Beating the Stereotype of Christianity
Christianity is not just another religion. I define religion as legalistic traditions and rituals that are associated to a particular faith. Jesus Christ, in the many examples told in the gospels, has pushed beyond the legalism of the religious framework during His day by offering the love of the Father. Christianity is therefore a living personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ which grants us liberty from legalism. We are empowered by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have a God who is interested in our lives and responds to our prayers.
Christianity is more than an institutionalized faith. The church is more than a premise where Christians come together for religious ceremonies. It is a refreshing atmosphere of belonging to the family of God, where love, care, support and accountability reign supreme. It is the communal powerhouse that focuses on meeting the needs of the society and blesses the nation at large.
Christianity is beyond scripturial study. The Bible is not just plain history book and a manual for holy living. It is about learning His Story. It is about internalizing God's commandments with the goal of explicitizing them through the obedient walk with God. The manifestation of a true scripturial understudy is the experience abundant life in the presence of God, not just a highly educated theologian.
Christianity worship is above beautiful songs and hymns. There are just a form of expression of our worship to God. Matt Redman truly understood this when he wrote The Heart of Worship. Our lifestyle, stewardship, work, time, talents etc are all worthy of worship to God, as long as they are directed towards Him. Surrender epitomizes the heart of worship, as explained by Rick Warren.
Christianity redefines grace and love. We don't do charity to earn good karma. It is never about earning brownie points to get into heaven, because we all fall short from the glory of God. Out of love, God sent Jesus to die for our sins. In response to such mighty grace, we love God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind, and we love others as we love ourselves. We forgive others because God forgives us first. We do charity based on God's principle of grace and love.
posted by Mel-Vern @ 1:14 PM
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