What is a "Christian"?

What is a christian?
I'm going to tell you how to become a christian. I'm not gonna give u a list of does and don'ts, but rather tell you the steps needed to becoming a true follower of Christ.

The church of today has put so much emphasis on how "christians" are supposed to look that they have lost all sense of how a "christian" should LIVE

If u ask an unsaved person what a christian is 90 percent of them will say someone who doesn't ________. Not doing certain things (drinking, smoking, cursing) does not make u a christian and it surely won't get u into heaven.

Anyone can, and most Americans do, "believe" in Jesus rather than some alternative savior. Anyone can, and many Americans sometimes do, say a prayer asking Jesus to save them. But not many embark on a life fully devoted to the love of God, the love of neighbor, the moral practice of God's will, and radical, costly discipleship.
– David P. Gushee

Titus 1:16
everybody "says" they're a christian. Everybody "says" they believe in God. (The sinner's prayer)

Acts 16:30-32
when the guard asked "what must I do to be saved?" They didn't tell him what to wear or what to eat. They told HIM to "believe"

Belief in Christ means belief in His word and His will

Belief will cause you to do these 3 things...

Repent- to change one's mind about sin in such a way as to result in a change of action and a change in one's will
acts 2:37-47

Receive the Holy Ghost acts 1:8, jn 16:13-14, acts 19:2-6, luke 11:24-26, mark 3:29 if anyone speaks against the Holy Ghost's existance (saying it isn't needed today) they are blaspheming

Study 2 tim 2:15 why do we need to "divide" the word of truth?, 2 tim 3:16, James 1:21-24

"A child of God"
Rom 8:13-14
You are only a child of God if u are lead by the spirit of God (Holy Ghost)

Don't be deceived by a person's outward appearance

Mat. 7:15-23
Jesus says "sheeps clothing" because He already knew people would assume they knew a christian just by what they wore

2 cor 11:13-15
false prophets "transform" into apostles of Christ. How can u make someone think u are an apostle of Christ when u aren't one? LOOK THE PART!! Meaning talk like, act like, and DRESS like one

Luke 6:43-44
We will know them by their fruit.. No matter what the package of seeds says we won't know what kind of plant we have until it grows. Meaning you can't look at a person ONE TIME and know if they are a christian. We have to watch their lives.

Rom 12:1-2
Don't be conformed to this world. Just as some demonic pastors are transformed into pastors of Christ, we too can be conformed into Christians of darkness

What happens when we see giants?

Num 13
The "sight" of a giant will:
1. Bring fear

2. Make u belittle yourself

3. Make u assume they will belittle and dominate you

4. Make u discourage others based on your own fears

5. Make u lose faith in your God and have faith that they will conquer u

6. Make u forget God's promises to you

7. Will make u call God a liar
(God tells u that a certain job is for you and u don't even apply for it because u "think" there are others more qualified than u)

8. Remind yourself of how BIG the giant is and try to talk yourself out of fighting it

9. You will pay close attention to what the giant is "wearing" and what "weapons" it has

10. Others will Get upset at you for even thinking about fighting it

This all will happen before the giant even speaks one word.

The sight of a giant causes an internal battle against oneself and his faith

This is what u should do when u see a giant
1 sam 17
1. Remember who's side you are on

2. Remember where God has already delivered u from

3.Have faith and claim your victory even before u go to battle

4. U CANNOT fight a giant with someone else's covering or armor

5. U can only use the weapons that U are capable of weilding

6. Walk by faith and not by SIGHT, no matter how big and bad the situation (giant) looks

GOLIATH

Over 9ft tall

Just his armor and weapons totaled 150lbs

Had a huge shield (required someone to carry it for him)

What a giant does when he sees you

Belittle you
Base his victory on how you look not on who u serve
When he “sees” you his confidence will increase
He will have NO DOUBT in his mind that he will be victorious

Closing

We must look at giants (trials, etc) through God’s eyes and lean on His understanding

We must believe not only in God but also believe in ourselves that we can carry out God’s will (self-confidence)

If this is your first giant encounter and u have no past experience that God has brought u out from then read hebrews 11 and see how God delivers those who have faith

Finally we must fight giants with the word of God (our weapon) just as Jesus fought satan in the wilderness

A giant won't meet u on a mountain top. He will come to u when u are in a valley already.

Stop saying "I'm gonna hold my peace and let the lord fight my battle" sometimes we have to fight too

Clarification

Jesus DID NOT come to make everyone on earth feel warm and fuzzy. If he did they wouldn't have crucified Him. U ever heard of someone getting killed by someone who they made feel warm and fuzzy? NO

Matthew 10:34-38
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

They didnt kill Jesus bc they were doing God's wiil. They killed Jesus because they HATED Him! U ever heard of someone being hated bc they made everyone feel good? NO so stop trying to paint this picture of a passive, enabler of sin Jesus bc that IS NOT who He is.

John 15:18-19
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

He came for those that were sick right?

Mark 2:17
17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Sinners (the sick) are called to REPENTANCE. If a doctor calls u and tells u that u have cancer and u will die if u don't get treatment and U REFUSE TO COME TO HIM u will die. The only way we can live eternally in heaven is if we ANSWER THE CALL AND COME TO JESUS. There is NO other way!

Are we seeking the love or the approval of others?

When I was growing up I got spankings when I did something wrong, I was pushed by my parents to do good in school and to respect others. Sometimes I got angry with my parents for doing this but one day I realized that they LOVED me enough not to accept me failing at becoming a man and didn't give up and say "well my son wants to quit school because he is homesick so it's ok" I'm glad they encouraged me to do and be better. I never had to seek their love because it was ALWAYS there. They didnt approve of every decision i made and they voiced their opinion about it, but disapproval doesnt equal hate. If I would've quit school they still would've loved me they just wouldn't have approved my decision. So we must ask ourselves am I seeking something that is already there or does the approval of others drive me? Parents who love there children might not approve of EVERYTHING they do but they love them enough to push them to be better. I hope u love me after reading this. Be blessed