How To Be A Christian

So what ran through your mind when you first saw the subject line? Did you think, “Wonderful, I could use a quick ‘how-to-’ guide for my busy life”?

Sorry to disappoint you, but this is nothing like that. This isn’t even a devotional.

It is a Bible assignment and a challenge.

The assignment is for you to read the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, all this week. Read it all the way through at first, then go back and read chapter 5, and then read chapter 5 by sections, and then move on to chapters 6 and 7 reading in the same manner.

The challenge is for you to clear time out to do this assignment. I imagine by time some of you actually read this it will be Friday or Saturday. If that is the case I encourage you to spend the weekend catching up.

I don’t know what resolutions you did or did not make. I do know this, with the theme of “Looking Towards Heaven in 2011” and the desire for revival in America, things must change radically in my life, in my family’s life, in our church’s life, in our community’s life, in our state’s life, and in our nation’s life.

I want to share a response I received to yesterday’s devotion because it neatly sums up what we are facing in America:

    Thank you, David.
    For decades this vital message has been missing from the churches, pseudo-churches, the parachurch pseudo-ministries, Bible studies, devotionals, homilies, children’s vacation Bible schools, mega-pseudo-churches, anti-churches, seminaries, TV and radio “ministries” and of course missing from the daily, real-world, living testimony of our lives, our spending habits, our manifest expression of our true desires and vanities.

    In other worlds the only thing that has been missing from our “Christianity” is Christ. The only thing that has been missing from our “churches” is God. The only thing that has been missing from “our walk with Jesus” is Jesus.

This past Sunday our pastor said that the Sermon on the Mount was Jesus’ instruction for how to live the Christian life. I believe we can turn to this amazing sermon to learn how to put Christ back into Christianity, how to put God back into our churches, and how to put Jesus back into our walk with Jesus, as my friend John so eloquently stated.

I will be studying diligently this precious sermon and begin writing on what the Lord reveals to me, beginning on Monday. As (that is if) you join me this week ,I encourage you to keep a small journal or take notes on the thoughts and/or questions that come up and if you feel lead to, I would welcome you sharing them with me.

I am excited about what God is going to do in my life. I strongly exhort you to join me on this journey; don’t be left behind. Don’t allow 2011 to just be a replay of 2010.

See you on Monday and don’t forget to go to church on Sunday!

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2011 David Jeffers

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