That C-Word (Not the One You Think!!!)

You meet someone in the street.  Maybe it's a friend from days gone by.  Over a coffee and danish in a nearby cafe, you start a long catch-up session. 

"So what are you doing with yourself these days?" your friend enquires.  "Well, among other things, I'm a Christian," you reply.

And there it is.  The C-word.  One that can change the atmosphere quicker than you can blink.  A word that can evoke one of several possible responses:  either, "hey, that's really awesome!! Me too!!  Where and when?"; or perhaps, "oh okay.  I'm not, so just keep it to yourself, than-you-very-much-ta."  Or maybe even, "gosh, look at the time!!  Must dash, I'm late for my lobotomy! (ahem!) Lovely (ahem!) to see you again." 

"Another bible basher - here we go again!!"  Please just hear me out, okay? It may seem that way, but that's not what this is about.  

What is it about that particular word that can create such strong reactions like that?  What does it mean?  The Oxford dictionary defines it as "Relating to or professing Christianity or its teachings."  Well, that explains everything - not!  I can't speak for everyone who professes to follow Jesus, but I can give you my personal take on it.

You see, I believe that over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ died on the cross at Calvary.  He did this to pay the price for sinners like us, so that when we pass on from this world, we will live with Him for eternity in Heaven with other believers.  It means that from when I was baptised, I went into the water a sinner, and came out in a new life.  It means that my old way of life is gone, I now try and live according to the laws of God (Ten Commandments), and am guided by the Word of God (the Bible).

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, huh?  Not in this lifetime, it ain't!!

Now, IN PLAIN ENGLISH...  

If anyone tries to tell you that once you become a Christian, life will be a breeze, you'll have everything you want, yada-yada-yada... smile politely and walk in the opposite direction.  Because it isn't.  But it is... better.  I feel a lot more laid back and mellow than I used to be.  Sure, there are still the challenges - such as illnesses, challenges (oh yes!!), financial struggles, employment issues... you name it, they are still there.  But now we have a whole new guide to help us deal with them.  Personally, I found Jesus' Sermon On The Mount fantastic, and so enlightening.  Heaps of neat stuff, like the Beatitudes - you know, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth..." and other pearls like that.  You can read it for yourself in Mathew Chapters 5 to 7. See, even though He is the Son of God, Jesus knew what life was like.  That's why he lived among men for 33 years. 

There's a lot of people who say, "look, I'm sweet! I'm a good person, I help old ladies cross the street and give to charity.  God'll let ME into Heaven, that's for sure!  I don't need anything else!"
I wish it were that easy;  I've known about the Lord since I was a child, but didn't realise it takes more than that, and that I actually needed Him until well into adulthood.

Let me put it another way.  Every situation has pros and cons, yeah?  OK, let's look at those.  Hmmm, where to start...?  I'm a firm believer in "leave the best for last", so let's start with the "cons":

1.  Barriers go up with a lot of people, who for some reason, have embraced atheism in a huge way.  They're the ones running late for the lobotomy.
2.  Sometimes, you do tend to stand out from the crowd - when you don't feel comfortable with what your mates/colleagues are doing/saying, it can seem like there's a bright fluro-coloured neon arrow aimed right at you. 

Now for the "pros":

1. To quote Aladdin and Jasmine,  "It's a whole new wooorrrllld". If you're like me, and come from a really dysfunctional background, to know that you are finally you are loved for who you are - warts and all.   And not just by the Lord - a sign of the true family of God is unconditional love to the best of their ability (bearing in mind that we ARE human, and we're NOT perfect).
2. You get to claim all the awesome promises of God.  And there are so many scattered all through His Word.
3. You just don't feel right doing the old stuff (meaning drugs, promiscuity, !@#$%^ language, porn, any old prejudices, etc) anymore - it's called "dying to self". 
4. There are some ROCKIN' Christian music artists!!  If you get the chance, check out Casting Crowns, DC Talk, Michael W Smith, Morgan Cryer... heeeaaappps more. So many of the old hymns are awesome, too.  And movies:  Flywheel, Facing The Giants, Courageous, Fireproof - all movies about real-life situations that can happen, and the difference that faith can make.
5. You have access to some of the best teachings ever - including some that may challenge your way of thinking, and make you look outside the square.

So is it worth it?  You betcha!! Like I said before, it's not all a walk in the park.  I've had people say to me, "I know you won't want to do that, cos you're religious".  If I was "religious", I'd be following every little so-called ritual e.g. "You must jump up and down 6 times and turn clockwise 3 times around the building before you can take Communion". Nuh-uh.  If someone tells you you HAVE to do stuff like that, ask them to back up with Scripture.  From the Bible - Old and/or New Testament, not some book that some so-called prophet wrote to add to it.  The only Sacraments that are God-ordained (i.e. - what Jesus did) are baptism and communion.  And the signs of a godly church are biblical teachings, church discipline, and they follow the Sacrements.  Anything else is man-made.  Someone says you can be rich?  Ask them to prove it with Scripture, and then remind them what Jesus said in Matthew 19:16-30.  I'm not a big fan of healing crusades, either, to be honest; everything happens according to God's will, and I'd rather see what He has in mind, than have someone try and work against Him.

OK, I'll get off my soap-box - for now.  There is so much more I could say, but I kinda like knowing that you folks out there in Blogspot land take the time to read my little warbles.  So I'll finish off with a quote from a wonderful old hymn written by a lady named Fanny Crosby (1823-1915):

To God be the glory, great things he hath done!

So loved He the world that He gave us His Son

Y'all come back now, y'hear?!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—

and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV