Thursday, 12 April 2012
-
What Does it Mean to Be a Christian? (Part One)
What does it mean to be a Christian? This question has haunted me for a long time. I thought I knew, but I couldn't help being disappointed with the way my life turned out, and with myself. I looked around and wondered what being a Christian had ever gotten me, besides let down a number of times. My dad has been a pastor since before I was born, and what did being a pretty devoted Christian ever get him? Nothing that I could see. He's penniless, hapless, and as he gets older, I can see more and more desperation inside him, tearing him up inside.And what about these mega-churches, these polished pastors that lead thousands of members every Sunday? Aren't they full of hypocrisy and feel-good, empty fluff sermons? Weren't they at worst a gluttonous cave full of lies that sucked up people's donations at the expense of their souls? And at best, weren't they preaching a baby-Bible that did nothing but make people feel good about giving up two hours of their week while giving them an excuse to look down on those that didn't? Why should they be so blessed, when I've struggled my whole life to mature in my faith and get closer to God?
People often say that God rarely blesses monetarily. He gives us other blessings like happiness and inner joy, but not money. That, we have to get for ourselves. I don't see that. I do see that God sometimes calls us to live simply, to give of ourselves so someone else can have more.
But God also sustains us, and He very often blessed Israel in the Old Testament with abundance when their king was obedient and had the people worship their true God. This happened over and over. The king would obey God and observe His sacrifices, and the people would prosper. Then the king would rebel and worship other gods, and the people would fall to their enemies and be made slaves. Then another king would come back to God, and the nation would be freed from their slavery and would be prosperous once again. Why these kings couldn't get it into their heads that God equals freedom and peace is something I do not understand. But my point is made: God both understands money and works with it.
In the New Testament, things were a little different. God's disciples were often poor or in prison because they had obeyed Him, not because they had rebelled. Paul says in Philippians 4:12, "I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need." New American Standard Bible.
There are situations of both poverty and abundance. The next verse is Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." The disciples are put into situations where God uses them, where He has a job for them, and He gives them the strength necessary to do that job. The comfort of their situation is not dependent on their obedience to God. Sometimes, being obedient to God requires being in a situation that is uncomfortable.
So what does it mean to be a Christian? And closer to my struggle: if I am penniless and uncomfortable with my life, does that mean that I need to be a better Christian? I don't think it does.
I don't like that answer, because it means that there isn't a magic button I can push; a thing I can do or a prayer I can say or even a lesson I can learn to instantly open the door to prosperity and abundance and all those other wonderful things that people expect when they sign up for this.
My long and winding point is this: sometimes being a Christian doesn't feel good. Sometimes it makes us suffer or go hungry. Sometimes it gives us blessing and abundance. But that's God's decision, not ours. True Christianity relinquishes the right to ourselves and thus, to the 'right' to always be comfortable.
Which I don't like, because I want to be comfortable; I want God to just flip a switch and make everything in my life turn into roses. Who doesn't want that? But if something like that happens, it'll be God's doing, and it'll be because He has a purpose in doing it. It won't be because I deserve it or because I did anything to get it.
I'm going to try to post more on the idea of what it is to be a true Christian. I don't pretend to have the answers; I'm learning as I post. But I think there is a difference between the kind of Christians we see today and the way Christianity was meant to be. I go so far as to dislike the term 'Christian' because it evokes the idea of the mainstream church-goer, a person I tend to despise. I differentiate 'Christians' (ick) from 'Disciples,' a term I use to describe Christians as it seems to me that we are meant to be. More on that later, probably.
In your experience, is it easy or difficult to be a Christian? Does the amount of money you have indicate how good of a Christian you are? Does God ever say that Christianity is comfortable?
Related Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to revelife's Revelife Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in revelife's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
About the Author
-
- From: DreamPet@xanga
- Name: James
- Location: Ohio, United States
- About Me: I am a young man without much to say. Ok, maybe that's a lie. I chose my name for a story I wrote called Killing Pet about a boy who has nightmares. I am living with a man I love, and am also a Christian. Is everyone a paradox, or is it just me?
