Are You A Christian? Part 2

We are continuing to look at some of the marks of a Christian according to God's Word.

The next mark Paul mentions is that of being hopeful. This again comes from the last words of verse 4. Paul says, "that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." The world has no real hope. The world is without God and Christ. It is the Christian who has hope for all the good in the present time and hope for that world to come. Hope, for the Christian, is "the anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast," (Heb. 6)

The storms of this life will surely come, but just as the anchor holds the ship steady, so hope, our desire and expectation for good things in the future, will hold us sure and steadfast.

The next mark of a Christian is his being peaceful. This comes from verse 5 of Romans 15. Paul says, "Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus."

The Christian is one who works for unity. Notice Paul said 'like-minded.' The Christian is not looking to divide people, but to unite them. There is enough division between nations and within nations. There is enough division between families and within families. There is certainly enough division between churches and within churches. The Christian is the one, among so many pretenders, who is working to bring unity to those around him.

The next mark Paul mentions is that the Christian is worshipful. Notice verse 6, "that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." The Christian is one who worships. The church worships and the church is made up of Christians. The Christian lives his life in the very presence of God and the acknowledgement of Him.

There are time he worships privately. There are God's set times for him to worship in the assembly (Heb.10). Worship is our reaching up to God. It is the picture of a child on tiptoes, reaching out for the one he trusts to meet his every need. A Christian who does not worship is like a farmer who does not farm. A man is a farmer because of what he does and not where he lives. A Christian worships.

The next mark of a Christian is one who is joyful. In verse 13 Paul uses three words to describe or identify the Christian; joy, peace and power. Paul says , "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy..."
The Christian is one who can rejoice even in the face of adversity. Why? Because of who he is and to whom he belongs. Philippians 4:4 reminds us, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"

The Christian is the world's truly happy man. His life is on target. His relationship with God is genuine. His eternal destiny is sealed. He is a person of joy in spite of...!
In this same verse Paul shows us another mark as he uses the word peace. He says, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing," There is an inner peace in the life of a Christian because of who he now is.

In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul said, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (7) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

The Christian lives and breathes peace. Storms may rage around him, but at the center of his being there is peace. Why does he have this peace? Simply because he has peace with God. When there is peace with God there is peace within. When we look within ourselves we may find, at times, that we have the same anxieties as those who do not know God or do not claim to know Him. The Christian should have peace within and be able to rejoice always.

The next mark Paul mentions is that of being powerful. Again from verse 13, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." God has not left His children alone in this world.

In Ephesians 3:16 Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christians that they might be able "to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man." God strengthens with His dynamite, His power, each of us who wants to live the Christian life so we might live successfully. If you want to be a Christian you can be one. God will help you. 

Sometimes a person will make this statement, "I'd like to be a Christian, but I'm not sure that I can live the Christian life. I am going to first see if I can live right, and if I can, then I will become a Christian."
That will never work because if a man could live right without being a Christian, he would never need to become one. When a person enters the Christian life, it is God who helps him to be successful. He forgives him when he sins (1 John 1:7) He delivers him from temptation so he has no burden greater than he could ever bear on his own. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

The next mark Paul mentions is that of being dutiful. From Romans 15:13 we read, "For even Christ did not please Himself..." I saved this one for last because it seems to bring everything together.

What is implied here? He is saying that we are to follow the example of Christ. That's what a Christian is. He is one who is trying daily to become more like Christ. He is trying to follow His example. Philippians 2:5 says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus..." 

In 1 Peter 2:21 Peter said He has left us an example that we should follow in His steps. In our response to God, in our response to others, in our response to life itself, we are to be like Him.

When a person dies to sin, is buried with Christ, and is raised to walk in that newness of life, when he obeys The Gospel of Christ, and when these characteristics of Romans 15 begin to be a part of his life, we may point to that person and and say from a Biblical perspective that that man or woman is a "Christian."

Now go do the right thing!

"Are You A Christian?"

I honestly believe if we stopped any number of people on the street and asked this question, most of them would say yes.

