Monday, September 9, 2013

The Americanized & Westernized Christian

What is that? Do we look anything like Jesus?

i'm probably about to offend lots of people in the lower 48 + Alaska & Hawaii. As i shared with some friends several years ago, i can't continue to read the gospels & not do something. i can't sit around & think everything is fine just as long as my family is happy & has a nice place to live & i have all the stuff i want & everything is going good in my life, oh yeah & i go to church on Sunday. By the way, this is the American way of life, right? Either i'm going to have to start doing what Jesus said or i'm going to have to stop reading what He said all together. Because if i believe what He said, then i'm just kidding myself when i call myself a disciple of Christ.

When i write a post, i will always be honest about myself & where i stand. i do not believe or profess that i've got it all figured out or that i am doing all things right. i just see the need for us to know what Jesus said & to examine ours lives. It will be your choice as to what you do with it. You may be way ahead of me & know much more than i do. i do not want to offend you in that sense, but i know what i see around me & i know what Jesus did & said in the gospels. i don't think most of us take it seriously. We may be living our lives the way we think we should & maybe some of us are, but what i see & have seen is not even remotely what Jesus has called us to. You see, i live in the real world every day & i see how i operate. The lukewarm way that i go about my business & the way that i deal with people & judge someone who's not like me & strive to be something i'm not. Does it make any sense to live that way when we know Jesus. Christians, it's time to wake up. Unbelievers are not our enemy & we're not any better than they are. If you believe that then why did Jesus die? If we judge anybody for doing anything then we have forgotten how many times God has forgiven us & how much He has had to forgive & how long He has patiently waited for us to give Him everything.

You can believe the prosperity gospel if you want or believe that all he requires is that you are a good church going person or think that if you believe Jesus requires you to do things then you will be tagged as a works based Christian or even legalistic. God's gift of grace is free, no doubt, but what did it cost our Jesus? Do we just cruise through life without a thought as to what He has said for us to do after He has been beaten, spit on, mocked & crucified for our very lives? Not to mention that he said that he didn't have a house or even a place to lay his head. Please don't forget that this is the King of Kings, the creator of everything. Just read a few things that Jesus said in Matthew 5:1-10.


Matthew 5: 1-10 

New Living Translation (NLT)

The Sermon on the Mount

One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,[a]
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
God blesses those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
God blesses those who are humble,
    for they will inherit the whole earth.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,[b]
    for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
    for they will see God.
God blesses those who work for peace,
    for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

i'm sorry, i don't see much of this around me. Our churches are full on Sunday morning. What's going on? i'll tell you what's going on. The majority of people in our churches don't have a clue what Jesus said and/or don't care. i'm not talking to people who don't believe in Jesus or don't believe that he is God, i'm talking to the christians, church going people. The ones who have been sent out to spread the word that He has come to save us. 

What about the widows, the fatherless, the prisoners, the drunks, the addicts, the beggars, the people on the other side of the tracks? Do we have time for them, do we care to take the time for them? Yeah, we see the need to visit & help the widows & the fatherless, but are we doing it? i know most of us don't think the prisoners, the drunks, the addicts, the beggars & the people on the other side of the tracks deserve it. Do they? They knew what they were doing was wrong or there different from us. Right? Again, have you ever read what Jesus said & do you even care? 

Think about it. If you go to church & are a christian, shouldn't you look into Jesus. Who do follow?


    p.s. - Could the widows & the fatherless also be the ones                who's husbands & fathers have left them?

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