-
Premium
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 13 Views: 0 8257 Comments: 0 74 View all posts by DreamPet@xanga
Comments (22)
christianity is often very difficult for me. my journey has been marked for years by intense struggle and tension, and i'm no more joyful or at peace for it. currently, i think of it as an access point into the divine and the mysterious. it shows me who i am and how i fit in the universe. i don't think of it as a thing of joy or peace, because i don't often think of God that way. i think it's bigger and deeper than that, to the point of often going beyond words.
People who fail at Christianity almost never blame themselves. It's Jesus' fault. It's the Church's fault. It's Christianity's fault.
If your failure concerns you try looking in the mirror.Being a Christian is supernatural even though God does not remove us from the natural world. He works in us to do of His good pleasure...it's not primarily about us, singly but as a member of the the Body of Christ.
All of the disparaging things people say about Christians come from a lack of spiritual sight. No one can see the Spirit and no one can stand in judgment of Christ or those who are His, complaining that they don't fit the picture in their mind.
As far as joy and fulfillment - the abundant life - goes, Christ becomes all in all to the believer and all else is worthless garbage. We have an inheritance incorruptible and permanent which will be ours for eternity. No temporal abundance will endure - as we see everyday in the lives of those who seek only that.
@sometimestheycomebackanyway@xanga - How would you characterize 'failing' at Christianity? What does a Christian failure look like? Is there such a thing? I don't see any Christianity as failure, as long as it is heartfelt. Fake Christianity would be what I consider to be a failure; 'Christianity' that isn't a love response to God, that is done out of obligation or for self-promotion or any reason that is not centered on God. That is a failure, and that is not Christianity.
If you think I was complaining, or if you think I'm a 'failure' at Christianity, then you totally missed the point of what I was saying. My point was that sometimes people expect that God will make them prosper if they are being a 'good' Christian, or that financial troubles are the result of some kind of sin, that it's possible to measure someone's 'goodness' by the amount of money in their bank account, which is just not true. God does not measure value the same way we do. He does not measure success or 'failure' by the same terms we do, and His measures are the true measures, not ours.
@quest4god - I agree about a lot of things you just said, but I do want to expand on it a bit. You are absolutely correct that our 'reward' is God Himself, and nothing else compares to Him. He is so amazing and wonderful that everything else IS just garbage. And you're right that no one can see into the hearts of others, but I definitely would not agree when you say that "All of the disparaging things people say about Christians come from a lack of spiritual sight." A lot of the disparaging things people say about Christians, especially as observed by non-Christians, are often true and fitting. Many of those professing to be Christians are hypocritical, vicious and quick to point out the faults of others while hiding their own. Now, even Christians aren't perfect, and it isn't fair for others to expect us to be. But if you want to know the areas where the church fails to be a good witness to those outside it, just ask a non-Christian. I've found their opinions and observations to be both honest and accurate, especially in the kinds of churches whose main concern is filling up the pews and the offering plate, rather than on nurturing in their members a deep, personal relationship with God. I'm not saying all Christians, or all churches, are that way, but some are.
@DreamPet@xanga - You defined spiritual failure yourself, in the first paragraph of your post.
I looked around and wondered what being a Christian had ever gotten me, besides let down a number of times. My dad has been a pastor since before I was born, and what did being a pretty devoted Christian ever get him? Nothing that I could see.@ZerosRequiem@xanga - I'm sorry for the struggles you've been having, and I can relate. Christianity shouldn't have to be marked by tension and struggle, like you've been doing. I don't know if this will help, but remember that Christianity is not a behavior or a list of rules. It is not a cookie-cutter you have to force yourself to fill. If God wanted robots, He'd have made us that way. But He made us individuals, and more than that, He made YOU to be exactly who you are. You were designed by Him for a purpose that only you and He can fulfill together.
