Will the real Christian please stand up….. – Evangelist Victor King
” Call yourself a Christian! “…… ” What kind of Christian are you? “…..” Hypocrite “…” He is not a good Christian “…..” She is so proud but she goes to church “……” I cant believe he is a Christian “…..” Such a disgrace to Christianity “…..
” Lousy Christian “…….” He is so rude but he goes to church “…… ” Worldly Christian “……” I was so shock to find out she is a Christian! “….. ” Sometimes Christians can be the worst “…..” I had a bad experience with that Christian “….” He is not fit to be a Christian “….”What kind of a Christian leader is he? “…..” He is a Christian but he smokes “….” .She gossips about people and she goes to church “…. “I’m so ashamed to call him a Christian”…..” He is a Christian but speaks a lot of vulgar words “…” They are not good Christians “…” What kind of testimony does he carry as a Christian “…” She is a Christian who does not go to church “…” …” She is not worthy to be a Christian “…” So shameful, they are from a Christian family “.. ” She wears so much of make-up just to go to church”…..”They attend church but they are homosexuals”……
Sounds familiar???
Oh, I could go on and on but these are the words that were used to on Christians for many years till today. Why is there such a heavy burden for Christians? You rarely or would have never heard these words on people from other religions, if they do or say something Wrong, he / she as an individual would be criticized but not their religion, most of the time. But when a Christian does or say something wrong, they and their religion are being criticized and condemned. Is there a very high expectation on Christians? Is Christianity that hard?
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28
” Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest… [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] ”
Many of us think that ‘Christians’ are good and moral ones. We think that we have to be good in thoughts, deeds and words all the time. This could be our idea or other people’s perspective of Christianity – JESUS IS GOOD so we have to be good. We have to be a good example’s of JESUS; we are the ambassadors of CHRIST. We Christians have to be loving, kind, patient, generous, respectful, obedient, responsible, soft spoken, gentle, joyful, well mannered, faithful and many other good and moral deeds all the time. Many Christians suffers from great condemnation within because they think they have to be good and moral most of the time to show that they are good Christians.
They think that Christianity depends on their moral deeds and when they can’t come up to that standard or they fail to do so, they condemn themselves and moreover people condemn them and the accuser, Satan also condemns them. How not to loose?! Usually most of them who feel condemned and think that they cannot come up to the standard of this “Christian Religion “, in due time they leave church or back slide.
Nothing wrong with being good or moral. I will show in a whiles time that you don’t have TRY to be good but you have No choice but you would Want to be good but this time not in your goodness but Through HIS goodness with the help of the Holy Spirit. I’m sure the Holy Spirit does a Better work…Think about it.
So who are Christians???
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me [essentially and perfectly morally] good? There is no one essentially and perfectly morally good–Except God alone”- Mark 10:18
Christians are not good ones, moral ones or perfect ones……Christians simply means Anointed Ones.
( CHRIST ? ORIGIN Greek Khristos ?Anointed one’ – )
” True Christians are Anointed ones; their Names expresses this: they are Anointed with GRACE, with gifts and spiritual privileges, BY the Holy Spirit of Grace” (Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible)
“It is God Who confirms and makes us steadfast and establishes us in joint fellowship with you in Christ, and HE has consecrated and Anointed us, enduing us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit” – 2 Corinthians 1:21.
We are Anointed to be moral and good in thoughts, words and deeds. You know what I’m talking about, there was time when you use to have a certain bad habit (being rude, selfish, proud, vulgar, impatient, hot tempered, gossiping, lustful, ignorant, inconsiderate, lazy etc….) and now “suddenly” or “out of nowhere” you don’t have it anymore or it is less active in your life.
Most of the time we don’t how to explain or we never expected to be the person that we are now. It is the Holy Spirit that changed us. The bible says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…. – Galatians 5:22 (NIV). Have you noticed it says ‘ the Fruit of The Spirit….. ‘ It does not say the fruit of your spirit or the fruit of the evil spirit. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is in you that gives you the qualities or the abilities to be good, do good and talk good. JESUS Himself was Anointed by GOD, ” How God Anointed and Consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit with strength, ability and power; how He went about Doing good….”-Acts 10:38. How much more us.
The Holy Spirit is the One who does the good work through us and I’m sure HE will do a better job, amen.
Relationship takes time
Many of us venture to say that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. Did you know that a relationship takes time? GOD wants to love, fellowship, help and transform us unto HIS image in our Christian walk. Walking is a journey and journey takes time. We think that once we become a Christian, we immediately have to leave behind our bad habits, be holy, stay away from worldly people, worldly songs, movies, books and not dress up like the world. We even quote scriptures like “we are in this world but not of the world” and we are expected to change as soon as possible.
