Why Are You a Christian?

[AreYouReady?]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Ah, the way is VERY narrow.

I thought about this very thing just a couple days ago and the realization that I come up quite short is disturbing to me.

When I was a young adult, I thought about life in general. How we grow up, train for a career, get married, buy a home, have a few children, work for 50 years, grow old, retire...then die.

I used to think...there has to be more to life than this. I used to wonder what is the purpose for my existence here on earth?

Being a Christian is not for the faint-hearted. Christians have to take a stand on what one personally believes of what they read in the Bible and what they pray for in the Spirit, not just what the church they attend teaches and expects you to follow. Many times what one personally believes in how Jesus wants us to walk with Him clashes with what any given church denomination teaches.

Christ was our perfect example of ministering. He denied Himself of his own life. He fed thousands of people. He washed feet. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He laid down His life for mankind. He came to show us how we are to act towards our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

(Luke 10:27)

While I am sure that there are ministers who do this, I have never yet seen a minister symbolically take a towel and wash the saint's feet in church...to be examples to us.

But, have I invited people into my home to symbolically wash feet and minister to others to be an example to them? No. I have not ministered to people in the way Christ has. I have not taken up my cross and denied myself.

Am I walking the straight and narrow way?

While we are saved by the blood of Jesus and by His grace, walking with Christ is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Often people within any denomination are persecuted by their own fellow worshippers because their walk deviates from what their church organization teaches, but not necessarily from what God's Word teaches.

In my young adult years, after researching several denominations for months, I knew I was "home" when I was baptized in Jesus Name. God answered many of my selfish prayers as the years have gone by. I am thankful that He did answer them, but now I feel that I have failed Him by not asking God to lead me into the life that He wants me to do. I feel ashamed that I have not taken up the cross and denied myself for Christ's sake.

[A.W. Bowman]

Originally Posted by AreYouReady?

I thought about this very thing just a couple days ago and the realization that I come up quite short is disturbing to me.
.... God answered many of my selfish prayers as the years have gone by. I am thankful that He did answer them, but now I feel that I have failed Him by not asking God to lead me into the life that He wants me to do. I feel ashamed that I have not taken up the cross and denied myself for Christ's sake.

If you can impart such wisdom to the younger men and women around you, you will have done well. If you can get some 'older saints' to accept your doctrine (teaching), you will have done a very great service to the body of Christ, for the older saints can also teach the younger ones - with solid spiritual authority.

[A.W. Bowman]

I don't plan on adding anything to this thread for another day or two, but I would like to point out one thing.

As to right now, we have had 340 views of this thread. Now I realize that everyone who has posted here has looked in on this thread more than once. I probably have 10-15 looks my self. Yet, even by cutting the number of views in half, it indicates that somewhere around 150 members of this community may have at least looked at a few of the posts here.

While it may not be appropriate to publicly share what is going on within any one individual, I pray that this thread will serve as a starting point for self examination - a practice that no disciple of Christ can ever neglect.

[Amanah]

People may be hesitant to respond as they don't want to be criticized.
I actually regret responding to this thread as I feel I have been misunderstood.

[A.W. Bowman]

Originally Posted by Amanah

People may be hesitant to respond as they don't want to be criticized.
I actually regret responding to this thread as I feel I have been misunderstood.

Dear sister, please - from the lead-in post:

Originally Posted by A.W. Bowman

This is a particularly difficult subject to address because it is so hard to get honest answers to the various questions that arise from confronting one’s self, Especially in a serious self examination concerning what one believes and why – and how well one measures up to the religious standards they use to judge others. Most forks are just not willing to publicly share this level of intimacy. And - that is most likely a good idea. Therefore -

This is meant to be a rhetorical question and not to be answered in an open forum.

No one targeted you, no one slammed you. But your reaction to the followup comments made by others is interesting - is it possible that it is you who have 'misunderstood' others? Or, that there is sufficient responsibility to go around? Is it also a possibility that exchanges like this can serve as a means for clarifying one's own thoughts, ideas, and positions?

