The Christian Life

Reflections on 1 John 3:1-12

“Dear Friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when

Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2&3

The word Evangelism is not a negative word, but sometimes it is taken that way. Evangelism means sharing the Good News of Christ and God’s love for all people. The reason why some people take offense when they hear this word is because they feel judged by the person asking. When that happens, walls of resistance go up, and the time of listening stops. Questions of doubt form in the person’s mind such as, “Do you feel I am not a Christian?” When all the one asking is sharing the Good News of Christ.

In 1962, a Presbyterian pastor by the name of D. James Kennedy from Arden, North Carolina, developed a program known as “Evangelism Explosion" which sent shock waves through most Christian people. The program was based on two questions for discussion: 1. Do you know for sure that will go to Heaven one day? 2. If God were to ask you, “Why should I let you into My Heaven?” what would you say? Why were these questions so explosive, because he was questioning people’s faith based on world material wealth in people’s lives instead of spiritual wealth of knowing Jesus and God’s love for them.

The question comes to me many times, what is the Christian life? The answer I give, it is a growth process of being more like Jesus. It is not something you can decide one day to be a Christian and the next day deny. You have a birthing experience when you realize God has chosen you to be his child. Many churches have a ceremony known as baptism which acknowledges that fact on an earthly level we understand. The life you take on being Christian is the life Jesus gave an example for you to follow. In his day whatever rewards and challenges the master received, so did the followers.

The Christian life is to live a life acceptable to God. Jesus led a life that knew no sin. Most people who are aware of what Jesus did for us will say, I can’t do that, my life is not sinless. That is true, none of us are sinless. But growing into Jesus’ likeness is a purifying process of cleaning your spiritual house to be more like him. There is a difference between committing a sin and continuing in sin. As we grow in spiritual maturity, we a less likely to fall back into the old ruts of sin that disables us and less likely to commit a sin, because we know what is acceptable to God.

So as we grow in our life growing into his likeness, the questions that Pastor Kennedy asks in his program should not be scary at all, but a result of your relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord, I have all too often thought that it was enough to just say I am a Christian. I now understand you have been calling me to a closer relationship with you. With the help of your Holy Spirit, I am growing into the likeness of Jesus. Amen.