NOT AMONG THEM

in Encouragement By Mccuon on 04 Aug 2016

Today,s world is governed by and established upon definite systems. A system is an organized set of doctrines, ideas or principles usually intended to explain the modus operandi of something. As such, we talk of education systems, marriage systems, and religious systems among others. These systems dictate the lifestyles of the people in the jurisdiction of their application.

The world is replete with a barrage of religions, and quite often Christianity is named among them. Actually it is acclaimed by many as the world’s number one religion with Jesus Christ, it’s ‘leader’ hailed by many as the greatest of all the religious leaders in history’s hall of fame. The intriguing bit is that this is the tainted impression many Christians have of their faith.

The truth is, this perception is a brainchild of the cohorts of hell! Christianity is not the best religion of the world; it’s not even among the world religions! It’s not a religion at all. Those who regard it so have their understanding defined by ideologies that have been hatched outside the revelations of Scripture.

What is Christianity then? Who exactly is a Christian?

Let’s look at the Word for a moment.

Acts 11:26

And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch, so it was for a whole year that they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

At this time of history there had arisen a great persecution against the Disciples of Christ at Jerusalem and they were all scattered in the regions of Judea and Samaria, and they travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. Here in Antioch is where they were first called Christians, meaning ‘Christ-like’

The term, remember, was given to them by the heathen who observed their lives to resemble that of Christ. They regarded them as followers of Christ, the same way many view Christians even today. Christianity, however, is more than being a follower of Jesus Christ; it encompasses much more than this.

Christianity is not the worshipping of God, even though Christians worship God. It is not going to Church, even though Christians go to Church. Its definition goes beyond all that. What then is Christianity?

Christianity is the divine life of God imparted to a human spirit here on earth. It’s God’s life at work in man. God didn’t send His only begotten Son to come and die such a vicarious death to give us another religion. The world already had too many of them. The Bible succinctly declares that Jesus came to us give life – life more abundantly.

John 10:10

The thief does not come expect to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

God loved the world so much that He gave the Son of His love so that anyone who believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). No religion can give life to anything, even the smallest bacteria. Glory! Why? Because Jesus Christ is the very embodiment of life! He said ‘’I am the way, the truth and the life’’. Oh, Hallelujah!

 Here’s what John the Apostle says 1 John 5:11

And this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life, and he that does not have the Son of God doesn’t have life. 

God has called us to a superior life in Christ. Remember that He came to die for our sins. Romans 6:23 declares that the wages of sin is death. You can only pay for your sins by dying. This is what Christ did for us. He took our place and died on the Cross as the atoning sacrifice of our sins. As far as the remission of our sins was concerned His death was enough!

However, it didn’t end there; He did not remain in the grave forever. On the third day scriptures says that God raised Him from the dead.  This had nothing to do with our sins. He was raised with a superior life. One that is beyond human intellect or senses. Christianity came from His resurrection; it’s a fruit of His resurrection.  It’s a call to this superior resurrection life-the pulsating life of the resurrected Christ in the spirit, soul and body of a human being. This is the condor of Christianity! It is a life that is higher than all other systems of the world.

In John 15, He says He is the true vine and we are the branches. The life that flows through the vine is the same life that flows through the branches! We are one with Him. Apostle Peter declares by the Spirit that we are partakers of the divine nature of God. (2 Peter 1:4)

If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation, a new species with a new divine life. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We died with Him and resurrected with Him. Now we possess a new life. This is true Christianity. We have a life that is superior to sicknesses, diseases and infirmities. It’s an overcoming life in Christ Jesus. A Christian is not subject to the systems of this world. He does live on luck or by what the circumstances of his environment dictate. He is beyond this, glory to God.

He is not afraid of trials and persecution, but is in the category of them that count it all joy when they go through diverse temptations (James 1:2). A Christian is a child of God. God is your father and you have His life in you, this cannot be religion. Live with this consciousness and manifest and influence your world with this kind of life. This is Christianity; not religion, it is not among them!!!

By Sir Ansen Masila. P