of heated discussions, we feel like we have defended Him well. No, God is not pleased by that! Rather, He is pleased by the faith we demonstrate when we talk about Him to people who did not raise an argument or ask us what church we go to [Hebrews 11:6].

I think I should mention that I believe that nobody could believe in God more than an atheist. Atheists believe in God more than they care to admit; they only resist the thought of a Being as sovereign and omnipotent as God is. If they didn’t believe, why would they fight so much against Him? If they truly did not believe in God’s existence, they would not care to waste breath, ink, and paper on Him and those who believe in Him. So, quit talking about God only when there’s an argument. Talk about Him everyday; He is the way, the truth, and the life [John 14:6].

Make your case for Christ when no one asks you to. Live your life as an epistle, ever making a statement about the nature, reality, death, and resurrection of the Christ to mankind [2 Cor. 3:1-4]. Two days ago, I saw a young man express certain gestures towards a friend of his; those gestures [of heartfelt love] would convince any passer-by that the two young men were either in the same fraternity or cult of some kind. And, for a second, I thought “thank God we Christians fit into society so well unlike these folks”. Immediately, the Spirit of God stopped me and said “that’s the problem…you blend in with society”. Immediately, I changed my heart and thought to myself that how else will Christ be made known if we do not stick out [like a thumb] in the same way as those young men.

In this Easter season, realize that Jesus did not make His case for you in hiding; He was humiliated and crucified, not as a martyr but as a sacrifice for you in the open. Make your case for Christ where it counts. Make it before the sick, weary, and hopeless. Declare your faith before the meek and humble; announce Him before friends, foes, and family. Your case for Christ is not primarily an argumentative one; it’s a life you owe the Master!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

P.S: As you comment, please enjoy this song. It’s my favorite Easter song, and it reminds me of the precious blood of Jesus that was the price for my atonement.

The Purpose-Driven Life

“let us run with patience the race that is set before us” [Hebrews 12:1b]

Purpose is an ever so deep and immense subject, especially when we deal with God’s Word. In fact, I believe that it is one of those defining attributes that separate the Christian from the unbeliever. As such, something would be terribly wrong if a Christian did not have a working knowledge of the rudimentary aspects of this subject. Thus, the theme of this week’s blog post!

In the opening scripture and some other supporting passages, Paul made it clear that each one of us has a race that is set before us. There is a God-given purpose for everyone on the earth’s surface which was handpicked by our sovereign Father, God. However, due to culture, media, and other societal influences, some of us have thought certain purposes or career paths to be more prestigious than others. In a sense, we have taken it upon ourselves to find out what we would like to do for God or man, that purpose which will be esteemed by men. More or less, we have written our own source code, blueprint, or master plan for our lives. But, does the potter not have power over the clay? [Romans 9:21]

In 2 Timothy 2:20 – 21, Paul recounts the same story of the potter and the clay that he had mentioned in Romans 9. One thing it took me a long time to understand in those passages is that the idea was not in what the vessels were made of – gold, silver, wood, or earth – it is up to God to determine what he would make us into. Instead, the focus is on the next part of that same 2 Timothy 2 which says “if a man purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor…meet for the master’s use.” I had grown up thinking it would be terrible to be a vessel of wood while some people were vessels of gold. But, I’m sure that thought was not restricted to me alone. Many have thought the same thing without recognizing it. Oh, how much better it’ll be to be a doctor than a teacher, they may think to themselves. On the outside, being a doctor looks more glamorous [depending on where one lives], so we can count it as that vessel of silver or gold. On the other hand, teachers may be looked down upon or regarded as poor where we come from, so automatically they are vessels of wood. But, Paul was trying to stress the fact that, regardless of what material you were made of, as long as you purge yourself, you’ll be fit for the master’s use. Sadly, many people are not concerned about the master’s use or fulfilling His purpose; instead, they would give all to have men’s fleeting praise.

Look at John the Baptist and Jesus, for example. It was, or so it seemed, that Jesus had a more glamorous ministry than John’s. However, it was the perfect will of the Father for both of them to fulfill their ministries the way they did. According to what men could observe, John came fasting and Jesus came eating; yet, it was God’s will for it to be so [Matthew 11:18-20]. In our eyes today, some people may prefer the Jesus-ministry to the John-ministry. You may even think “who wants to eat locust and wild honey?”Happy are you if you have either ministry. Rejoice with great joy, but refrain from criticizing those with the other ministry. Say for example, you have a Jesus-type calling into something seemingly prestigious like becoming President of a nation, refuse to look down on other believers who have been called to clean the nation’s inner cities. They may be fulfilling their calling as well as you.  John was trained by God and filled with the HolyGhost from his mother’s womb only to carry out six months of ministry, after which he was beheaded. And, it pleased the Father [and John] that it should be so.

When time came for John to leave the limelight as the Prophet of the time for Jesus, he did not argue or act in pride, but he said “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” [John 3:30]. There was not much written about John in the Bible, but he fulfilled His purpose so well that he received the Master’s commendation – “among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist” [Matthew 11:11]. I am convinced that if people knew that the commendation of Jesus is more valuable than what any man could give, they’ll work towards His commendation alone. But, many people are too fleshly (ruled by their physical senses of sight, touch, and so on) to relate with a spiritual purpose in God.

Jesus did nothing that God had not planned for Him by prophecy. In fact, He said "Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God" [Hebrews 10:7]. In Gethsemane, he restated His desire to fulfill the will of the Father even against His request to the Father to let ‘the cup’ pass from Him. The Apostle Paul, also, knew that He was sent to preach to the Gentiles [non-Jews]. He was so sure about it that no one could have convinced him otherwise. The Master specifically said concerning Paul “he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles” [Acts 9:15], and Paul himself said “unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” [Ephesians 3:8]. That is why Paul could later say that he did not fight as one that beats the air [or fights aimlessly], but as one that knows his purpose.

With all that has been mentioned, you need to find out your own purpose and run with it without looking back. Talk to God by yourself; the moment you say “yes” to His purpose, He’ll begin to show you glory that you never thought possible. He’ll take care of whatever challenges or setbacks you may think you have. Clean your mind of all your preconceived notions about what purpose is best, and allow Him to fill you with what was written in ‘the volume of the book’ concerning you. Don’t be absorbed in someone else’s calling. When Peter tried to find out Jesus’ purpose for John, the answer was simple – “what is that to thee”? Jesus was telling him that it was not his business. More than ever before, in our generation, we need to run with purpose. If we are to carry out prophecies concerning us that we will cover the earth with the gospel of Christ, everyone must stand in his own position – without breaking ranks. Imagine an army where everyone thinks he or she is the commander. What confusion that would be?

What do you think about this subject? I’ll be expecting your comment. God bless you!