OK, so I'm a Christian man. But I married a Muslim young lady!
How does that work? You may ask.
And yes, I know, I know, I know... Most fundamental evangelical Christians would say that is a "no-no".
But within a few years my Muslim wife had a powerful experience with the One True God, and now she is a sold-out, Bible-believing, born-again, Spirit-filled Christian!
No, I wouldn't recommend that a Christian guy marry a Muslim gal. "Missionary" marriages are not a good idea. In other words, if you think that you are the only one that can "save" them, you are drastically mistaken. But in my case I felt that the Lord was leading me to do it. But I believe God had a special plan behind it. My wife found her true love in Jesus.
One of the things I learned from my wife is the perception of Christians in Muslim countries. Seeing that she came from a Muslim country, I count her as a credible source.
Many Muslims and Islamic Countries view Christians as people who are pathetic in their worship, pathetic in their morals, and pathetic in their dedication to God. They believe that Christians are the ones given to drunkenness, drugs, and all kinds of immorality.
Sad, but true, they are right! There are a lot of people who call themselves "Christian" who fall into this category. They don't actively seek God. They don't live a true life of worship. They cover up and/or attempt to justify their immoral lifestyle. They live like there is no fear of God in their lives. They can talk the talk, but do they walk the walk.
Notice I said earlier that they call themselves 'Christian'. There are a lot of people who consider themselves Christian. To them, being Christian means being born in a "Christian family". Some people even believe that being Christian and being Caucasian are synonymous! Others believe that being Christian means that you believe that there is a God and that Jesus existed.
But there are a lot more to being Christian than believing that God and Jesus exists. Being a Christian involves incorporating core Christian values into your heart and life. This brings me to the gist of this article: What are the key core Christian values? What value system does a true Christian hold?
Is there such a things as Christian values? And if so, what are they?
I grew up in a home stuck in a kind of a spiritual limbo. I only remember stepping into a church a few times in my childhood. The only time we went to church was for marriages, funerals, a baptism and one other special occasion.
Seeing that we weren't very dedicated to church, there was a little bit of a spiritual background. There was a couple of family members, long deceased, that had strong, solid spiritual values. And some of those values were passed on. But the true fervency of Christianity was not.
I grew up in a home, and a culture where being a Christian meant being holy. If good 'ole Johnny became a Christian it was understood that he gave up his sinful lifestyle. If Johnny became a Christian it was well understood that he quit smoking, quit drinking, quit sleeping around, quit cursing and swearing, and quit doing drugs... and rightly so. This type of value system was taught throughout the ages. This is the type of value system taught by Jesus. And if we claim to be Christian (followers of
Christ), then we ought to reflect His values, and obey His teachings.
The message of holiness is a message of turning away from sin; cussing, drinking, smoking, doing drugs, gossiping, violence, hatred, bitterness, secular music, false religions, the occult, etc.. etc...
From Enoch, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to the prophets of old, to Jesus, to the revivalists, and to the saints this message of holiness was taught over and over again. But too often the Christian label is corrupted by unholy lifestyles. The Christian name is defiled by those who call themselves Christian but do not live holy as Jesus taught.
Christian core values are that of seeking God, prayer, and holy living. Jesus said that we must be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. The voice of God sounds loud and clear in the scriptures, "Be holy, as I AM holy!"
How is God holy? He has nothing to do with the sinful, and degraded lifestyles of unregenerate mortals. The word "holy" means set apart. It means being completely separate from the world system. It means being different than everyone else. It means living righteous, fueled by the fear of the Lord. In fact, the scriptures declare "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". Most people do not know the true fear of the Lord. Most people do not understand it.
"Cast me not away from Your presence, O Lord. And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me!" King David exclaimed
Can you can hear the cry of Davids heart? He is afraid of losing the presence of God. Many have. And he knows it. Many have lost the presence of God. Through selfish, natural human pride, they hold fast to their sin. God removes His presence because He simply can't stand it. Light and darkness cannot dwell together. Sin and holiness cannot dwell together.
But you hear stories of pastors and priests falling into sin. Recently we have heard many stories of a few priests who molested little boys. This, my friends is a great sin, and a horrible representation of the God they claim to serve. This, my dear friends, grieves the Lord, and angers Him.
We hear stories of pastors who fall into sexual sin. We even hear stories of pastors who do drugs. This should not be! Whether it is sexual sin, gluttony, gossip, or illicit drug use, we must never forget that this is sin. This is what can damn a soul to eternal torment. This kind of sin is what Jesus came to obliterate!
Christian leaders ought to be true examples, shining in the true Christian values, values which echo that of the Holy saints of old. These values have no room for sexual immorality, love for money, love for power, provocative dress, smoking, drinking, cussing, or drug use.
True Christians have taken up their cross to follow Jesus. They sacrifice all for Him. This may even include their very reputation, their lives, their all. Let every one of us who claim to be Christian either a) drop the Christian label, or b) live holy as Jesus taught.
God Bless you as you seek Him, follow Him, and give yourself wholly and entirely to Him. Then we will reflect true Christian values in our lives.
How does that work? You may ask.
And yes, I know, I know, I know... Most fundamental evangelical Christians would say that is a "no-no".
But within a few years my Muslim wife had a powerful experience with the One True God, and now she is a sold-out, Bible-believing, born-again, Spirit-filled Christian!
No, I wouldn't recommend that a Christian guy marry a Muslim gal. "Missionary" marriages are not a good idea. In other words, if you think that you are the only one that can "save" them, you are drastically mistaken. But in my case I felt that the Lord was leading me to do it. But I believe God had a special plan behind it. My wife found her true love in Jesus.
One of the things I learned from my wife is the perception of Christians in Muslim countries. Seeing that she came from a Muslim country, I count her as a credible source.
Many Muslims and Islamic Countries view Christians as people who are pathetic in their worship, pathetic in their morals, and pathetic in their dedication to God. They believe that Christians are the ones given to drunkenness, drugs, and all kinds of immorality.
Sad, but true, they are right! There are a lot of people who call themselves "Christian" who fall into this category. They don't actively seek God. They don't live a true life of worship. They cover up and/or attempt to justify their immoral lifestyle. They live like there is no fear of God in their lives. They can talk the talk, but do they walk the walk.
Notice I said earlier that they call themselves 'Christian'. There are a lot of people who consider themselves Christian. To them, being Christian means being born in a "Christian family". Some people even believe that being Christian and being Caucasian are synonymous! Others believe that being Christian means that you believe that there is a God and that Jesus existed.
But there are a lot more to being Christian than believing that God and Jesus exists. Being a Christian involves incorporating core Christian values into your heart and life. This brings me to the gist of this article: What are the key core Christian values? What value system does a true Christian hold?
Is there such a things as Christian values? And if so, what are they?
I grew up in a home stuck in a kind of a spiritual limbo. I only remember stepping into a church a few times in my childhood. The only time we went to church was for marriages, funerals, a baptism and one other special occasion.
Seeing that we weren't very dedicated to church, there was a little bit of a spiritual background. There was a couple of family members, long deceased, that had strong, solid spiritual values. And some of those values were passed on. But the true fervency of Christianity was not.
I grew up in a home, and a culture where being a Christian meant being holy. If good 'ole Johnny became a Christian it was understood that he gave up his sinful lifestyle. If Johnny became a Christian it was well understood that he quit smoking, quit drinking, quit sleeping around, quit cursing and swearing, and quit doing drugs... and rightly so. This type of value system was taught throughout the ages. This is the type of value system taught by Jesus. And if we claim to be Christian (followers of
Christ), then we ought to reflect His values, and obey His teachings.
The message of holiness is a message of turning away from sin; cussing, drinking, smoking, doing drugs, gossiping, violence, hatred, bitterness, secular music, false religions, the occult, etc.. etc...
From Enoch, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to the prophets of old, to Jesus, to the revivalists, and to the saints this message of holiness was taught over and over again. But too often the Christian label is corrupted by unholy lifestyles. The Christian name is defiled by those who call themselves Christian but do not live holy as Jesus taught.
Christian core values are that of seeking God, prayer, and holy living. Jesus said that we must be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. The voice of God sounds loud and clear in the scriptures, "Be holy, as I AM holy!"
How is God holy? He has nothing to do with the sinful, and degraded lifestyles of unregenerate mortals. The word "holy" means set apart. It means being completely separate from the world system. It means being different than everyone else. It means living righteous, fueled by the fear of the Lord. In fact, the scriptures declare "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". Most people do not know the true fear of the Lord. Most people do not understand it.
"Cast me not away from Your presence, O Lord. And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me!" King David exclaimed
Can you can hear the cry of Davids heart? He is afraid of losing the presence of God. Many have. And he knows it. Many have lost the presence of God. Through selfish, natural human pride, they hold fast to their sin. God removes His presence because He simply can't stand it. Light and darkness cannot dwell together. Sin and holiness cannot dwell together.
But you hear stories of pastors and priests falling into sin. Recently we have heard many stories of a few priests who molested little boys. This, my friends is a great sin, and a horrible representation of the God they claim to serve. This, my dear friends, grieves the Lord, and angers Him.
We hear stories of pastors who fall into sexual sin. We even hear stories of pastors who do drugs. This should not be! Whether it is sexual sin, gluttony, gossip, or illicit drug use, we must never forget that this is sin. This is what can damn a soul to eternal torment. This kind of sin is what Jesus came to obliterate!
Christian leaders ought to be true examples, shining in the true Christian values, values which echo that of the Holy saints of old. These values have no room for sexual immorality, love for money, love for power, provocative dress, smoking, drinking, cussing, or drug use.
True Christians have taken up their cross to follow Jesus. They sacrifice all for Him. This may even include their very reputation, their lives, their all. Let every one of us who claim to be Christian either a) drop the Christian label, or b) live holy as Jesus taught.
God Bless you as you seek Him, follow Him, and give yourself wholly and entirely to Him. Then we will reflect true Christian values in our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment