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Chris-ti-an-i-ty
(kris'chee.an.'e.tee) n 1. The Christian Religion.
2. Christians Collectively. 2. The state of being a
Christian.
( From the "Funk and Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary, Volume 1 A-M
)
When
I was young, I was taught that Christianity was a list of things
that I couldn't do, and a list of things that I should do, if I wanted
to call myself
a good Christian. I was taught what to say when I was asked certain
questions by the priests, or , because my background is Roman Catholic,
what to say to the Archbishop when he conducted my religious class in
their sacrament of confirmation. I was taught what the sacraments were,
and who our Archbishop was, who the Pope was, in general, why we
had the sacraments. I was taught doctrine after doctrine of the Roman
Catholic Church.
I was taught how to go to confessional, how to be
a good altar boy (or "acolytes" as we were sometimes called. ) I was taught
everything I could ever want to know about Roman Catholicism, but
nothing about Christianity at all. I had to spend 21 years
after my confirmation,
(this happens when "good Catholics" turn 12 years old) searching
and
trying other religions and beliefs to finally wind up coming back to my
Christian
roots, do some more research and finally get the answer ! I'm
placing
what I found out into this text so that just perhaps, you won't have to
do what
I did.
Christianity, as it turns out, was far different from what my church told
me it was. Christianity was a state of being. I could be angry
and still be a good
Christian, I could be sad and still be a good Christian, I could be jealous
and still be a good Christian. You see, I'd been taught that "good
Christians"
always were happy, they had no problems and life was ALWAYS good to them!
Nothing could be further from the truth !
Christianity is something that actually defies a true definition, because
that
definition changes for each person. It's kind of like how I
experienced the
program of Alcoholics Anonymous. When I first entered the program,
May of
89' all I wanted to do was stop drinking. I knew that A.A. could
help me to stop
drinking. That's all that A.A. was for me at that time. As
I spent more time
in the program, I began to notice that I had been able to hold on to the
same
job because I was showing up on time and actually listening to instruction
given to me. I'd been able to do that because I became a more rational
and
clearer thinking person through A.A. Now my definition
of A.A
had evolved. It was "A.A is how I stopped drinking" it evolved
to
"A.A. is how I maintain my sobriety and how I'm able to keep my job".
(My work history was terrible up to that point..I had not held a job for
a year until
I got sober. ). Later on, my definition of A.A. evolved once
again to become
"A.A. is how I maintain my sobriety, keep my job, and A.A. is helping me
to learn
how to associate with other people" (I was a major loner till
A.A. ! :) )
Notice that the program of Alcoholics Anonymous evolves to different
areas of my life? Christianity does the same thing. It starts
out with you
maybe just wanting to not feel so empty, maybe you were taught about JESUS
when you were little and now you want to know him better. Maybe
you
just want to stop doing drugs, or maybe you feel guilty about something
and
want JESUS to forgive you for it . That is, initially, what
Christianity is for you.
As you walk with the Lord, your definition of what Christianity is changes.
It evolves and grows into more and more areas of your life, until
if affects every area of your life.
Christianity is, in fact, a lifestyle, a state of mind, what some would
call , "a paradigm shift". Christianity is a live, vibrant
way of living and
being !
Despite the fact that Christianity is different for every person, there
are
a few things that are the same, they have to be in order for this "new
way of life"
to be called "Christianity." The first thing is you have
to believe that JESUS
is the Messiah. Secondly, you have to believe that when
he died upon the cross
he became the ultimate lamb for the ultimate sacrifice, his death paid
the price
for our sins. Finally, you have to believe that
he and only he can give you
eternal life, just like he said in John 3:16.
Some of us, have to take this in smaller steps, again, I use the
program of Alcoholics Anonymous as an example. A.A. doesn't have
rules, rather, it has twelve steps. I'm only going to look at the first
two.
Step one says "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our
lives had become unmanageable."
Step two says "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves
could
restore us to sanity."
If I were to define Christianity with Steps like what the fellowship of
Alcoholics
Anonymous had, they would look something like this:
Step one: We admitted we were powerless over people, places, things
circumstances and situations - that our lives had become
unmanageable.
We'd have to admit that. If not, why would we even want or need Christianity.
If we had power over people, places, things, circumstances and situations
we would have no desire or need of any religion of any kind. We'd be a
power
unto ourselves.
Step two: Came to believe that God and the practice of Christianity
could and would restore us to our sanity
In order to realize that we were powerless, at least some of us would
"have to try" to control people, places or things, circumstances or situations
up to the point where it would probably make them "feel crazy ".
Once they "got tired of feeling crazy" or were in enough emotional pain
they would get to the point were they could practice step 1. (That's
where
you get to when you begin to think that just maybe you want to
"try GOD".) After being at Step one for a bit, you move on
to step two
(Which is where you "get saved" or "accept JESUS into your life." ) and
from there you move on to the the Christianity, the lifestyle.
Christianity is more than actions, christianity is the force that drives
the actions. Christianity is not getting dressed up to go to church
on Sunday,
Christianity is getting up and getting dressed and going to Church on
Sunday even when you don't feel like it. Christianity is not
getting up and going
to work, Christianity is getting up and going to work when you'd rather
call
in sick and sleep in , or go fishing or in general just not go to work.
Christianity is not about deprivation. ("Christians shouldn't dance",
"Christians
shouldn't engage in petting (foreplay)", "Christians shouldn't have sex
before
they get married.") Christianity is about living life to it's fullest,
enjoying each
experience, trying out new and different things, all the while using temperance
and wisdom to keep from making foolish and in some cases, unwise choices.
King Solomon summed up Christianity quite well in Ecclesiastes 11:9 when
he said " Rejoice , O young man, in your youth and let your heart cheer
you
in your days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, and in the
sight
of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into
judgment."
Live your life, follow your dreams, experience the sensations of being
alive, be aware , as you do this, that you'll be
judged for your thoughts and
actions. So use temperance and wisdom in your
thoughts and actions. Those things
that give your trouble, ask GOD for help with them, and believe.
Christianity is freedom. The fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous breaks
this down into three words "Happy", "Joyous", and "Free".
Christianity is letting people know who you are, Christianity is expressing
your joy, your passion, your sadness, your grief, your troubles, your pains,
your
strengths, your talents and your gifts.
Paul, the apostle, described love once, and that same description
could be used to describe Christianity. He said (1 Corinthians
13:4-7)
"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love
does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave
rudely; does not seek it's own, is not provoked, thinks
no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things; believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things."
Christianity suffers long ( is patient), Christianity is
kind, it doesn't not
envy, it doesn't parade itself around, it isn't puffed up nor haughty.
It does not
behave rudely, it doesn't seek it's own (meaning it doesn't seek to
rule over us for
it's own sake. In fact, Christianity allow room for us to question, to
wonder
to explore, to do all of this so we can see that it is, in fact, real !
).
Christianity is not provoked.( "You have heard it said, 'An eye for
an eye and
a tooth for a tooth'. But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But
whoever
slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone
wants to sue you and take away your tunic , let him have your cloak also.
And whomever compels you to go one mile, go with him two..." --
Matthew 5:38-41). Christianity doesn't think evil of anyone (Your
not a sinner
if you're black, white, brown , yellow, straight, gay, bisexual or otherwise)
It doesn't rejoice when someone is wronged, BUT it does rejoice in
the truth.
Christianity bears all people, bums, drunks, hippies, yuppies, free or
imprisoned,
black or white, young or old, immigrant or native. Christianity believes
in all
people, has hope in all people and will endure to all people as it has
for thousands
of years past.
That is what Christianity is. A state of being, a state of living,
a state of
grace which we have not "earned", but we have it anyway, through the love
and grace of JESUS CHRIST. It's exiting, alive, powerful
and free.
A far cry from what I was taught. Don't you agree ?
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