True Christians??

Question

I find it quite disturbing that many of the self-proclaimed Christians in here are just that: self-proclaimed.

Christianity is supposed to be about love, just as Jesus commanded in Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

But yet the "Christains" in this place don't do that..."love one another" includes ALL people, not just Christians and non-Muslims.

I am a Christian - born Christian, raised Christian...my father is a pastor.

But this must be the saddest thing I have ever witnessed in my life. Not only here, but all over the place.

I have found more peace, love and acceptance within Islam (from the Muslims I know) than in Christianity by the people I know.

So can you truly call yourself a Christian if you can't even obey the Word?

Some of you may be under the impression that I am against Christians and Christianity...I'm not. I am a born-again-Christian.

I know Christians are not perfect - the only perfect human to have walked the face of this Earth is God when he came down in the form of Jesus.

Just as Christians are not all the same, Muslims are not all the same...

You can't hate an entire group of people just because of the actions of some of its members. Do you hate every single German because of Hitler?

All I'm saying is that maybe, just maybe, Christians, myself included, should be trying harder to obey God's Word...

And a good place to start is by loving - or at least trying to love - our neighbours.

Answer 1

Are you familiar with the scripture which references the circumcision of the heart? That represents the cutting away of the flesh (or "self" - the big "Me"). This is the sign of a true believer. One who has accepted Jesus Christ as savior, which SHOULD result in the circumcision of their heart, or "loving the Lord your God with all your heart, and loving your neighbor as yourself."
Now, this is the ideal for all Christians. But, not all have reached this point. Some call themselves Christians, without truly being born again by the Spirit of God. These individuals are operating out of a head knowledge of God without the power of the Holy Spirit within them. There are also religious spirits out there which pollute the Gospel, making people think that they are "better than others," or "us four and no more." These are the same spirits that drive the KKK, Neo-Nazis, and racial groups that promote their group above others. We as people are all the same in God's eyes. We should be known by the fruit of our lives. If we are producing bad fruit or no fruit at all, then we are not walking as true Christians. A true Christian is called to love, not judge. It is the Holy Spirit's job (not ours) to convict of sin and to give revelation of Himself.

People today see Christians as a political group (which is wrong), more than seeing the true Body of Christ operating as it should. But, at the same time, while we are to love one another, we are also supposed to be "in" the world, but not "of" the world. This is where we are to be lights, not hiding our light with a lampshade, as Jesus warned. We do have standards by which we are to live our lives, but we also have the Holy Spirit as our companion to help us walk the talk. If we are walking in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh - which means, we will walk in the Love of God (patient; kind; not envying; not boasting; not proud; not rude; not self-seeking; not easily angered; keeps no record of wrong; rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, love never fails).
Christians (if we are really Christians) should be changing daily as we grow in our relationship with the living God. If we don't keep up our relationship with God (through prayer, reading the Word, fellowshipping with like-minded believers, and worship), then we will not be able to move forward in our sanctification. If we don't move forward, we stop or backslide. Jesus said that He would rather we be hot or cold, but if we are luke warm, He would spit us out of His mouth! I, for one, don't want to be there! We do have a choice.

As a pastor's daugher you have probably seen the best and the worst in Christians. But remember this. At the end of the day the only thing that matters is that we each (individually) obey the leadings of the Holy Spirit in everything we do. In this way we will not judge others, even other Chiristians. No one is harder on backsliding Christians than other Christians, because if we judge others, it is because we have the same thing working inside of us. This is why Jesus told Peter, who made a comment about John, "Do not judge another man's servant."

You are correct that it is a sad thing. Millions will not receive the Truth because the only Christians they have seen have not been walking in love.

Answer 2

Some love, some apparently do not. Some have the maturity, and some do not.
We are all of us growing, or not growing. I wonder how you are, if you are growing, or if maybe you are beginning to become seduced by Islam.
I happen to be a "Christian" in this place, and I don't appreciate being judged along with all the other ones that have an attitude. We are NOT all alike...there is unity in the Body of Christ, but not uniformity.
By the way, no one is born Christian. God has NO grandchildren.

Answer 3

I here ya, but I think it is more than just proclaiming.....I am a so called Christian, I accepted Jesus as my personal savior at age 9, but I would rather be called Christ follower....I am not perfect, I stumble everyday but it is more than what people can see, it is a heart change, It is a relationship with Jesus Christ...Do I have the new commandment down--NO---again I am not perfect, BUT through the blood of Jesus I am made perfect, because He has washed my sin away.......It is a daily renewing of my mind and spirit that helps me be the so called Christian I need to be.....

Answer 4

If this the saddest thing, you haven't been around much. And being born into a Christian family with a father who is a Pastor does not make you a Christian. You must be "born again" into Christ Jesus. If you do not know this, it probably explains your good relationship with Muslims who do not believe that Jesus is GOD. They put him down as a prophet.

Answer 5

I agree with you to an extent... some do follow Christ has He has instructed... some do not... some have no clue why they're even Christian in the first place. As do some Muslim follow their laws and some do not!

But as a Christian can you really call out all of your Christian brothers and sisters and say that all the Muslim you know are better people than they? What a generalization about the whole body of Christ...
.

Answer 6

No-one is perfect. Everyone, whether they are a Christian, Muslim, Hindu,or SpaghettiMonsterist, is going to fail in following the tenants of their religion from time to time. That doesn't mean they arn't trying. The ideals of Christianity (love thy neighbor) are GREAT ideals... lets' not abandon them just because we cannot follow that ideal perfectly, all the time.

To more specifically answer your question... Christians are humans. And humans can act irrantionally when they are afraid. 9/11 and the subsequent events have instilled in many Westerners a fear of the Islamic World (and obviously, in the Middle East, a fear of the West has existed a long time). Some people are reacting to that fear by villifying Muslims, just as those who are terrorists villify Westerners.

People are people, and we arn't always rational, unfortunately.

Answer 7

This world is like a "learning laboratory" where we are trying to live right, practice how to live, practice keeping God's commandments and learning to live by faith. Some have it down pretty good and are living as true Christians. Others have room to improve and grow. The key is to try, the key is to be practicing. Eventually, with the love of Christ we will all become good at it.
Jesus said, "Be ye perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect." Many of us have a ways to go.

Answer 8

I am saved by grace. A Christian by choice. If I fail as a Christian I have Jesus Christ my Savior who is just to Forgive me. I don't know how you deal with seeing all the "Christians" in this world act the way they do, but I believe I read in the same Bible that you quoted Jesus said we would be persecuted and despised just as He was and to count it all joy when we come into divers temptations. Loving everybody in the world is one of the hardest trials of a persons life. As a Christian I may fail to show love to EVERY person but I have a Savior who will.

Answer 9

Jesus is the ONLY way and truth and other believes are vain- Is it a statement of hate?

It is a statement of Love ! There are truths in our life that hurts for good.

It is not the Christians who claim that their faith and God is better than any others but Christ Who claims that He is the way and truth and other believes will lead to eternal condemnation. Let me know if you have anything against Christ.

Answer 10

It's not about our ability to walk perfectly. It's about trusting God for what we are to trust Him about. It's true that there are some that display anger and frustration here. They can be wrong about what they are expressing, if not in intent, then in application.

An angry Christian, as showing indifference to you, is not the saddest thing that I've seen. The saddest thing I've ever seen is someone who is incapable of accepting Jesus as the Christ.