Lately, I have been drawn back to the idea that we do not need new truths. We need to go back to the basics. This will be a series on my Instagram but I wanted to make sure all of the thoughts were in one central location.
What is a Christian? When I really think about it and examine it biblically I thought this:
- A Christian is someone who believes in Jesus. At the most basic level that is all, it is to believe in Jesus. If you believe that Jesus is who he says then you are a Christian.
I have found that different churches can hurt a lot of people so much that they say “I use to go to church” or “I use to be a Christian”. If you believe in Jesus but do not agree with a past denomination (or church) I invite you to wrestle with this. Humans are broken and can hurt others. But God is not human. He is so much more. I hope that this can encourage someone who has been hurt by people to reconsider their relationship with God.
One of the most well-known verses in Christianity is John 3:16-17. It says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him”.
God didn’t wait for the world to notice or want him, he moved first. He sacrificed for us in a way that only he could so that we might have the opportunity to be with him one day. He loved us so much that he wanted to give us a profound hope that only comes through salvation.
In verse 17 John goes on to write that God did not come to condemn the world but to save it. At this time the Jews believed that they were God’s chosen people. While that is true it also meant they believed that God’s favor only rested on them. However, this newfound promise of Jesus meant that anyone who choose to believe in him would be saved.
Takeaways:
1. God loves you so much that he would give anything to be with you
2. God didn’t want to be limited to one people group. Your Christian friends aren’t the only people God cares about. His heart is for more. It is great to have a solid group of Christian friends. I would even go as far as to say it is NECESSARY, however, we are called to more. We can not simply stay in the group that makes us feel the most comfortable. (This may look different for different people. My main point is that God didn’t create us to judge others but rather God delights in us when we love others)
3. There should be no guilt when it comes to Jesus. We as humans mess up but God knew that. He loves you so much that he does not want you to live in sin but wants you to live life to the fullest.
John 8: 12 – When Jesus spoke again to the people he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
A lot of times people will say that they dont feel the “light” that is Jesus. One thing I have found is that many times when this is the case the person may not have had much time to actually hang out with Jesus. Without relationship and fellowship with God, how will we have his light? With that in mind here are some ideas on how to start your week 🙂
-Start every morning with worship music
-listen to a new podcast/sermon
- -the porch
- -bridgetown
- -VOUS church
- -WHOA thats good
- -red church
- -midtown church
- -southside community church
-Have a bible study with a friend
– Read a passage in the bible and go deeper(look up commentary or journal about it)
-John is always a good place to start 🙂
-Start a new bible plan on the bible app
-Plan out what you want to do for the sabbath this week
-Memorize a new piece of scripture
-Go on a walk and meditate on a piece of scripture
( These are all spiritual disciplines that help us stay intune with Jesus! If you want more information lmk and i will make another post about these)
This will be added to weekly 🙂 If you don’t follow me on Instagram check back here! Much love and God bless ~ Isabel (: