AvatarZuko
Member
I know that there are a lot of people who hate Christianity because they see the people who call themselves: Christians, and how they act daily.
Currently, the statistics show that 32% of the world is Christian (2.2 Billion people). This means that 1/3 people you meet will be a follower of Christ. However, this is completely false as you know how these people behave resembles nothing like Jesus.
I have heard people on this board says things like: "lot's of my friends who are Christians, smoke pot, have ***, lie, etc."
Just the lifestyle of these people clearly indicates that they are not True Believers.
Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
My Story:
I never believed in Jesus Christ personally even though I went to church every week from when I was a kid till my late teens. I just went because my Mom used to go. However, I never called myself a Christian and did not know God. I used to swear a lot, watch porn, get angry all the time.
However, one night, I was alone and watching a movie during the Christmas holidays. When, I got this sudden urge to turn off the TV and pull out my Bible and turn to a passage in Acts as I heard a sermon on this chapter a few months ago.
In Acts 8:26-40: Philip went to see an Ethiopian because an angle of the Lord told him to go talk to him. The Ethiopian was in a chariot and was reading a passage. Philip was walking alongside the Ethiopian and asked him if he understood what he was reading. The Ethiopian needed help to understand the passage.
This is what he was reading:
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading(quoted from Isaiah 53):
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
This passage was about Jesus Christ and how he will die on the cross even though he did no wrong.
After Philip explained this message to him, the Ethiopian said : “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”
This broke me down and made me realize how stubborn I was, as this person read a small portion of the Bible and accepted Christ but I heard many messages for decades and I never accepted him.
So, I accepted Jesus that night by believing that He died on the cross for my sins and He rose again and through Him, we have eternal life.
How Christ has Changed my life:
What it means to be True Christian:
Currently, the statistics show that 32% of the world is Christian (2.2 Billion people). This means that 1/3 people you meet will be a follower of Christ. However, this is completely false as you know how these people behave resembles nothing like Jesus.
I have heard people on this board says things like: "lot's of my friends who are Christians, smoke pot, have ***, lie, etc."
Just the lifestyle of these people clearly indicates that they are not True Believers.
Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
My Story:
I never believed in Jesus Christ personally even though I went to church every week from when I was a kid till my late teens. I just went because my Mom used to go. However, I never called myself a Christian and did not know God. I used to swear a lot, watch porn, get angry all the time.
However, one night, I was alone and watching a movie during the Christmas holidays. When, I got this sudden urge to turn off the TV and pull out my Bible and turn to a passage in Acts as I heard a sermon on this chapter a few months ago.
In Acts 8:26-40: Philip went to see an Ethiopian because an angle of the Lord told him to go talk to him. The Ethiopian was in a chariot and was reading a passage. Philip was walking alongside the Ethiopian and asked him if he understood what he was reading. The Ethiopian needed help to understand the passage.
This is what he was reading:
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading(quoted from Isaiah 53):
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
This passage was about Jesus Christ and how he will die on the cross even though he did no wrong.
After Philip explained this message to him, the Ethiopian said : “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”
This broke me down and made me realize how stubborn I was, as this person read a small portion of the Bible and accepted Christ but I heard many messages for decades and I never accepted him.
So, I accepted Jesus that night by believing that He died on the cross for my sins and He rose again and through Him, we have eternal life.
How Christ has Changed my life:
- When you accept Christ, the Holy Spirit comes inside of you and will live in you and will help you grow and become more like Jesus.
Ephesians 1:13-14: When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
- I started reading the Bible daily and understanding it more and more through the wisdom that God gave.
- I looked for more ways to serve Jesus such as playing music in my church, talking to retired people, etc.
- I started to hate my sins such as porn, masturbation, anger etc. I mean, how can you say you love Jesus and yet keep watching these things and doing these things which are about pleasing yourself.
3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;
John 14:15: 15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
- I started to talk to my friends about Jesus.
I Peter 3:15: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
- I shared the gospel with others in the hopes that they may come to Jesus. I cannot save them. Only God can and the people have to make the decision on their own to go to Christ. You cannot force someone but you must talk about Jesus and what he has done, to them.
What it means to be True Christian:
- First, you have heard the message and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and the sacrifice on the cross, and the promise of his coming.
John 6: 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
- Then you must get baptized which is an outward showing of the rebirth that occurred already when you put your faith in Christ.
John 3:15: Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
- Baptism is the first command after accepting Jesus and then you live daily by reading the Word of God, understanding it as well through studying (different than just reading), then you learn the context and then finally apply the Word of God in your daily practice in how you behave.
- There should be a change in a person who claims to be a Believer as it is a new life and there must be a change in the heart which should also come on the outside. You will be changed from the inside out.
Ezekiel 18:30: Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit.
- Believe that the only way to get to Heaven is through the work that was done on the cross and that nothing you do can get you to Heaven. None of your "good" works matters. What matters is believing in Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
- This does not mean that you can live in the same way you lived. There must be a change if you profess to be a Christian. However, the things you do to help others is because of the love that Jesus has shown to you. You do not do good things because it will get you into Heaven (they won't).
1 Peter 4:4 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4
- You care about others and help others:
Galatians 6:9-10:Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
- You talk about Jesus and the Cross to others:
Mark 16:15: He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
- You start hating sin more and more and see how pure Jesus was:
Romans 6: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
- Finally, you must realize that only God is perfect. You are not perfect and you are still a sinner. However, your Lifestyle should show a progression to stop sinning more and more and when you fall (and you will sin), confess, repent and keep striving till the day you die and/or when Jesus returns.
1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
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