The Problem With Christians

Let’s be honest. Christians aren’t perfect. Oh, I know some that sure like to pretend like they are. The truth is that those who pretend to be perfect are oftentimes the furthest from it, and that isn’t even the biggest problem.

The bigger problem is that many Christians have lost a sense of what Christianity is. By definition, a Christian is a person who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Christianity - at its most basic level - is a collective group of people who have a personal relationship with Jesus.

Famous author J.I. Packer put it well when he said: “The essence of Christianity is neither beliefs nor behavior patterns. It is the reality of communion here and now with Christianity’s living founder, the Mediator, Jesus Christ.”

If Christianity is based on a relationship with Jesus, then it is a devotion to that person that makes our Christianity so real. The problem is that too many Christians have committed their Christianity to a belief system of doctrine, as though that is where Christianity stems from. Don’t misunderstand me; sound doctrine is important, but it must not be confused with what the essence of Christianity is - relationship with Jesus.

Today’s church has fallen prey to this mentality. Churches are defined and structured by their doctrinal beliefs. It’s only natural for this to happen. However, this is also the very thing that divides the church and the relational connectedness God so desires among Christians. The fact is, if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ and call him your Lord, we are related. We may not share the same doctrinal views on everything, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are related through our devotion to Christ. How will we ever get along in heaven? It’s kind of funny to think about.

The root problem among Christians is our devotion to doctrine that divides the church rather than our devotion to Christ, which unites us. Can you imagine a united church and the power of that testimony to the world? This will never happen until we get a true sense of our Christianity.

A watching world so wants to see a true representation of Jesus. The Bible says that we are the body of Christ. We are his ambassadors. Central to our doctrinal beliefs should be a commitment to unifying the body of Christ.

Jesus prayed this prayer for us: “May they be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Let’s fix this problem.

Learn more at www.newlifeonline.com or follow Steve Lingenfelter on Twitter, @stevOLL.

The Heart of the Bible

So, how would you answer this question: What is the heart of the Bible? Some may answer, “It’s about creation.” Others may say, “It’s the story of Israel.” Still, others will say, “It is about mankind’s fall from grace.”

While all of these are true and represent important parts of the Bible, the heart of the Bible is represented in God’s heart - Jesus, God’s only son. The entire Bible is about the story of God and his drive to save mankind through his son. The Bible has one theme. Jesus Christ is the theme, even in the Old Testament.

Let me encourage you to open your eyes and look for Jesus on every page of your Bible. If you do, you’ll find him there.

A simple way to read your Bible is to see it simply divided into Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament can be divided into two segments - Law and Prophets. The books written within the category of the Law establish the foundation for Jesus Christ. The books associated with the Prophets are about the expectation of Jesus Christ.

The New Testament can simply be divided into two segments, as well - the Gospels and Epistles. The Gospels tell of the manifestation of Jesus Christ, and the epistles speak of the interpretation of Jesus Christ.

Jesus himself said the scriptures testify about him (John 5:39). Keep in mind that as he said this, the New Testament scriptures had not even been written yet. He is referring to the Old Testament writings. Jesus also expounded in Luke 24:27 that all the writings of Moses and the prophets were concerning him.

To grasp the heart of the Bible and read it for how it was intended to be experienced, you need to open your eyes to see Jesus throughout it. The Bible comes alive when we discover the heart of it and stop reading it as just a book of sayings or words for how to live life. It’s deeper than that. The Bible could be described as an inspired album of divine snapshots of the Son of God. Once we discover this, all the other characters fade into the background and the central figure - Jesus - becomes more and more clear.

The Bible is a progressive story of God’s redemption related to mankind with Jesus Christ as the central figure. At first, we see just a glimpse and we notice the faint outline of Christ, and then, book by book, he emerges and becomes even clearer as the picture of God’s heart is revealed through Jesus Christ.

As we see in Adam one who chose to sin before there was sin; Jesus who knew no sin chose to become sin to free us from the punishment of sin thrust upon the world. Look, open your eyes, and discover the heart of the Bible. You’ll find Jesus from Genesis to Revelation. Your heart will be forever changed.

Learn more at www.newlifeonline.com or follow Steve Lingenfelter on Twitter, @stevOLL.