But what is a Christian? Being a Christian, according to God and His Word, The Bible, does not simply mean being a part of what is sometimes called a Christian nation. Being a Christian is not simply coming from a family that is said to be Christian.

Being a Christian is not simply going to a certain building on Sunday, leaning in the direction of Christ, or even believing that Jesus Christ is The Son of God. Many through history have believed Jesus was all He claimed to be, but were far from being Christian.

Who is a Christian then? In view of Romans chapter 15, a Christian is, in fact, a sinner who has been saved by the wonderful grace of God. God's grace has brought into man's reach everything necessary for man to be saved.

God does not force any man to be Christian. He does not force them to accept the will of Christ. He does not call for His disciples to behead those who refuse to convert. He does, however, offer all that Christ can be to a person's life. Man is called on to respond to God.

When God made us in the beginning, He gave us the ability to think, to reason, to believe and to make decisions. He gave us the choice of free action. We exercise this freedom to choose when we respond to His will. If you are a Christian, it is because you made a decision in your own mind to accept the work of God through Christ.

In Romans chapter 6 Paul showed that in becoming a follower of Christ, we have become dead. That is, we died to the old person we once were. We were sinners, lost, outside of Christ. We have died to our self-rule and even our self-will. We surrendered to the will of Christ.

Paul said, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (4) Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (6:3-4)

We were buried when we were baptized, and we were resurrected to a newness of life. That newness of life is the Christian life. Did you notice that Paul says that when we are baptized that we are baptized into Christ? When a person dies, is buried, and raised to a newness of life, he enters the most exciting existence a human in this world can enter. He has become a Christian! He is now a disciple of Christ and continues to learn of Christ from His Holy Word.

In Acts 11:26 the Bible says, "And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." When we say the word Christian we must say Christ. A person who is a Christian is a Christ-one, a follower of Christ, a learner of Christ, an imitator of Christ. In living the Christian life that individual takes on certain characteristics. These characteristics are evidence of who this new person is.

Just 'What' is a Christian? Romans chapter 15 mentions the marks of a Christian. In his practical application of the doctrine of salvation in this epistle, Paul has a lot to say about who is a Christian by giving the marks of Christianity. He mentions these marks in his writings as he is directed by The Holy Spirit.

First, a Christian is one who is helpful or concerned about others. Notice verses 1 and 2, "We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (2) Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification." (NKJV)

In the Christian's response to other people, he is genuinely concerned about other people, their feelings and their needs. The Christian does not simply endure others and tolerate them but in actuality he loves as Christ loves.

In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul said that if one member of the body suffers, all the members suffer with him. We are to love other people as we love our selves. That love is seen in our concern for the needs and feelings of others. It may be that we are no more Christian than we are concerned about our fellow man.

Then Paul says a Christian is resourceful. In verse 4 Paul tells us, "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning..." Paul says the things that were written 'before' were written for our learning. He, no doubt, had the Old Testament scriptures in mind since The New Testament was at this time being written. 

All the scriptures are for our learning. If we do not learn from the history of those who followed God and often were unfaithful to Him, we are only bound to repeat that history in our own lives. The Christian is to be ever learning, feeding on God's Word as it is a banquet of depth and knowledge. Without God's Word, the spiritual man will certainly die.

Next, Paul tells us that the Christian is faithful. This comes from the last part of verse 4. He says, "...learning, that we through the patience."

Patience is perseverance. Perseverance is endurance. Perseverance is being steadfast through the difficult times of training. The Christian will not give up! It makes no difference the storms of life that may come, he will not loose sight of the goal of eternity with Christ. It does not matter that even sometimes as a Christian he is mistreated or abused because of his faithfulness. He will simply not give up. 

Other people, including our own family members, may do hurtful things to us, we still do not give up. The easy thing is to say, "I quit." A Christian, who knows the 'Truth' and the glory yet to come, will not give up.

There are a few more marks we need to consider but I will stop here and we will finish this up next time. God bless...

