The Christian Life
The term "Christian" evokes a variety of images and thoughts. It is vitally important that as we are going out and sharing the gospel, we also are teaching people to be disciples of Christ. Teaching people to "be" Christians is more than simply telling them about salvation.
The first time the word Christian was used in the Bible is found in Acts 11:26b, "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." The most basic definition of the word is that a Christian is an adherent or follower of Christ. Other names that Christians were called and called themselves included believers, brothers, or saints. Although the designation "Christian" has lost both respect and meaning in modern culture, we will use the term throughout this post to describe someone who is a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ.
After studying and reflecting on the life of Jesus, there seem to be four different disciplines of Jesus's life that as Christians we should be concerned with and diligently following every day. Each of the four areas are not distinct. Each part of our lives naturally affect the other parts so that these four aspects will overlap.
The first area that we will focus on is the area of worship and praise. Nelson's Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible defines worship as a "reverent devotion and allegiance pledged to God." Throughout Scripture, there are examples of people worshiping God. In the Old Testament, people often built altars and made sacrifices to God. There are words of praise, song, and poetry given to God through both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus Himself worships His Father God through prayer and the reading of God's Word. He regularly attended the synagogues on the Sabbath, and He spent time teaching and preaching as well. After the Lord's Supper, He and His disciples sang a hymn before retreating to a private place for Him to pray. New Testament Christians often met in homes for a time of "church" in which they prayed, sang hymns and psalms, and received lessons from the Scriptures. Vine's Expository Dictionary states the following about worship:
"The worship of God is nowhere defined in Scripture...It is not confined to praise; broadly it may be regarded as the direct acknowledgment to God, of His nature, attributes, ways and claims, whether by the outgoing of the heart in praise and thanksgiving or by deed done in such acknowledgement."
The next practice we need to consider is the discipline of prayer. In its most basic definition, prayer is simply communication with God. There are numerous examples of prayers given in the Bible. There are prayers of repentance, praise, intercession, and thanksgiving. In prayer, Jesus praised His Father, prayed for His will to be done, He prayed for Himself and for His followers, and He prayed for the forgiveness of those who had crucified Him. He prayed before meals; He prayed alone; He taught His disciples how to pray. Every area of His life was affected by His time spent in prayer. He communicated with His Father because He acknowledged that even He was dependent upon God.
Another critically important but often overlooked characteristic of leading a Christian life is spending time in the Word of God. Jesus Himself knew the Scripture and used them when He was tempted in the desert by Satan, and He quoted verses and prophecies throughout His lifetime. There is no substitute for reading the Bible. The Bible is the sacred book of the Christian church. The Bible was inspired by God and written through about 40 writers over a period of 1,500 years. The Bible begins literally with God creating the earth. The Old Testament records the beginning and the history of the nation of Israel. The 39 books of the Old Testament are divided into sections that detail law, history, poetry, and prophecy. There were 400 years between the Old and New Testaments. In the New Testament, we read of the life of Jesus and the history of the early church. It ends with a promise of Christ's future return and the final judgment. I would argue that the overall theme of the Bible is Jesus. When man is lost in sin, God has already provided a way for redemption through Jesus. According to John MacArthur in Bible Commentary, "The Bible reveals God's plan for this redemption from its inception in eternity past to its completion in eternity future."
Finally, an aspect of the Christian life that cannot be disregarded is the area of evangelism and missions. Evangelists, as defined by Scripture in Ephesians 4:11, are preachers of the gospel. Jesus tells the believers in Matthew 28:19-20a:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
This direction was not an optional request. Disciples are students; therefore, Jesus has commanded us to not only present the gospel but also to teach people how to follow the ways of Jesus. This would directly imply that as followers of Jesus, we should also be following this example that Jesus taught us. The idea of missions is not limited to those who feel "called" but to all believers. We can share the gospel with the world through a variety of ways that include but are not limited to the giving and stewardship of our time, money, talents, and resources.
We have briefly considered four elements of discipline that should be present in the lives of those who call themselves Christians. Too often in today's culture, we have those who are identifying themselves as Christians but their lifestyles are contrary to what is taught in Scripture. People need to recognize their sin as defined by the Bible and to confess these sins and repent. It is important for everyone to understand that Jesus loves them and died so that they might be saved from their sins. However, we would only be telling half of the story if we did not include that one day Jesus will come back and will judge the world based on their relationship with Him. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' "
David Platt says in his book Radical:
"Jesus was not speaking here to irreligious people, atheists, or agnostics...He was speaking to devoutly religious people who were deluded into thinking they were on the narrow road that leads to heaven when they were actually on the broad road that leads to hell. According to Jesus, one day not just a few but many will be shocked...to find out that they were not in the kingdom of God after all."
And finally, C.S. Lewis comments through the demon Uncle Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters:
"It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing...Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turning, without milestones, without signposts."
The examination of these pillars of our faith come as a fresh reminder of how we should be diligently working in our own lives and for the kingdom of God every day just as Jesus did. If you have never accepted Jesus as your personal savior and cannot call your self a Christian, we would invite you to read the page on our blog about becoming a Christian. One does not have to understand all the Bible teaches in order to be saved. Once you acknowledge your sinfulness and understand that the penalty for sin is death, you can accept that Jesus already died in your place, as an atonement for your sins that you might be reconciled to God. He is your Savior because He literally saves you from living for eternity without God. Once you enter into a relationship with Him, the practice of the above-mentioned disciplines will guide you deeper and closer with Him. Training yourself to praise and worship God, read the Bible and pray, and sharing your faith with others will not save you. Only by the power of God, His mercy and grace, can one be saved. However, following these practices will help lead you to grow in wisdom and in knowledge. These are marks of a Christian, a disciple of Christ, a follower of Jesus, a true believer.