Just Let Go

It’s easier said than done, isn’t it? We hear it all the time: “Just let go.” There’s something comforting in holding on that makes it difficult to just let go. Sometimes holding on can get in the way of God trying to fix something in your life.

I remember hearing a story about a little girl who was given a plastic doll. She played with it day and night. Eventually, one of the arms broke off. She promptly went to her dad and asked him to fix it. The dad was glad to do it, but the little girl didn’t want to let go of the doll. She wanted to keep holding it. Well, that prevented the dad from fixing it.

It didn’t take long for the other arm to break off. The little girl again went to her dad, but she still wouldn’t let go of the doll. The dad so wanted to fix the doll for his daughter but because she wouldn’t let go, he was prevented from fixing it.

Eventually, both of the legs popped off, and by this time the little girl was getting desperate. Out of her desperation, she finally mustered up all the strength of her will and, letting go of the doll, she handed it over to her father. Within minutes, the dad had the doll reassembled and as good as new.

Does this sound familiar? Maybe it isn’t a doll that you are holding onto - it’s much more serious than that. Like the little girl, we have to learn to trust God, our Heavenly Father, to fix the things in our life. Instead of handing them over to God, we hold onto our problems and wonder why they just get worse. We refuse to let go and we hold on. We fret and worry and try solving them without the help of our Heavenly Father. We are a lot like the little girl. We often wait until things get so desperate before we finally turn to God and release everything into his care.

The Bible tells us to “just let go.” It says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I know … it’s hard to trust these words and really hard to let go. However, to hold onto our problems and not trust God with them is to eliminate the very one (God) who has the power to fix things.

Now, to let go is not to be taken with an attitude of irresponsibility. We may have created the problem, and God may determine that the best way for us to learn is to endure the consequences of our actions. But even in that, God desires to walk with us through our troubles and give us the strength to persevere. What are you holding onto? Just let go.

Learn more at www.newlifeonline.com or follow Steve Lingenfelter on Twitter, @stevOLL.

Don't Be A "Do-It-Yourself"er

The story has been told about a do-it-yourselfer who went into a hardware store early one morning and asked for a saw. The salesman took a chainsaw from the shelf and commented that it was their newest model with the latest technology and guaranteed to cut 10 cords of wood in a single day. The customer was so delighted with the idea that it could cut so much wood in a single day that he bought it on the spot.

The next day the customer returned, looking somewhat exhausted, and said, “Something must be wrong with this saw. I worked as hard as I could and only managed to cut three cords of wood. I used to do four with my old-fashioned saw.”

Looking confused, the salesman said, “Here, let me try it out back on some wood we keep here.”

They went to the woodpile, the salesman pulled the cord, and as the motor went vvvrooommm, the customer leaped back and exclaimed, “What’s that noise?”

The customer who tried to cut wood without the power of the saw to help him is very much like the Christ-follower who attempts to live the Christian life without the daily empowerment of God’s Spirit. It’s clear to us how much better a powered chainsaw is over trying to do it by hand.

To do it by hand is to expect all the power to come from us. To employ the power of the chainsaw is to rely on the power of the saw to carry the heavy burden of cutting wood. Just as the woodcutter who doesn’t utilize the power of the saw finds himself exhausted by the experience, so the Christ-follower who doesn’t plug into the power source of God’s Spirit soon discovers that it’s just too hard.

The Christian life is not intended to be a do-it-yourself venture. When a person steps into a relationship with Christ, he/she is then indwelled by the Spirit of God. This is what it means to be spiritually born again. It’s the indwelling power of the Spirit that we are to tap into for our power source to live life. To ignore that is as foolish as the woodsman who neglects the power of the saw.

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Just as a branch is dependent upon the vine for life, we, too, are dependent upon the spiritual power that comes from our relationship with Christ. It is the work of the Spirit that serves as a conduit of Christ’s love toward us and offers the power to live the Christian life.

Don’t be a do-it-yourselfer. Tap into the power of God by staying connected to Christ and letting the Spirit of God become your source for life. The difference will be as obvious as vvvroommm!

Learn more at www.newlifeonline.com or follow Steve Lingenfelter on Twitter, @stevOLL.