Please, do not let this opportunity pass by - why have the exchanges on this thread upset (disturbed, offended) you? What could you do to improve your communications, or receive ideas that differ from what you thought you were sharing? And, what is it about this subject and the responses you have received, that seem to keep you on 'how you were treated', andnot moving on to further sharing?

Again, the answers to these kind of questions are for personal consideration only - not as an open forum counseling discussion - I am not qualified for that job.

Again, your comments to this discussion are a valuable contribution, please continue to share your thoughts on the question.

Shalom

[Amanah]

Originally Posted by A.W. Bowman

Dear sister, please - from the lead-in post:

Again, the answers to these kind of questions are for personal consideration only - not as an open forum counseling discussion - I am not qualified for that job.

Again, your comments to this discussion are a valuable contribution, please continue to share your thoughts on the question.

Shalom

You are right in that I should have kept my thoughts to myself. It isn't a good topic for discussion as it is too personal, just as you have said. If I could go back and undo my previous posts, I certainly would.

[Jay]

Amanah, I agree with you on this topic. I gave myself a few days before I gave decided to post. I have a number of reasons why I walk this way. There will be people who do not like or agree with my reasons but that will not bother me.

1) I love and desire to serve God.

2) I am thankful that He shed His blood on the cross for me.

3) I love living a life of holiness and modesty.

4) I love learning more about His Word.

5) I love His Church.

6) I desire to be obedient to all of His precepts, doctrines, and commands.

7) I want to go to Heaven.

8) I do not want to go to Hell.

9) I am looking forward to His soon coming.

10) I love seeing what God is doing in my life.

11) I love so see what God does in the lives of others.

12) I love to see the power of God.

13) I love seeing my prayers answered by God.

14) I love so pray to my God.

15) I love the name of Jesus.

16) I love to worship God.

17) I am thankful for His delivering power.

18) I am thankful to be saved from sin.

19) I enjoy being used by God.

20) I love being a representative of His in this world.

21) I love that I am His child.

22) I love to see Him answer prayer.

23) I love to see Him perform miracles, even those that I have only heard about.

24) I am thankful that He promised that everything that He did and more, He promised that I would do greater.

25) I do not want to be lost.

26) I am thankful for healing me and my family when we needed it.


These are not in any order outside of the way they came to mind, and some of them came all at once and so were written down that way. There are many other reasons that I am a Christian, but they are too many to list. And for any who would say that this list is all about me, read it again, because all that I have, am, will have, and will be are all because of Him. This is a list of reasons that I love and serve Him, with the head of the list having to be: 27) I am a Christian because He loved me.

[Amanah]

Jay, nice well rounded, honest list.

[Aquila]

We love Him because He first loved us.

[Godsdrummer]

Art

Just like you to get to the bottom of things, at least try. The simple fact or question is why did God create us? Why is everything equated in the thought of "what is salvation" and why are we trying to be saved? It is my understanding that God created us for the purpose of relationship with him. nothing more nothing less. What has being saved got to do with this? It is mans selfish human striving for something outside this life that has caused this. When over the years I have come to see it is not about eternal life rather what is this life all about.

We have twisted the desire of God of the primary reason we are born into this world. It is in this world he desires to have relationship with him not the world to come. The Kingdom of God is here on earth right now, it is right now that we have this special life that we can have this special relationship with God.

We miss the beauty of this life and world because we are too wrapped up in being saved for eternity because we think God is comming back to set up a world in which everything he created this world for is taken away. The harships that come in this life are what make relationships stronger. Take that away and what do you have? Nothing. Yet this is the direction most of Christianity is pushing for.

In Closing this thought I am reminded of Jesus words to the relgious leaders of his day. "you search the scriptures and think you have found eternal life, but they speak of me" Today we have come to do this very thing, we search the scripture looking for things we must do to obey, makeing man made rules and doctrines to follow to obtain eternal life. While all the while those verses do nothing more than direct us to personal relationship with our creator, not rules of obediance that are required to be saved.

I know this may have been criptique in trying to get my thoughts down but I hope some of what I am trying to say has gotten accross.