Acts 15:11 "But we believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved"
"To be or not to be is not the real question. For most of us I do believe that we all want to be but maybe we have questions of our own as far as what it really takes to actually Be.
I am talking about being a Christian and what we must be as a Christian. The black and White fact is either are, or you are not. And it is a choice. To be, or not to be.
We must BE Christians to have eternal life, and forgiveness as it says in the WORD.
How are we to live as Christians? How are we to BE?
Most of us know the BE-Attitudes. We are to be pure in heart, be merciful, and be peacemakers. How else does the Word of God put it? We are to BE many things.
Be Strong, Be Loving, Be Kind, Be Forgiving, Be Patient, Be Joyful, Be Helpful,
Be Giving, etc.
But what is the greatest BE to the Christian. What is it we are to BE to even become a Christian. First and foremost,
I. We are to BE-LIEVE.
A.You can’t BE a Christian if you do not BELIEVE. So it all starts with BELIEVING.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1.This is an area in which a vast majority has issues with. We are too gullible to the world’s lies and seem to be faithless to God’s Word.
2.We too easily believe things that are just plain and simple, “our there”.
3.From believing in haunting Ghosts to believing in magicians, we are very gullible. But for some reason, it is harder for people to believe in Christ.
4.What is really sad is that not believing in Jesus isn’t just with people that believe wacky things. The Lack of belief is within many normal thinking people as well.
5.We say things like, “I need hard core concrete proof right in front of me.” “If I can’t touch something or see it in person, it’s not real.”
6.I can understand this way of thinking, I really can but here is where I debate this thought. We want hard evidence. We want to have our faith validated!
Illustration: Has anyone in here actually seen the Titanic up close where it now lies at the bottom of the ocean?
We have all seen photos; we all have read or have even heard stories of the Titanic. So I am sure we all agree that the Titanic is real. In a sense, don’t we all have some sort of faith, that the Titanic is real? I mean we all believe right?
So, why is it so easy for people to believe in a sunken ship but so very hard for many to believe in a risen Savior? We have drawings, stories of actual accounts, and yes the biggest validating part, the Bible.
7. A man’s life is governed by his thoughts; he will ultimately become that which dwells most on his mind. “You are what you eat.” Engulf yourselves with his presence, put Him in your mind, Become more Christ like and have Faith.
8. Our faith is validated each time we go through hard times, we should view them as a blessing because it is where we can grow stronger with our belief in Christ.
9. If we keep our faith throughout the hard times, we then can look back and realize that God saw us through it all, just as He promised. Our faith becomes validated.
10. What scientist can argue with that? They do all their research and studies upon the validation of their results. Christians do likewise.
James1: 6-8 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
TO BE - is to be BELIEVE in Christ. The Question is..DO YOU BELIEVE or NOT?
Once we believe,
II. We are to BE -HAVE.
A. We are to behave as followers of Christ. Hence the name, “Christian”, which literally means Christ like.
1. Accepting Jesus into your life is just the beginning of the battle. Living the Christian ideals is another.
2. Non-Christians look at Christians for the slightest flaws. In churches it is not uncommon to hear he or she is a Christian and yet they are such awful people. Professing you're a Christian is good, but it is even better if you adhere to Christ’s teachings
3. Just like everybody else I too am a struggling one. Struggling to be more like Christ every day. Struggling for Jesus to continue molding me to be the person He created me to be.
4. But how are we really to behave like a Christian? Let take a look at what Scripture tells us about our behavior. It's a letter/epistle of Paul to the Romans.
Romans 12:9-21 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
-You claim to be a Christian, right? Check back what Paul had to say.
5. Paul lays it out for us doesn’t he? I believe that we should use Romans 12: 9-21 as a check and balance for our behavior.
6. I say that but do I do it myself? No I don’t, not all of the time. But I sure do need to practice what I preach.
Romans 3: 23-24 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
7. What do we learn from this? We may not be the perfect person who can do all those things but we can be a person whose heart is fully dedicated to the Lord with humility accepting that we’re not perfect yet with willingness to be broken and changed.
8. So, are we to accept that we are not perfect and use this imperfection as a crutch in out Christian walk? OF COURSE NOT!! We need to strive each and every day to become more and more like Christ with all we say, do and even think.
9. By behaving as Scripture teaches us to will not only affect us but it will affect those around us as well.
10. Our behavior is like stars and just as stars do, our behaviors can grow bright or dim, affecting all those around us.
VIDEO: “Shine Like Stars”
11. I wonder how many of us are still shining but seem to be flickering, burning out, growing dimmer and dimmer. Do you need to regain that inner light that will ultimately shine outwards? Do you want to shine bright for yourself, others, and for Jesus?
B. I suppose the big question for us is: What are some ways in which we can brighten our lights?
1. One way I believe we can get brighter is through prayer.
-I can tell you when Stacy and I get lazy with our prayer time together, my light defiantly grows dim. I seem to be in a horrible mood and I become ineffective not only within my own life but for all those around me. Ask anyone of my wrestlers or children, I guarantee you that they can tell when my prayer life isn’t where it needs to be. I seem to spend the day grouchy and upset with the world, only wanting to hide any light that I may have. Just leave me alone!!
2. Another way in which we can brighten our lights is through our worship.
-Now I don’t just mean coming to church. Coming to church each and every week is without a doubt an awesome light charger but I am talking about true focused heart to heart worship with our Father.
-Each time you study and contemplate the Scriptures, Every time you listen to good Christian music and allow it to flow through you to your very core, I am talking about each and every time you speak about Jesus to someone and really lift Him up as the reason for your life.
-Each and every time you speak His name and lift Him up in this dark and dreary world you are worshiping Him.
