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Reason #2 \u2013 Christians in America don\u2019t know what makes you a Christian<\/strong><\/em><\/span> I think the second reason that some Christians are so mean \u2013 or act nothing like Jesus \u2013 is because we evangelize people the wrong way. By that I mean that we tell people that they are \u201cChristians\u201d if they have prayed the \u201cSinner\u2019s Prayer\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n NOTE: This \u201cSinner\u2019s Prayer\u201d appears nowhere in the Bible, by the way. It\u2019s just something we made up to make it easier to evangelize.<\/p>\n This brand of conversion is part of what\u2019s wrong with the Church today. See, rather than to invite people to follow Jesus (become his disciples) and obey his teachings in their actual lives, we urge them to repeat after us: \u201cJesus I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and that you rose from the dead and that you are coming back to take me to live with you in Heaven one day. Thank you Jesus for your gift of eternal life which I receive today. Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Once we get people to repeat this prayer (or something like it) we tell them that they are now \u201cChristians\u201d. Of course, getting them to pray that prayer isn\u2019t so difficult if you start off by asking them something like, \u201cDo you know that if you died tonight you would be in Heaven tomorrow?\u201d<\/em> or maybe even \u201cWith every head bowed and every eye closed, please just quickly raise your hand if you don\u2019t want to burn in hell forever. I see that hand, thank you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n And then we ask them to repeat that magic prayer and \u2013 voila \u2013 they will go to heaven when they die.<\/p>\n Of course, Jesus had a slightly different method. First of all he called for people to follow after him. Not too complicated. Might actually fit that on a bumper sticker. But then he added that if anyone wanted to follow him (become his disciple) they would have to give up just one thing \u2013 He called it \u201ceverything.\u201d<\/p>\n And<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhoever wants to be my disciple must\u00a0deny themselves and take up their cross daily<\/strong>\u00a0and follow me.\u201d (Luke 9:23)<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n This is pretty different, I\u2019ll admit. Notice that Jesus doesn\u2019t ask anyone about a preference for burning in hell forever or not. Notice that he doesn\u2019t ask them to repeat any magic prayers.<\/p>\n Nope. He just asks us to trust him with our entire lives and make an intentional connection to him our daily practice of faith.<\/p>\n So, if you\u2019re going to call yourself a \u201cfollower of Jesus\u201d you might just have to, you know, follow him and stuff.<\/p>\n It\u2019s sort of the reason he said, \u201cWhy do you call me \u2018Lord, Lord\u2019 and do not do the things I say?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Yeah. Those two things sort of belong together, don\u2019t they?<\/p>\n The Pray-a-prayer-so-I-can-go-to-Heaven-when-I-die sort of theology allows people to think that just because they participated in a ritual when they were nine years old, they can go ahead and live any way they want, and still believe they are \u201cChristian\u201d \u2013 which means \u201cChrist-like\u201d, by the way \u2013 even if they are not<\/em> Christ-like and are not even attempting to be so.<\/p>\n Trust me, if you prayed one of those magic prayers a few years ago but today you are far away from Christ and you are not remaining in fellowship and relationship with Jesus, you\u2019re probably not the sort of \u201cChristian\u201d that Jesus expected to inspire.<\/p>\n See, the problem is that we\u2019ve turned salvation into a \u201cthing\u201d. We\u2019ve over-stressed the fact that salvation is a \u201cgift\u201d and then carried that metaphor out to an illogical conclusion.<\/p>\n Yes, salvation is a gift from God, in the sense that it is free and you don\u2019t need to deserve it. But it\u2019s not a gift in the sense that you can take it (like a pair of socks) and wear it apart from the one who gave it to you.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not how it works. Not at all.<\/p>\n But, as long as we remain in Christ, Christ remains in us. And we need this intentional abiding [daily living] in Christ, if we hope to receive all that Christ is or has to offer us.<\/p>\n Or, as the Apostle John states it:<\/p>\n \u201cAnd this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.\u201d (1 John 5:11-12)<\/em><\/p>\n So, I hate to say this, but if you prayed a prayer just so that you could go to Heaven when you die, you might not be a Christian in the true sense of the word.<\/p>\n So, this would be why your life doesn\u2019t reflect the heart and character of Jesus. That transformation from within that leads us to start producing the fruit of the Spirit \u2013 Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness and Self-Control \u2013 is only possible if we are constantly connected to Christ with every breath we take.<\/strong><\/p>\n This is a daily practice. It\u2019s a way of life; a way of being who we are in the world on a daily basis.<\/p>\n If we start to do that, we might just avoid being mean to others and that means loving others, forgiving those who offend us, and serving the people who cross our path, regardless of who they are and what they believe.<\/p>\n Try it! It\u2019s better than life!<\/p>\n [END PART TWO]<\/strong><\/p>\n **<\/p>\n Keith Giles was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church 11 years ago, to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community.\u00a0<\/em>Today, He and his wife live in Meridian, Idaho, awaiting their next adventure.<\/em><\/p>\n
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\u201cThose of you who do not\u00a0give up everything you have<\/strong>\u00a0cannot be my disciples.\u201d (Luke 14:33)<\/em><\/span>
<\/p>\n\nUpcoming Event: Heretic Happy Hour 2nd Anniversary LIVE Podcast Show! Saturday, August 17 at 6pm in Costa Mesa, CA.<\/strong>\u00a0Admission is\u00a0FREE. Learn more\u00a0HERE<\/a>
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\nWant Keith to come speak at your church or in your home town?<\/strong>\u00a0Send and invitation\u00a0HERE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nKeith\u2019s\u00a0newest book,\u00a0\u201cJesus Unveiled: Forsaking Church As We Know It For Ekklesia As God Intended<\/a>\u201d released on June 9, 2019 on Amazon, and features a Foreword by author Richard Jacobson.<\/em><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\nKeith\u2019s Podcast:<\/strong>\u00a0Heretic Happy Hour Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is on iTunes and Podbean.\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n