"[1] Finally, brothers we instructed you to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.[2] For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus."
-1 Thessalonians 4: 1-2
This verse first came to me when I read and studied "Not A Fan" by Kyle Idleman. Human beings can be so lazy. Working in retail I have seen many healthy people walking up to the store then they sit in one of the drive able carts. Why is this happening? Why is it that we always try to find the easiest way that doesn't require effort?
Kyle Idleman was right when he said, "Jesus doesn't want a stadium full of fans. He wants followers." Like he said in both his book, devotional, and DVD so many in the Christian church have become stadiums full of fans. He only want the good from God but nothing hard or will require sacrifice.
I used to go to one of the biggest churches in my city but came to realized that only a handful of those people would actually be consider followers. So many would go to church every Sunday and drop a little money in the offering plate but not enough to hurt the bank account. There are the ones who liked to through money at the poor but would never give them the shirt off their backs. So many claim to be Christian. Are they? Are we?
The definition of Christian is 'Christ like', which in my opinion means doing more than throwing a little money in the offering plate. It means getting out there and acting Christ. Getting in the trenches of battle instead of standing on the side lines.
Jesus called us to step up and give people the shirt off our backs. We need to, in my personal opinion, need to pay it forward or go out and volunteer. Some of us might not like getting our hands dirty but trust me God speaks to you in those moments. What I mean by this is going on a missions trip, help out at food banks, day camps, building a church or even fixing someones house or yard for free. Now understand don't do all of this because you feel obligated. Only do what you feel God is leading you to do. For example, God is always speaking to my sister to go on missions trips not me. He calls me do day camps or helping at a local food bank and even at times give generous tips or paying it forward at a restaurant or coffee shop.
We all have specific talents and skills meant for the kingdom of God. The next biggest part to keep in mind is this, do not bash your Bible over someones head. I mean this literally and figuratively for this simple purpose, until God opens their hearts to your message they will never hear it. I spoke to many non believers and this is the one thing that keeps them away from God.
When it comes to sharing the gosple it is always good to keep in mind the fruits of the spirit. The one I'm mentioning right now is patience. It takes time for people to hear God. It takes time for them to want to know him. It take time for them to change.
I've seen many who expect and instant change in life style from new believers. This is, to be honest, not realistic. Once something is a habit it is very hard to break. Doing something twenty times creates a habit, it can take this if not longer to break a habit.
In closing I want to remind everyone that everyone is different that is why grace is so important. We are not cookies from the same cookie cutter we are all designed differently.
If you are interested in Not A Fan here is the link :
http://www.notafan.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment