Taking No Offense Due To Being An Authentic Christian

Then Jesus answering said unto them,

 Go your way and tell John what things ye 

have seen and heard; how that the blind see, 

the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, 

the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor 

the gospel is preached. And blessed is he,

whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Luke 7:22-23 

     Authentic Christians are instructed not to hold onto tight what others think of them and by this than they are, we are come free to love those who attack us, attack our reputation, and even falsely demean our character.  It is good to hold a barometer to our Authentic faith and a good barometer is how we respond to the attacks against us and for those who to does badly as if they are above us.  Authentic Christians do not retaliate against those who offend us and by not retaliating the door is open for us for reconciliation with our adversary.

     It is true we are to add to our virtue knowledge.  Yet, Authentic Christian Faith is that moral achievement has the highest priority and value over intellectual achievement.  Authentic Christians pursue moral excellence rather than just to have more knowledge.  Yes, we are to study God's Word and gain knowledge of God's Word and how to apply God's Word in our life, in other words, to change it from the inside/out.  This is not true of many of the other religions of the world, those so-called mystery religions that lead their followers into some sort of deeper knowledge that becomes a source of their salvation.  We see this by many of those televised Christian programs with those television celebrity pastors and leaders who are teaching some sort of "secret key" and if a person has that they have the way to salvation.  Whereas Jesus in this?  Not there!

     An examination of many of the major world religions, such as Hinduism or Islam class distinction is held among them, such as Hinduism with their various economic classes, and Islam with the various sects that have some sort of knowledge the others do not and even put women in a certain class bowler than man who have something against those who do not have the ability to read it to write and make them have great disadvantage.  It is interesting to note that those classes never, or at least hardly ever come make progress in those systems.  Islam, Muslims, kill those who do not agree with their theology and their moral system.  All one has to do is turn on the TV or listen to the news and you will know that this is absolutely true.  Authentic Christianity does not operate in that manner and do not hold one class higher or lower than the other.  The opening Scripture tells us that Jesus did not cause the unintelligent, and those who cannot read or write, or those who are diseased or maimed or poor, the Gospel is to be preached to all no matter what station they find themselves in life.  The Gospel is intended for every one, for all of humanity.

     Authentic Christianity places emphasis on the preference of virtue over intellectual achievement and holds to a value that is higher and supersedes the practical manner in which virtue fits the goals of the great.  Authentic Christianity has this goal in mind and have the ability to excel in this goal.  We all don't have the same ability to achieve some sort of intellectual greatness but all can excel in their pursuit of virtue.  Too often young men and women in the church are pursuing knowledge, secular knowledge, over scriptural knowledge.  It is true as fallen creatures, those who have as all of us to fallen nature, we have weaknesses and often shortsighted and we have a tendency to make mistakes.  Here is the important part: the wisest and most learned of the one to recognize how futile it is when it comes to human pride and human wisdom.  How often the pseudo-intellectuals hide behind a facade, or hypocrisy.

     Authentic Christians pursue morality for all humanity is made in the image of God and that being so, God has given us the rule for man to be blessed by being moral.  Authentic Christians do not sit back and complain about the way things are and how they think they should be better and do nothing or very little and as we should remember we have been called to be doers, not sitters. Authentic Christians have the Holy Spirit in our inner presence and by his presence we are made capable of driving to attain real progress in our efforts to be Authentic Christians.  Here is a fact: we can take advantage of them means that God has provided and we can have the confidence that He will help us to succeed.

     

What Are You Striving for?

Richard L. Crumb