Luke 9:23, "Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me." [NLT]
What does the Christian Experience look like to you?
If you have been in the church for any length of time, it may seem that most "believers" come into an experience of salvation, followed by stagnation, and ended in frustration. For whatever reason, the idea of being a Christian was appealing but it never really came into fruition.
Allow me to share with you some of the reasons I think this is true:
1) We put a lot of emphasis on our salvation experience
2) There wasn't anyone around to model the Christian life
3) No one taught us how to move past our discouragements
4) Prayer and Bible reading didn't prove to be enough
5) I never could seem to live up to the standards
Does any of this sound familiar? Maybe you have experienced this in your own life. Maybe you understand full well why so many people seem to quit on God...or at least the church. If you know of these experiences, you are welcome to comment at the end of the blog.
Let's take a look at my comments from above. Too many believers put a lot of emphasis on their salvation experience but never move past the being born again stage. Unfortunately, the pinnacle of their Christian life happened the day they got saved. I celebrate my birthday every year but the day my kids were born holds greater significance in my life. Why? Because I have moved past my day of birth. I have matured in my understanding of life. And I realized that I couldn't allow my natural life to be stuck in my past. Make every day in the faith a reason to celebrate.
Far too often, new believers are left to themselves. For whatever reason, there isn't a loving brother/sister in Christ that comes alongside them to help them grow, plug into the church family, and help them find their way in this new life. Could you imagine the day your kids were born simply celebrating their birth and then expecting them to walk out of the hospital on their own? The natural life doesn't happen that way and neither does the spiritual. Not only that, but if there is no one to teach us what it means to walk with Christ, then there is no one to show us how to overcome the discouragements that we may face. The church was never meant to be a Lone Ranger community.
Prayer & Bible reading just wasn't enough. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Here's what I mean by that statement: We are born into a relationship not a religion. If prayer and Bible reading are not grounded upon this relationship then we find a Christian experience that is dry and dull. While we need prayer and the Word to guide us along in this journey, a biblical discipline isn't enough to produce life.
How many people have giving up on the Christian faith because they felt that they couldn't live up to the standards? My question in this type of thinking is: What/Who is the standard? There are plenty of church families out there that I could not/would not be a part of. When a church "family" is rigid, legalistic, and lacking the love of God then we will be kept from experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promised. Now some of the standards that people think of may come from their own understanding of the Christian life. If that is the case then we need to ensure that they know about the grace of God, His unconditional love, and how to live out their identity in Him.
In Conclusion:
Jesus summed up the Christian Experience in Luke 9:23: Put away your selfish desires, shoulder your cross, and follow me.
It's a life that is filled with making Jesus the supreme object of our affection.
It's a life that follows Him wherever He may lead.
It's a life of making Him known in the world.
It's a life that is identified by His sacrificial love.
If you haven't moved past your salvation experience, then you have missed out on the abundant life that He has promised. But the good news is that you don't have to miss out anymore. Go Ahead...Take Up Your Cross...Follow Him!!!
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