This might sound strange, but my recommendation to you is to drop your Christianity. Stop trying, stop struggling. Be You. The basis of all Christianity, the pearl at the center of all that other muck, is God and His love. Focus only on that for a while. God's love for you is limitless, and He never gives up on us. He loves you so much that the whole universe can't contain it all. And I'm not talking about His love for all of us, I'm talking only about His love for YOU. Let yourself grow close to God. Let yourself feel His love. And let yourself respond with love of your own for Him. That's the beginning of Christianity, and that is the source of both joy and peace. It's all about love, the divine love relationship between us and God. He becomes our Lover (not in a sexual sense), our Partner, our Father, our King, our everything. The rest is unimportant; if you have that personal relationship, that two-directional love between you and God, then you and God can build the rest together naturally. You can't fit into anyone else's idea of Christianity; you and God have to build what your Christianity looks like together. Good luck, and if need any help or want to talk, feel free to contact me.
@sometimestheycomebackanyway@xanga - That's not being a failure. That's admitting that the idea I had of Christianity wasn't enough, and ultimately, wasn't correct. I had a partial picture of Christianity, but not the whole thing. What many people around me were calling 'Christianity' was nothing like the genuine thing. And look in the mirror is exactly what I did. I threw out Christianity and went back to God. I started again at the beginning, and what I'm learning is that this overbuilt Christian machine, this Christianity as a culture, does not hold to the deeper truths of God and the Bible.
@DreamPet@xanga - As you wish. As the author of this post you are the one who gives meaning and definition to your own writing.
But you are still saying that Christianity is a failure in that it "does not hold to the deeper truths of God and the Bible."
That statement and thus what you say you have learned must be false then.
That's because God himself gave us Christianity through the life and death of his Son, Jesus. And because the New Testament was written by disciples of Christ.
And just as no one but you can give meaning and definition to your own writing, you cannot give your own meaning to the Bible which was written by disciples of Jesus as a means of passing on Christian teachings to future generations.
@DreamPet@xanga - "Christianity is not a behavior or a list of
rules. It is not a cookie-cutter you have to force yourself to fill. If
God wanted robots, He'd have made us that way."
i've lost a lot of my words to express my christian experience lately. i'm not exactly sure why, but i'll try here.
i don't think that, for me, the tension is because i'm trying to be a robot for God. there have been times in my life when i've been a lot more legalistic, but i don't think that's what it is for me. let me explain: i've been a christian my entire life. i believed in jesus very fervently when i was very young, and He's always been a big part of my life. i grew up evangelical, and a big part of what seemed to set us apart was our notion of holiness. holiness was important, i believed; "faith without works is dead." but it wasn't a holiness that came from outside and forced itself on me. i really did (and still usually do) believe that holiness is important; it's a way of loving God back. if you love someone, don't you want to do what you can to make Him happy? and it's not because He'll send you to hell if you don't. it's because He's loved you so much, and He's asked something of you.
"Let yourself grow close to God. Let yourself feel His love. And let yourself respond with love of your own for Him."
this willingness to live in tension is my love for Him. i haven't rejected christ when i could have and would have wanted to because my tension is a way i can love him personally. it also seems to me that struggle and tension have been part of christianity for as long as christianity has been on earth. think of the martyrs, the ascetics, the desert mothers and fathers. you're right, christianity often doesn't make us comfortable. sometimes it makes us the opposite of comfortable, and i think it's supposed to be this way.
It's not easy to be a Christian. Because we hold ourselves to values that are hard to keep. We are human, and err regularly. When I first felt the need to be a Christian, I believed what my friends told me. To go around saying I accept Christ into my heart, and voila, all was wonderful. But that's way too judgmental. You can't judge another's heart, or feelings, or mistakes. Only God can. So now, if someone asks me if I have Christ in my heart, I simply say God only knows. The good that has come has been that I have tried to repent of ill doings, even though I know I fail. I know I've hurt others, and that bothers me more than it used to. But, you can have those feelings and be a Buddhist as well. They just don't believe in going around killing millions of other people.
