Are We Missing It All?

When did the life of a Christian stop being about Christ in you the hope of glory and tied around events and happenings. We have seemed to put dying to ourselves daily and letting Christ live in us on the back burner. Don't get me wrong we pray it all the time but we don't do it. We forget and revert and not do what God wants.

James 1:22-27(NLT)
"22 And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. 23 For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law – the law that sets you free – and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. 26 If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us."

We've forgotten that if action is not applied and discipline (empowered by the Holy Spirit of course) we only have a form of godliness and we forget what it was God wanted to fix in our lives. When we get away from God's Word and start getting into traditions (things we do ritually and the way we've always done something) and church as usual we end up dry and stale. Growth comes from doing the things God says. I know a lot of people who can say the right things but the actions of their character and heart show another. In Acts Jesus told us to be witnesses . One church was so much like Jesus they started ridiculing them by calling them Christians and Paul said don't be ashamed to wear that name.
When was the last time anybody teased us for being like Christ? My point exactly. When have our personal actions stirred up the Pharisees in our modern church? My point exactly. We have put the emphasis on events and not people. We have forgotten John 3:16 and we are trying to orchestrate a move of God without his primary objective which is souls. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. The lost definitely don't come to us no more because statistically with divorce, children out of wed lock and many other issues we kind of look the same overall. What they need is the uncompromising church that will live what it preaches and is their brother's keeper. The gospel is designed to be lived not only preached. We are so into building a church organization when the church is the people. God is building His church with living stones. Get out of your pew and live it for those around you. You will be the only Jesus some people will ever see. What do they think of Him because of you?

-Shamik