Now as a Christian we have to the read the bible, pray for many hours, go to church, lift up our hands, say “hallelujah” and start tithing. We also think that since we are “good, moral and faithful” people of God, we need to serve GOD. Once again, nothing wrong with all of these but if you have to do it or if you are obligated because this is your perception of being a Christian then its nothing more than religion and behavior modification. GOD does not want that, HE wants relationship and life transformation.
That’s why HE gave the Holy Spirit to help us live our lives. Whatever happened to this verse??.” It is no longer I who live but it’s Christ (Anointed) who Lives through me”. I love what Jesus said in John 16:7, ” I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you into close fellowship with you; but if I go away, I will send Him to you to be in close fellowship with you – John 16:7.
JESUS wants to have a close fellowship with us. When we know that we respond back not being obligated but with love. Now, we don’t Need (obligated) to read the bible but we Want to. We will start doing things that we WANT to not need to. Other religion will Need to do their prayers, devotions and many other stuffs for their gods but we don’t need to do it. We would Want to. We cant help it. We are in love with our God who lives inside us. Christianity is not a religion but a relationship and love.
” For without Me you can do Nothing” – John 15:5 (NKJV)
Only JESUS can make you to be the person that HE wants you to be. You can’t do it by yourself. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do Nothing. – John 15:5 (NKJV) Don’t be baffled or disappointed when a Christian does or say something wrong. They are just Anointed Ones. Christians have the Anointing to be better people. If we say that being ‘in this world and not of the world means to be good and moral then I know alot of people of other religions who are good and moral or even better behaved than Christians. So are we trying to say that they are also in the world but not of the world?
The Only thing that we Christians have that makes us ‘not of the world’ is the Anointing of the Holy Spirit. That’s the only explanation that can’t be argued. Anything else then this, could be compared to people of other religions. We have the Anointing of God’s Spirit. I have heard people saying that you have to be very nice, friendly and loving so people will know that you are a Christian. So does Christianity depend on our goodness? People are attracted to Christians not because of their goodness but because of the favor of GOD and HIS goodness that is in them.
For some reason people like Christians. Its a supernatural attraction. They are attracted by God’s supernatural Favor or Grace.
Anointed to be Capable….
The bible is not cookbook. If you don’t follow the recipe according to the cookbook then the food would not be good likewise many of us think that if we don’t follow whatever the bible says then we are not good Christians. The bible is not meant to be followed. If we just need a book to tell us what to do and what not to do then JESUS does not have to come and die for us. We could have just followed the Torah or the law old testament, which no one could keep up to it.
Someone might argue by saying that there are many scriptures in the Gospel’s that tells us to follow like ‘ Love our enemies and to do good to those who hate you – Luke 6:27, Let not your heart be troubled… – Matthew 6:34, Casting your cares upon HIM…. – 1 Peter 5:7, In the world you have tribulation, trials, distress and frustration; but be of Good cheer… – John 16:33, Let all bitterness and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind). And become useful, helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you – Ephesians 4:31-32 and many other verses that tells us to follow or even when we are in church our Pastor tells us things to do or to follow.
Thank GOD for all these verses but it is not meant for us to follow. We need to understand that the bible is not a book of rules and regulations to follow (law) but it is there for us to know who we are in Christ, what we have in Christ and what Christ can do through us. When you read verses like ? Let not your heart be troubled, Casting your cares to the Lord and other verses from the Gospels, it simply means the You are Capable of doing it. You are capable of forgiving, casting your cares, not letting your heart be troubled, not worrying, praying in tongues and many other things that the bible tells us to do. We are capable of doing it because we are Anointed. The Holy Spirit Helps us to do it. The next time if Pastor tells you to believe, to confess, to rest, to pray, to forgive or any other things. GOD is trying to tell through your Pastor that you are capable of doing it because his Spirit is you and HE will make you to do it.
You don’t have to follow it (obligated) because the Holy Spirit will help you and teach you in all things, ” But the Comforter ( Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will Teach you ALL things. And He will CAUSE you to Recall ( will Remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. – John 14:26.
You don’t have to stress yourself by thinking how to follow what the bible says or what our Pastor says. You are capable of doing it because the Holy Spirit is inside you.
Let’s say, a billionaire marries a daughter of beggar, she don’t have to try to become rich. She is capable and she has no choice but to become rich. She will start to walk, talk and dress like a rich person. Though it takes time, she will be a different person. As time goes on, she is no more thinking as a daughter of a beggar but as a wife of a billionaire How much more when the Holy Spirit who lives in you. As time goes on, we start to think, talk and act like Jesus.
We are capable of becoming healthy, wealthy, moral and many other things that bible says that we can be. You don’t have to try to be good, you have no choice but to become good because the Good Shepherd lives inside you and you will start doing good and moral things out of HIS goodness that HE has placed and stored in your heart. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart “- Luke 6:45
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby) I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, desolate, bereaved, helpless] ” – John 14:18
Relax and let Christ live through you, amen. Jesus loves you too much.
Victor King
TGIF Ministry (Singapore)