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Written by Jay Yeager |
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Wednesday, 11 February 2009 21:21 |
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A Christian (By Jay Yeager) What does it mean to be a Christian? - It means loving God above all others (Mark 12:40).
- It means seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
- It means setting your affection on those things which are above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2).
- It means submitting yourself to God (James 4:7).
- It means to preparing yourself to serve (Ephesians 6:14-18).
- It means to love:
- Your enemies (Matthew 5:44).
- Your neighbor (Matthew 19:19).
- Your mate (Ephesians 5:25; Titus 2:4).
- The brotherhood (I Peter 2:17).
- The truth (I John 3:18).
- It means to hate every false way (Psalms 119:104).
- It means being a soldier (II Timothy 2:3) set for the defense of the gospel (Philippians 1:17) against:
- The devil (Ephesians 6:11).
- Perverters of the gospel (Galatians 1:8-9).
- False teachers (II Peter 2:1-3).
- Those who cause division (Romans 6:17).
- Even if it means standing all alone (I Kings 18:18-22), even if it cost you your life (Acts 21:13).
- It means to be willing to forgive those that trespass against you (Matthew 6:14-15), no matter how often that occurs, if repented of (Luke 17:3-4).
- It means having the privilege of partaking of the Lord’s Supper, showing forth his death to a lost and dying world (I Corinthians 11:23-29).
- It means cheerfully giving according to prosperity (II Corinthians 9:6-9; I Corinthians 16:1-2).
- It means giving to brothers and sisters who have need (James 2:15-16).
- It means clothing yourself with humility (I Peter 5:6).
- It means looking beyond the outward appearance (II Corinthians 10:7; James 2:3-4).
- It means using the talents God has given you to further the kingdom (Matthew 25:14-30), without looking down upon those with lesser ability (I Corinthians 12:14-26).
- It means loving the worship of God (Psalms 122:1), and never deliberately forsaking it (Hebrews 10:25).
- It means refusing to engage in any act of worship that God has not authorized (John 4:23-24).
- It means a willingness to be hated by the world (John 17:14), and perhaps even your own family (Luke 12:51-53).
- It means trusting in Christ for the strength to endure it (Philippians 4:13).
- It means having the hope of eternal life in heaven (Titus 1:2).
- It means praying to God always (I Thessalonians 5:17), with the assurance that God hears our prayers (I Peter 3:12).
- It means being a child of God (Galatians 3:26).
- It means rejoicing always as a result of the privilege (Philippians 4:4).
- It means when we have done all those things which are commanded us, “…We are unprofitable servants: We have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10).
What does it mean to be a Christian? It means everything!!!
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