"The Eunuch And Isaiah 53"

Our text for this lesson comes from Acts 8:32-33 which reads; (32) "The place in the Scripture which he read was this: 'He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. (33) In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.'" (NKJV)

Philip, who was a servant, is the one whom The Holy Spirit sent to accomplish this work. Under His guidance, Philip was ready and able to do great work for God. A servant is always under orders. The Christian will never be happy until they are where God wants them to be and doing what God wants them to do.

Philip ran to the chariot and was tactful in his approach to the Eunuch.The Eunuch said he needed someone to 'guide' him in what he was reading. This simply means we need people, Christ's Church, to be there to help others understand God's Word. This will never happen unless His Church knows His Word intimately. 

This Eunuch needed to have the Old Testament Scriptures explained. He had the scroll of Isaiah but he did not have the New Testament. Philip told him about Christ and how Isaiah prophesied about Him.

Evangelism is nothing less than being where that individual is and telling them about Christ and what He has to offer in eternity (1 Tim. 1:15; 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 2:24). This is the very thing we should do first. Often this is one of our failures in evangelism. We tell them everything else.

When we preach and teach Christ the result is the church making other disciples. Preach Christ before you preach anything else. As we look at Acts 8, are we generally happier that baptism is there than we are that Philip preached Jesus to him? Baptism, or for that matter repentance, without Christ is not Biblical.

The Gospel is not the conditions first but 'The Christ' who gave them. How did the Eunuch identify Christ with Isaiah 53?
First of all, go and read Isaiah 53:1-3. Isaiah points out the ugliness of sin.

It makes no difference if this man is black or a Jewish man in a foreign country, he was still in need of Christ. He was an outsider and probably treated as less than human by some cultures.

The Jew could never accept Jesus as a 'nobody from nowhere.' From Nazareth? A man unlearned from Galilee? A man being crucified? Jesus would never have made the cover of any magazine or newspaper. He would not be among those of popularity. Isaiah tells us there is nothing in Christ, worldly speaking, that is of beauty or attracts a person to Him.

The Eunuch seems to identify and appreciate that fact as told from the O.T. writings. To him, only another servant could be the solution to his sin.

Now read Isaiah 53:4-6 for this next thought. These verses show the guilt of sin. Isaiah teaches substitution here as well as imputation.  Jesus stepped in and took our place. He paid a debt He did not owe as we owed a debt we could never pay. When looked at properly this is truly "Amazing Grace." 

Jesus Christ, The Son of The Living God, died for our sins! Never forget that fact because this, again, is the very heart of The Gospel. God knows our need and cares at every step. 

Remember, the Eunuch has a Bible he did not understand and is searching for a God he did not know. He could identify with a loving God and a Savior who was compassionate.
We notice next the pressure in Isaiah 53:7-8. 

The Eunuch had traveled in a chariot or wagon for a thousand miles in order to worship God under the O.T. covenant. He seems to have patience and courage in taking the step to honor God. Philip preached to him Jesus and told him this Christ was "The Lamb of God." 

This Lamb seemed to have the courage and patience to honor god as well. This Lamb had no reaction, no retaliation or revenge. There is no politics, no war and certainly no power struggle.

In Matthew 26 Jesus instituted The Lord's Supper. He was in agony even into His death on that cross. In Gethsemane the sweat dropped like blood. Without a cross there could be no crown. This is the power and wisdom of the cross (1 Cor. 1:17-25).

This Eunuch could identify with being powerless under an authority.
Last of all in Isaiah 53:9-12 we read of the death. Jesus was literally bruised. This means, at least, that He was crushed, devastated, hurt and wounded.

The work of a prophet was to preach and proclaim God's spoken word. The work of Christ was to ultimately die. He was born into this world for that purpose, to die a terrible death for mankind.

Jesus turns worldly values upside down. Life comes by death, you win by losing. Jesus is the divine servant, substitute, sacrifice and satisfaction. There was no manipulation or deception in Acts 8. There was no invitation in Acts 8.

All through the book of Acts people are confronted with the cross of Christ and baptized as a result. I do believe there is a great lesson here for us of the 21st century.

God bless until our next time together...