Faith

Christianity is a Lifestyle

Christianity is a lifestyle that transcends going to church or just saying a prayer. Part of the proof of our Christianity is in how we live our lives on a daily basis.

Now what I mean is this. While Tayo goes to church and prays every day, God does not want it to end there. He wants him to grow to a point where the new life that he now has completely affects his appetites, e.g. The things he’s attracted to, the places he’d rather be, how he acts and relates with people, and the way he lives his life in general.

Let’s read Ephesians 2:1-3.

It says [AMP], “And you [He made alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, in which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God]. Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived in the passions of our flesh [our behaviour governed by the sinful self], indulging the desires of [a]human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the impulses] of the [sinful] mind. We were, by nature, children [under the sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind].

This passage basically paints a clear picture of the life of an unbeliever (who we used to be and how we used to operate before Christ) but you’d be shocked that there are believers who still function like unbelievers.

And you see, proof that we are “like Christ” a.k.a “Christian” is in the fact that Christ now influences our entire lives; the way we live on a daily basis. It means that we are now under the Lordship of Jesus and certainly should be of better behaviour.

The proof that we are “like Christ” a.k.a “Christian” is in the fact that Christ now influences our entire lives; the way we live on a daily basis. Click To Tweet

When we became Christians, what we practically did was receive the life of Christ. So saying you are Christian is saying “The life I now live is no longer mine.” It is saying “I am now influenced by the spirit in my dealings.”

Saying you are Christian is saying “The life I now live is no longer mine. Click To Tweet

When we look into scriptures, we see Jesus putting his appetites under control. Even when he had emotions like us and felt some certain way, He was responsible enough not to always act out what he was feeling. We see him maintaining his cool, and acting right in several instances.

For example, when he was tempted by the devil to turn stone to bread, he was fasting and must have been really hungry. But he did not budge. Even when he could have just called the bluff of the people who were to arrest and crucify him, he maintained his cool. And trust me, it must have been really hard. Last-minute he even asked for the cup to pass over him, but then again, he succumbed to the will of God.

Now the point is this. A lot of us Christians are not exactly Christ-like in our lifestyle.  When you are not in the four walls of church, you do not genuinely care about people? Are you tolerant? how patient are you? Do you speak carelessly? Do you get angry easily and keep malice? How do you act towards others?

You’re either Christian or you’re not. Christianity is basically about putting your flesh under control. So we know you are Christian by how you relate with people, how you act when you are under pressure, how you respond when pushed, basically, how much you are able to let the spirit in you express itself through you.

There is no difference between your life in church and life outside church. You’re either Christian or you’re not. Click To Tweet

Christianity is a lifestyle, an expression of what happens in your born again spirit. The Bible says in 1 John 3:14 – “We know that you have passed from death to life because you love the brethren.”

While we have been called to a life of freedom as Christians, we have also been called to a life of order. Like my Pastor often says, “a life ruled by the spirit is a life of order.” The Holy Spirit is always about making a place or thing better than it was before he came in.  And if we would only pay attention to him, we would see a lot of things that he wants to change about us.

While we have been called to a life of freedom as Christians, we have also been called to a life of order. Click To Tweet

Jesus is really what everyone needs. If you give a person Jesus and the person genuinely receives and starts to pay attention to him, you won’t need to say “don’t wear this, or don’t act like this”. The problem is that half the time, people do not sit with the Jesus they now have, enough for him to genuinely influence their lives.

Jesus is really what everyone needs. Click To Tweet

The Bible in 1 Peter 2: 2 says “like newborn babies [you should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfilment]” This tells us that our growth as Christians is dependent on our desire for the word. And growth here is not just about being knowledgeable about the things of God, it’s referring to God’s word taking root in our hearts, so much so that it invariably begins to affect and influence our everyday lives.

Our growth as Christians is dependent on our desire for the word. Click To Tweet

Romans 7:6 says, “But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now, we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the spirit”

Galatians 5:16 “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves and verse 25: “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”

I want you to understand that Christianity is as real and as practical as the air we breathe. Hebrews 4:15  says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet he did not sin.”

Christianity is as real and as practical as the air we breathe Click To Tweet

God understands everything you are going through. He is concerned about it. If you would talk to Him about it, He would help with ways for you to get better. He cares about your weaknesses, he cares about your shortcomings and your struggles. There is nothing you would ever go through that he is not concerned about. No area of your life would ever be too nasty to him. He’s genuinely interested.

God understands everything you are going through. He is concerned about it. Click To Tweet

God will have us, His image-bearers have better attitudes towards others, to be a lot more accommodating. (And I’m on this table because I genuinely love my space and would rather be by myself, doing what I want when I want to.)

He is interested in us becoming the best version of ourselves, not just in prayer and in the study of the word, but also in Motherhood, Fatherhood, Friendship, Family and other relationships we have here on earth.

We cannot be amongst those cutting people off and shouting “self-love” We should, and would be there for the people we have to be there for, regardless of the responses we get from them in return (and I am not referring to a dating relationship). In a relationship, it would be important to see/know that whoever you’re going to spend your life with is intentional about letting you know they want you back. This is different. Like Pastor Laju Iren recommends, please date intelligently.

What I’m actually talking about is the family and friends you’re supposed to be there for, but have withdrawn from because you feel you are not getting the same energy. This thing will be hard, fam, but if it means you crying to God and telling him how you feel about it, please do it (I do this a lot). You will receive the strength to walk in love afterwards.

We have been called to a life way bigger than us. It’s not about how we feel, to be honest. We are a fragrance of God to the world. That’s the very essence of Christianity, and by now you should already know that living a life of purpose is going to inconvenience you. It’s going to mean leaving your comfort zone. And guess what, we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do. Remember, Christianity is a lifestyle❤️

We have been called to a life way bigger than us which is not about how we feel per time. Click To Tweet

Thank you for reading Christianity is a lifestyle, kindly remember to leave a comment below.

Written by –  MAURA HANS-IBEZIM

Check out Forgiveness – a ‘Doing’ Word

                   Purpose vs Comfort

                  Are You In Conflict With Your Parents? Read this

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