I Am A Christian Really

When have you denied Christ, you will be surprised.Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! The Gospel of John Chapter 16 verse 32. This scripture tells us of the prophecy Jesus gave Peter. Of course Peter told Jesus that he would never deny him. But in fact he did deny knowing Jesus as he was being tortured. You might say that you would never do that.

In fact every time we do not live up to Christian principles we are denying Christ. We do so because as Christians we know when we are not living up to the standard put forth in the bible. None of us are perfect including me, but when we are out and about and hear or see a person(s) in need, and we choose not to help then we are denying ourselves of the teachings of Jesus.

Most of us remember the craze of the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do.") marketing campaign.However, WWJD was more than a marketing ploy, it is how we should live our lives. When we run across a situation that requires the intervention of a helping hand we should reach out to our brother or sister in need. To do otherwise would be an insult to Jesus and his teachings.

If we do not reach out and help those that God puts in our path then essentially we are no better than a person that does not know Christ. I can give you a perfect illustration of what I mean. A friend of mine was out with her family near Beale Air Force Base when they saw what appeared to be a homeless man standing at the next intersection holding a sign that read "I will accept anything you may offer.

My friend had very little money that they could offer the man, but what Cayla did was hand her two year old a banana and told him to hold it out the window. The baby did as asked and the homeless man took the banana from the toddler and politely said. "Thank you a banana is just what I needed." Then they drove away leaving a smiling middle aged man. That young baby will be reminded of that selfless act when he is a couple years older so he can comprehend what the act actually meant.

The world needs more Mother's like Cayla in this crazy world of ours. She did what Jesus would have done. When we see an opportunity to help someone, we should always try to offer something. Maybe all that person needs is a banana. But we will never know if we do not ask. Remember this. Do your actions throughout the day proclaim to the world that " I Am A Christian?" If it does not then we need to reevaluate ourselves and our commitment to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am not stating that we can intercede in every needy person's life. That is simply not feasible. What I am implying is that you will know when to help because God will tell you. All you have to do is be in tune with God so we will receive the message. One of my favorite blocks of scripture is Matthew Chapter 25 verses 34 - 40 which say: "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

So I say to you, my brother's and sister's we should live our lives so that others will not have to ask if we are a Christian, because our deeds will announce to the world that "I Am A Christian." As men and women of God we should follow the words in Matthew Chapter 16 Verse 15: He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

My hope is that we can all go out every day and help spread the word of God to those that need it. May God keep and bless all of you.

Jeff Houdyshelt All rights reserved

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Spiritual Pride

Spiritual revelation brings spiritual growth which in turn leads to Christian humility. Whenever we do not respond to Devine Revelation with humility, problems will arise. So many Christians come to the point of believing that their "spiritual maturity" should be displayed for all to see. Many people have been turned off by the arrogance and pride of some Believers who have received revelation from God and have put themselves on display for Christian understudies to see. Christian irresponsibility has led to many stumbling blocks to potential and new believers. One of the signs of true spiritual maturity is a decrease of yourself to the point of preferring others before yourself. (Rom. 12:10) The Apostle Paul stated that you are not to think more highly of yourself than you do of others. (Rom. 12:3) He also proclaimed that he was crucified with Christ and that it was no longer him that lived, but Christ in him. (Rom 2:20) Peter said that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. (I Peter 5:5) Not only does the concept of humility deal with horizontal relationships, but also to our vertical relationship. John the Baptist said that he must decrease but Jesus must increase. (John 3:30) The Scripture reinforces the concept that if a Christian wants to be part of the Kingdom of God, he must become as a little child. (Mk. 10:15, Luke 18:16, Matt.19: 14)

Peter is an example of one who received revelation from God and then, within hours, turned from being blessed with spiritual understanding to rebuking the One that was revealed to him. When Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was, Peter spoke up and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matt. 16:16) Jesus told him how blessed he was because God had revealed that to him. (v.17) It is truly a great joy when we receive revelation from God, but we have a responsibility to respond to that truth with humility and thankfulness. Revelation is given for the understanding and promotion of the Kingdom of God and as one receives that truth, there is a greater display of Christ in him.

When Jesus shared with His disciples that He would be crucified and that He would rise again the third day, Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him by saying that His crucifixion was unacceptable. (Peter did not even take into consideration that Jesus said He would rise the third day.) Peter had received revelated knowledge but instead of being humbled, it puffed him up. (1 Cor. 8:1) Peter was so prideful that he thought he knew what was best for Jesus and being crucified was not the answer. What Peter had done was to exercise his mind on the natural instead of the supernatural. (v. 23) Jesus pointed out that it was Satan who was behind Peter's response. May every believer be aware of Satan's tactics.

How many Believers have received revelation, but have responded to it in a carnal (human) way? Many people have experienced Christians that have displayed a holier-than-thou attitude. Dialogue with those individuals is always short lived. They love to hear themselves talk and have little tolerance when it comes to listening to others. We need Christians who hear from God and then decrease in self promotion. We need Believers who let Jesus increase in their lives to the point that it is no more them, but Christ reigning within them.

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