@DreamPet@xanga -I usually don't get involved in discussions with people who "dis" Christians or the Church because, as I said, "the natural man does not understand spiritual things. If we as Christians were to design our lifestyle and our worship around the "ideal" of the unsaved, we would not please God. The scriptures continually affirm the truth that man is sinful, at enmity with God, and does no good thing.
Now God would be the One to judge that since He is holy and righteous, just and good. To be sure, all of those who are born of God still have the tendency to sin, and will until the day they are taken up to be with Him. No Christian is perfect. No one really knows what God has planned for that Christian, or what works He has prepared for him/her to do.
And, finally, not all who claim to be Christians really are. Some are just ignorant and haven't known what it means to be born of God. Some are imposters by choice - either with an eye to deceive and to cash in on the benefits of Christianity (such as Simon the sorcerer), or with a vain hope of "getting in" without the humiliation of surrendering to Christ and admitting their sinfulness. All of these "wannabes" and fakes are included in the general term "christian" (lower case "c" intended).
@quest4god - I think we're saying essentially the same thing, just using different words.
@sometimestheycomebackanyway@xanga - What I'm saying is that Christianity as most people in America have come to understand it IS a failure, and is not the Christianity that Jesus gave us or that the Bible teaches us. I hold to the Bible. I hold to Jesus; not the machine that has been built up in His name. I'm saying there's a difference between what I read in the Bible and what many people today are participating in. At best, modern Christianity doesn't go far enough. People like the nice parts about how much God loves them (and He does), but they run away the moment their faith costs them something. They don't want to give up their lives for God. But God says true Christianity IS giving up your life for Him. Doing that leads to true freedom; it leads to finding your life in God, which is a better blessing than many people are receiving today. They aren't getting the whole story. Their selfishness is causing them to settle for less, and they don't know it.
@DreamPet@xanga - People in America don't define Christianity. Christianity defines itself. Even a rudimentary understanding of Christianity takes years of formal study.
If you want to question people's understanding of Christianity, that's one thing. But it is another thing completely to be critical of Christianity because many people haven't taken sufficient time to learn about it.
christianity means to be christlike, that means obedience no matter what your situation may be
christianity means to be christlike, that means being obedient no matter what your situation. obedience is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams.
For me, being Christian really is bearing Christ's Cross. Many Christians are not really Christian in this sense. I am not either, until I bear this Cross. I have plans, but for the sake of my family, I have to give up on bearing "that" specific Cross. But maybe I can bear other Crosses?
@donnie4jesus - Obedience to whom? To mom? To dad? To government? To God? Who are we to prioritise if conflict of interests arise?
@sometimestheycomebackanyway@xanga - Most of them do, but I am known for too much self-blaming. It's never the fault of Jesus, only my own weakness. If I was strong enough to defy my Chinese family, I wouldn't be in this situation where I am half-Christian.
@nowayout001@xanga - according to jesus, obedient to all in your list, most of all to God the father and the word of God. remember, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Hello
my name is Heline, it's my pleasure to drop you some words just to say Hello and how was your day? well i will like to known little more about you, and also i want to tell you more about my self,(helinejustin@hotmail.com)please i will be very happy if you will reply me via my email address so that we can move further for knowing each other (helinejustin@hotmail.com) Thanks I'm waiting for your reply,Yours Heline
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
¡Hola
mi nombre es Heline, es un placer que te deje unas palabras sólo para decir hola y cómo fue tu día? así me gustaría conocer algo más acerca de usted, y también quiero decirle más sobre mi mismo, (helinejustin@hotmail.com)por favor, seré muy feliz si usted me responda a través de mi dirección de correo electrónico para que podamos seguir avanzando para saber uno del otro (helinejustin@hotmail.com) Gracias estoy esperando su respuesta,Yours Heline