What Do You Want From Christianity?

 People seek Christianity for a plethora of reasons.  Some are looking for answers to life's biggest questions (even the Answer), some are looking for the benefits though not the Benefactor, some are seeking fulfillment or meaning and purpose in life, some may be battling sin and want to have power it, some seek genuine salvation, some seeking a mission statement or assignment to dedicate themselves to, some are seeking mundane solutions and daily needs, some are actually searching for a way of escape from problems, some are trying to overcome sin or some hang-up or addiction, some are seeking for a job to do or task to complete, some are trying to find something they can do that will earn salvation, some are seeking a song to sing or creed to believe in, some are actually looking for truth and willing to pay the price to know it. There are many demographics of people in church who may seek these things: seekers, skeptics, cynics, nihilists, contra-Christians, infant Christians, adolescent Christians, and even your mature and informed believer.  What  do you want of your faith? 

Jesus is more than a personage to believe and that existed.  He is the God of Gods and the only perfect man who ever lived. He is more  than a moral Exemplar, or Teacher, or Leader to show us the way to live a good life.  His purpose was to die for us, not to show us morals or lessons on living.   He defined eternal life as knowing Him and the Father as it says in Scripture: Know the Lord!  He came to do all we couldn't do and to finish the work of defeating the devil's work and bear witness of the truth.  We would be blind without Him for He is the way and we would not know where to go without Him.  He is the truth and we couldn't know anything for sure without Him, and He is the life and we couldn't know how to live without Him.  Some teachers have said that we should emulate great men like Jesus but this sells Him short and doesn't do Him justice to rank Him with the so-called great men of history, though He is the central figure of Western Civilization and greatest revolutionist. Early believers called our faith the Way and sought to show the truths Jesus taught and to live in the truth.  It is a great joy to God that we abide in the truth and live accordingly. 

Jesus is a Friend,, Advocate, or Intercessor to have in our corner and to be on our side when we sin and to make sure we neve are alone.  But don't just think you are His buddy and can get on familiar terms or that God has favorites, especially you.  We are all one in Christ and there is no room for elites.  We are the servants of Christ and those who obey Him only are worthy of being called friends. We must strive to know Christ as Lord and Savior and even Judge and Teacher to not put Him in a box.  We must accept the true Christ and not another Jesus who isn't God in the flesh and receive Him for who He is: Lord and Savior. He lives in us as a substituted, surrendered, inhabited, exchanged, and Spirit-filled life!   He must be accepted as He is or we are rejecting Him; we cannot just see Him as a Savior and not submit as Lord.  Christ will not be divided. Christ seeks to live in us and that means more than someone who is company, but one who abides in us and controls us and we have Him living through us.  

Now, Christianity can be a fulfilling life if we seek God's will.  God will prosper us and equip us to do whatever He calls us to do and another thing: He will never give up on us and we are His work in progress and that means we will always grow in  our faith. We progress from faith to faith as we grow in maturity; there is no treading water so to speak as we are either backsliding or growing.  We are to have a living faith and that means one that grows.  We will go somewhere with Christ.  If you don't think or plan on going somewhere, that is still a finish line.  If you go anywhere long enough, you will end up somewhere.  So be careful that you go with God and find His will lest He say, "Okay, have it y our way and do as you will." That is a statement we don't want to hear!   For we will all have to go one on one with God and at the final audit of our lives, we will give account of ourselves. 

So what the real goal should be is to find God's will for your life and more specifically, your spiritual gift.  The only way to do this is to get out in the mission field or place of service and see what you can do and try things for experiment until you find what you are suited to and your natural gifting. We are all fulfilled when we find God's will and calling for our lives and start to progress in service with God's blessing.  Do you want to be rewarded for no labor in the Lord is in vain and when you find God's will you will be all the more motivated to do it and it won't be a chore.  It isn't a matter of your achievements though, but God's accomplishment that you trust in. Faith doesn't save, Christ does.  It's the object that matters.  That is the error of those who on Judgment Day will say, "Lord, Lord, did we not....:|" They trusted in their works, not in the Lord.  And by the way, we must neve play the "Let's compare!" game and get jealous of the ministries of others for to whom much is given, much is required. 

Our endgame ought to be to love Jesus more fully especially that it overflows and we can share Christ with others that they may see Christ in us and be converted--the main thing.  Our lives ought to be dedicated to service and only those who learn to serve will be happy in Jesus and find fulfillment.   And the byproduct of all this is that we know Christ and are able to build a loving relationship with Him. There is so much that our faith offers: we don't just have a worldview that outshines all others and answers all the big questions of life, but we can be blessed and truly find the good life by following on to know the Lord and obeying Him, for to obey is better than sacrifice. If you just want a life without problems or to be financially secure and to have the American dream, you are looking at another Jesus because the real one warned us we would have trials and tribulations in the school of Christ which comes with the territory. We must be willing to take up our cross and follow Him.    If you want a trouble-free life or the easy life, you have the wrong religion! 

Christianity is also good psychology for those with everyday problems or issues and even personal problems for Christians make good counselors and we can find out that Christ heals  us from the effects of sin and sets us free from the power of Satan over us. We don't just believe in avoiding bad behavior, but in living right and developing godly habits.   Then Satan cannot touch us! Our faith is truly a study of the soul and Christian psychology isn't about sanitizing the self or becoming a perfect person, but about the salvation of the soul. We seek not to judge but to heal and we can help each other in the body.  There is such a thing as a guilt-complex but there is real guilt also, and our faith teaches us to confess it and to become responsible for our sins and not just think anything goes and is normal for there are standard of behavior as a Christian and we must come clean sometimes and be honest with ourselves and others--call a spade a spade.

They say that religious people are the least stressed of all demographics.  Scientists think they have the truth and the only reliable truths can be known through scientific methodology, but they are as messed up as anyone else.  What  we gain as believes is the resident Holy Spirit to be our anointing and teacher so we have the mind of Christ and are open and positive to spiritual truths.  The world is blind to truth and cannot grasp or appraise the spiritual. Yes, even the Bible becomes an open book and a delight to read because we have the right Spirit to do it. The world by wisdom cannot know God!  

So what more do you want from Christ? How about affirmation that you did a good job when He says, on that day, "Well done! thou good and faithful servant." and how about when He rewards us with a promotion and says, "You have been faithful in little, you shall be faithful in much..." and finally, when the party and celebration begins and He says, "Enter into the joy of the Lord."  This is where it's at: we have a hope that no other faith has, we have assurance of salvation and a taste of it now.  

Christianity is Christ and if you remove Him, you disembowel it and it cannot avail. If all you want to be is a good person or be a do-gooder, then any religion will do.  But if you want full assurance of salvation, then Christianity is the only hope. Christianity is not just good advice or a philosophy or even just a worldview and way to live good, but a way to know God and love, serve, and relate to Him. This is the only religion that is not a works proposition, do-it-yourself proposition, or lifting yourself up by your own bootstraps.  It's not about your achievements at all, but God's accomplishments.  The devil doesn't necessarily want to make you a bad person, but as good as possible without God in the picture.  The whole point is that God solved the sin question once and for all with the cross.   We are to find our purpose in Him and "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever," as The Westminster Shorter Catechism says.    Soli Deo Gloria!