1. To live the Christian life, it's really quite simple:
Know Jesus
Pray
Know the Bible
Obey
Whatever you do, do it in the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit
This is our job description as Christians for keeping ourselves on the right track and staying focused on our relationship with God. It is simple...not always simple to do, but this is the Holy Spirit's dance, and He needs to have the lead. When I list "obey" above, I am not talking about gritting your teeth in determined willpower and following a bunch of rules. That is religion. The Christian life is exactly that...life! It is a relationship and a daily experience with the Living, Loving God of the Universe! The Holy Spirit is His Spirit living in our lives. So, we follow His lead.
2. How do we help others do the same if they are not yet believers? We don't!
Well, we might, but we don't do it ourselves or in our strength or with our clever ideas, and especially not with our judgment and condemnation. It's all Him...it's all the Holy Spirit. You see, that's part of His job description: drawing people to Himself.
3. Our command for helping believers is to disciple them...teach them to watch what we do and do the same. Teach by doing, sharing, loving, and building a trusting relationship with other believers. It takes time, energy, and true compassion. Help them
Know Jesus
Pray
Know the Bible
Obey
And walk in the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
4. For those who don't yet believe, we have one command: Love them!
Okay, maybe two or three commands: pray for them and share what God has done in your life too, but we really need the Holy Spirit for all of these. So, again, let Him lead.
I'm going to tell a little story here before going on. I used to teach with this guy who was raised Presbyterian but professed to be an atheist. He was living with his Taiwanese girlfriend who was heavily into the traditional religions of Taiwan. We talked a lot, and many times I wanted to say something in response to what he said, and the Holy Spirit would say, "No." It was very clear. I was not to say anything outside of answering a direct question from him. At the end of my time at that school I left feeling like I'd kind of dropped the ball in sharing the Gospel with this really great couple. I wanted so much for them to have a relationship with Christ. I truly care about them, but the Holy Spirit would only allow me to pray for them which I still do.
When they decided to get married, they asked my husband Dave to do the ceremony which was basically a Christian wedding ceremony in which Dave did get to share the Gospel. We were surprised and blessed that they would ask him to officiate. But what really blew me away was that after I had moved on to another school, this teacher was talking to a friend of ours, and he said to him about my faith, "That Terrie is the real deal." Even now I am overwhelmed by that.
Do you see? We don't draw anyone to Christ. He draws them and affects their lives as we simply pray and obey. If He says speak up, we should speak up. If He says stay quiet, we should stay quiet.
5. In addition, I don't understand expecting a non-Christian to live like a Christian. Think how offended most people who are not Muslim get when non-Muslim women are expected to wear the hijab. We don't think it is right, but we expect non-Christians to know and follow the Word of God all the time, and when they don't, some judge and get pretty ungodly. Where is the Holy Spirit in that? Where is His wisdom and direction? I think He may have left the dance floor, and some have not even noticed. While He was leading us in a waltz, some started break-dancing. (Am I carrying the analogy too far?)
I'm not saying there should not be laws and a moral standard. That is beyond Christianity or any other faith. That is at the center of all human beings and was put there by the Creator. That's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about the judging and expectations put upon our culture that is no longer Christian, but is actually becoming more Buddhist every day. We cannot expect someone who doesn't know the rules to follow them. Culture has taught them different rules which they are most-likely following.
If we want this to be a Christian nation, then we need to start loving people and sharing what Christ has done in our lives. Let the Holy Spirit do His job in drawing people to Himself and in convicting them of any sin He chooses to deal with in their lives.
Our job: love, pray, share
In the dance of life, let the Holy Spirit lead.
6. I should probably end with that, but I was just thinking about why some Christians feel such a compulsion to judge and criticize those who aren't living the Christian life even though they aren't Christians. Could it be insecurity? Do we not trust God to draw people to Himself? Do we think it's our job? Or is it that we can't handle people not agreeing with us all the time? Maybe we are insecure in our beliefs and need others to agree with us to make us feel better and affirm us?
Is it hard to be friends with someone who doesn't believe the same as we do? I'm not saying it isn't challenging at times. I have many friends who totally disagree with my beliefs. And there are times I bite my tongue and just pray silently. It's uncomfortable sometimes. But I count it a great privilege to have these people in my life. #1- because they are awesome people whom I love calling "friend", #2 - because it helps me understand what they believe and why, and #3 - because I get the opportunity to pray that God draws them to Himself.
There are some really nasty, awful people in the world, but I truly believe they are the exception, not the norm. Most people are just trying to live a good life and are wonderful to get to know.
If you feel afraid, insecure, or hesitant, I would go back to prayer again! God has not given us a spirit of fear. Let God help you find your confidence in Him, and see where He might take you on life's dance floor. It will surely be an adventure wherever it might be. And, in the end, I bet it is a really beautiful dance.
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