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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

I am a Christian. أنا مسيحي.

I am a Christian. This is who I am… 

I'm not ashamed to be called by the name of Christ. I’m not ashamed to pray before eating a meal in public. I am not ashamed to admit that I really do believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word. I’m not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the good news of salvation. I'm not ashamed to be numbered among those who are ridiculed for holding on to the promise of the return of Jesus. I’m not ashamed to tell others that Jesus is the only way to God. He made that claim, and I believe Him. I am not ashamed to say I believe. I am sometimes am ashamed of how complacent and slothful, I and other Christians are in our obedience to Christ.  I’m also sometimes ashamed when legalistic Christians act ‘holier than thou’, and when lawless Christians live loose lives, because neither of these things represent Christ well or bring Him any glory.

I’m not intimidated by the atheist who dislikes my faith, or any faith, and thinks that I’m foolish for believing in God.  I’m not intimidated by the multitudes worldwide who follow after other gods, false gods like Allah, Buddha, or Mammon.  I’m not intimidated by the difficulties we sometimes face as Christians, because Jesus said we would have trouble in this world. I’m not intimidated by the number agendas being perpetrated against the church of Jesus Christ, it’s strong enough to withstand these, with His help. I’m not intimidated by the fact that my grandparents, and then my parents, expected Jesus to return decades ago.  I’m not even intimidated by the fact that two thousand years have passed since Jesus ascended into heaven. I’m not intimidated by my own occasional uncertainties. I am sometimes intimidated by the immensity of the job we have inherited, the job of taking this gospel to the whole world with so few Christians now participating in spreading the Word… Some say only 2%.

I’m not afraid of the fight this spiritual warfare we face. I’m not afraid of the Devil, who I still believe is a real entity, because I believe he is already defeated by Christ Jesus. I’m not afraid of rolling up my sleeves and doing my part in the Lord’s service.  I'm not afraid to take up my cross and deny myself. I am honored to be a part of the ministry started by Jesus. I’m not afraid of rejection when sharing the good news with others. They aren't rejecting me anyway, they’re rejecting Christ. I’m not afraid of death, Jesus already conquered it. I’m not looking to die today, but if I do I know where I’m going. I’m not afraid of judgment day, my sins are under His blood. I am sometimes afraid that I won’t finish my assignment here, as it seems each day is a battle and any real achievements are often very difficult to come by. 

I’m not beset by the difficulties we face. Hardly anything worthwhile has ever been easy, besides the Lord is on our side! I’m not beset by the state of the world, or this nation which is away from God, or the lukewarm church. If I am beset, overwhelmed or troubled, it’s usually from trusting in my own abilities or focusing my attention on the wrong things… I need not do that.

I’m not willing to be silent, and I suspect that it’s clear from the words previously written, that I’m not trying to be politically correct. I’m not willing to be silent in the face of false doctrines trying to infiltrate the church, false converts trying to lead the church, or false ideas of who Jesus was or what He stood for. All of that was clearly laid out in scripture and I’ll side with what scripture says. I’m not willing to be silent to satisfy a humanistic society, that celebrates perverted acts as natural, and condones murder of unborn humans if they simply become inconvenient. I am not willing to be silent about my faith, whether it remains our right in this country, or not. I was commissioned by Christ, so I must tell the world about Him. I’m not willing to be silent, nor renounce my faith in my Lord Jesus, in order to save my own life.  I understand that my life is not my own, I was bought with a price. With His help, and by His grace, I will hold tightly to this faith in Jesus Christ, until the day when I finally see Him face to face.  I will be silent when I am finally in His eternal presence, if only for about a half an hour, as the Book of Revelation foretells.  Then, with all of heaven, I will break forth in praise, to this marvelous Savior that I serve, and adore... because He is so amazing that I cannot be silent.

This is who I am…  I am a Christian.