#3 of 4: Am I a "Christ-less" Christian?
Corn soup without corn is just starch water with corn-like flavor.
How would you describe a Christian without Christ?
Jesus addressed all misconceptions of what it means to be a Christian heads-on, with no uncertain term. Jesus Himself said: Not everyone who calls Him, Lord, Lord, are truly His. Only those who
DOES THE WILLOF THE FATHER.
To all others who think they are Christ's, but to Christ, their lives are not about Him, Christ will say to them,
"I never knew you! Away from me, you evil doers!" [Matthew 7:21-23] Tree not bearing good fruit are cut down and thrown into fire [Matthew 7:19].
It is scary but yet not hard to understand.
A Christian's life, by definition, is a life about Christ.
Consider this
Dating or marriage relationship is an exclusive relationship to forsake all others.
SO:
* if my life is not at all about
[my partner], but it's all about me;
* if
[my partner] is not a part of my life; and even if
[my partner] is,
[my partner] is only a small part but definitely not the focus;
* if I don't really bother to find out or care about
what
[my partner] loves and hates;
* Even if I know, I do not love what
[my partner] loves,
and hate what
[my partner] hates;
* if I never put
[my partner] first above all other relationships,
and above everything else in my life;
* if I hardly ever talk to
[my partner] as a person, if at all,
but treat
[my partner] as "a concept" (e.g. of a wife or husband)
or "a belief" (e.g. in the marriage institution);
* if I have no hunger to seek
[my partner] out
and let
[my partner] speak deeply to my soul,
but only go by second or third hand sources of
rationalized, generalized "principles" that have no depth
in the understanding of
[my partner]'s
heart and inner being;
* Even if I heard what
[my partner] has to say
but I seldom act upon it right away out of love;
* if I go on with my life, with everyday problems; decisions;
dreams and aspirations; worries and fears, big or small,
but never consult
[my partner],
* if I seldom talk about
[my partner],
or talk in high regard with my family and friends
as someone important in my life,
* if I do not fight and defend for
[my partner]'s honor
when
[my partner]'s name is
abused & under attack, but instead feeling embarrassed
because of
[my partner]
What do you expect your boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband say to you
in your face when you call him/her "My love, my love?"
So now, coming back to our own relationship with Christ,
Let's replace "my partner" with "Christ":
* if my life is not at all about
[Christ], but it's all about me;
* if
[Christ] is not a part of my life; and even if
[Christ] is,
[Christ] is only a small part but definitely not the focus;
* if I don't really bother to find out or care about
what
[Christ] loves and hates;
* Even if I know, I do not love what
[Christ] loves,
and hate what
[Christ] hates;
* if I never put
[Christ] first above all other relationships,
and above everything else in my life;
* if I hardly ever talk to
[Christ] as a Person, if at all,
but treat
[Christ] as "a concept" (e.g. of God as a deity)
or "a belief" (in Christianity as a religion);
* if I have no hunger to seek
[Christ] out
and let
[Christ] speak deeply to my soul,
but only go by second or third hand sources of
rationalized, generalized "principles" that have no depth
in understanding of
[Christ]'s
heart and inner being ;
* Even if I heard what
[Christ] has to say
but I seldom act upon it right away out of love;
* if I go on with my life, with everyday problems; decisions;
dreams and aspirations; worries and fears, big or small,
but never consult
[Christ], [let alone treat Christ as Lord,
as someone who declared to be a Christian should];
* if I seldom talk about
[Christ],
or talk in high regard with my family and friends
as someone important in my life,
* if I do not fight and defend for
[Christ]'s honor
when
[Christ]'s name is
abused & under attack, but instead feeling embarrassed
because of
[Christ]
Then such a life is NOT at all about Christ!
What will Christ say to me when I meet Him face to face and call Him "Lord, Lord?"
Even if I won all human arguments and have successfully defended my title of a "Christian", it will not change the mind of Christ who will say to me, "I never knew you! Away from me, you evil doer!"
What else can I expect?
Litmus Tests for Christians: Do I have a life for Christ by the Spirit?
#1: A "
Purpose" Test
Is He the primary purpose of what I am living for?
Is He the primary motivation of my aspirations?
Is He the primary reasons why I do certain things
and not do certain things?
#2: A "
Connection" Test
Am I emotionally connected to Christ through the Spirit?
Do I intentionally protect my quality time with Him?
Do I seek to find out what He likes and hates
by studying His Word seriously,
and not by my own impression of Him?
Do I do what please Him?
Do I hear Him speak to me through the Spirit?
#3: An "
Obedience" Test
Is getting His approval my paramount concern?
Do I submit to do Christ's command even to the extent of
going against my own will and regardless of the cost?
Do I ask Him to empower me to overcome my unwillingness to obey
by the Spirit in order to glorify God?
How is my use of time, money and resources reflect Christ's Lordship?
#4: An "
Experience" Test
Have I experienced Christ in a personal, intimate way over the years?
Do I have a collection of answered prayers by His will such that my joy
be complete knowing that I am His disciple (John 15:7,8)?
Do I have a collection of evident divine involvements in my life?
Do I have a collection of what He said to me over the years?
Do I have a history of hearing from the Holy Spirit regularly?
Do I have a collection of memory and actual personal experience
(NOT just knowledge in the mind) of how He loves me and
how He involves in my life?
#5: A "
Fruit" Test
In what way is my life: its purpose; its highlights; its impact; its
significance; its legacy; all about Christ as Lord?
[Luke 6:43: Good tree bears good fruit]
#6: An "
Identity" Test
Is my identity in Christ alone as my Father's child enough to carry me
in all life circumstances?
Christ Follower's dilemma
Practically, we can only follow
ONE TARGET at a time. When Christ is not really our focus to follow, but we still really want to be a Christian, we create a dilemma for ourselves. What a depraved mindset! IF we have committed hearts to follow Christ, the only concern is how to follow closer.
When the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he must do to get eternal life, Jesus asked him to follow Him by first selling everything to give to the poor. The rich young ruler responded by keeping his great wealth, though they were rightfully his. Between Jesus and his wealth, he put his wealth higher than Jesus and therefore not qualified himself to follow Christ as a Christian [Luke 18:18-23].
So watch out for this kind of rich young ruler syndrome of the Christian's dilemma in our lives!
But they are everywhere:
- Do I put Christ first by ending relationships that I know Christ disapproves?
Or do I love these relationships over my love for Christ?
- Do I put Christ first by at least making tithing a financial priority before any spending?
- Do I put Christ first by sharing Christ in my life with my family and friends even when I feel uncomfortable? Or do I feel embarrassed of Christ?
The
ORIGIN of the term "Christian" is from Acts 11:26, first used by the citizens of Antioch as a nickname to call the disciples of Jesus Christ who witness and follow His teachings, so:
A Christ-less Christian is the most tragic oxymoron.
