February 17

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?

-Acts 11:26 states, … And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch … The word "Christian" means: one who believes in, follows, and demonstrates the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Without the Lord Jesus Christ there would be no such thing as a Christian or Christianity. In essence then, Christianity revolves around a person, and in fact IS A PERSON. This person, is of course, the Lord Himself.

-Christianity is NOT:

-A SET OF DOCTRINAL BELIEFS …

-A DENOMINATION …

-A RELIGION …

-A BUILDING MADE WITH HANDS …

-A knowledge of the scriptures alone does not a Christian make. It is WHO the scriptures speak of that makes Christianity what it is. Remember … Eternal life ( the life of the ages ) is to know God, and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent ( John 17:3 ) ... Being a true Christian is not so much what we do, as much as it is Who we know. The doing of Christianity will become a byproduct of the One that we are in relationship with. The One that we speak of, is of course, THE RISEN CHRIST!

According to William Barclay:

-"There was one mistake into which the early church was never in any danger of falling. In those early days men never thought of Jesus Christ as a figure in a book. They never thought of Him as someone Who had lived and died, and Whose story was told and passed down in history, as the story of someone Who had lived and Whose life had ended. They did not think of Him as someone Who had been but as someone Who is. They did not think of Jesus Christ as someone Whose teaching must be discussed and debated and argued about; they thought of Him as someone Whose presence could be enjoyed and Whose constant fellowship could be experienced. Their faith was not founded on a book; their faith was founded on a person." ( William Barclay )

-LOOK UNTO JESUS!-