So you are a Christian. Great. Now what exactly does that mean to you?
You say you believe that Jesus is your savior. Nice. Ok, tell me more. What is required of you as a follower of Christ? You do your best to avoid sinning. That is a good start. What else?
How are you as a parent? You love your children. Good. Jesus said even the wicked love their children. Do you teach your children to love themselves and not others outside your family? Do you teach your children that the poor deserve to suffer? The answer better be no or you will have failed Christ. The Lord taught that you are to serve others in His name with no thought of recognition or reward. That is not charity. That is living grace.
What do you value? What do you prize most? Big house. Fancy car. Money in the bank. This is where you are supposed to say that those are just trappings of a life well lived, your heart has been filled with Christ. Jesus said you cannot equally value material things and God. You cannot have two masters. Jesus expects you to pursue spiritual things and serve God by serving others. There are no exceptions to those rules. The Lord said the rich are not likely to be welcome in God's presence. Easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. If you value greed, you just might be screwed.
If you are loyal to Christ, then you have to be loyal to the teachings of Jesus. Those teachings were conveniently packaged in four short gospels. You better radiate grace and the love of God. You better attend to those who suffer in your presence. Your heart better be on them. The Lord said the spiritual pathway is narrow and difficult. You are to go out in the world and heal others to the best of your ability. You are to prepare the world for the Lord's eventual return and God's will finally being done on earth as it is in heaven.
Being a Christian is no idle pledge. It is about following Jesus.
Can you follow Jesus and ignore the injustices around you? Jesus calls us to action, not simple aesthetics. Action for Christ means action for others. Go read how the Lord will separate the sheep and the goats in Matthew chapter 25. I take it you understand that it will suck to be counted as a goat.
No points will be given for doctrinal correctness. None. Nada. Same for ritual correctness. What to hear the Lord laugh, share your infinite knowledge of God through your favorite theology. Christ will roll his eyes if you talk about predestination. And no points will be given for what you voted for, but points will be taken away if you helped take away the rights of others to vote and have a voice in society. You cannot cheer violence even if you think it is justified under the circumstances. Love others as you would wish to be loved.
Don't claim to revere God as creator if you do not revere God's creation. Cheering the destruction of forests, rivers, oceans, mountains, and animals by human hand is disrespectful of God's gifts.
We are the body of Christ. Not a bunch of very loosely affiliated churches or members of an exclusive club. We are to serve as the Lord's eyes, ears, heart, and hands. Our petty differences better not interfere with the function of this body.
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