Does going to church makes one a christian ?
Being a christian shouldn't mean our daily presence in church or whatsoever !
What does being a christian mean to you ?

Personally, ever since I started making efforts to get closer and better in my walk with God I started seeing Christianity from a different angle...

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian.
Giving of Tithes and offerings doesn't qualify you as a Christian.
Being a worker in church as well as praying in tongues doesn't make you a Christian..

Your lifestyle, attitude to people especially those who are underprivileged, your unreserved love and willingness to forgive when angered , your conducts especially when no one is looking, your conciousness to either join the majority or maintain piousness is what defines you as a Christian.

Christian (ity) means, 'Christ-Like'

to be a Christian means to believe in Christ that's all, nothing more than that.
If you like be armed robber or prostitute it doesn't change anything, you are still a Christian.
From the stand point of God's view, you are not different from bishop oyedepo and adeboye

To be a Cristian simply mean you have a peaceful heart and you can do exploit. Greater is he that is in us than he that's in the this world.


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Mood11:
Personally, ever since I started making efforts to get closer and better in my walk with God I started seeing Christianity from a different angle...

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian.
Giving of Tithes and offerings doesn't qualify you as a Christian.
Being a worker in church as well as praying in tongues doesn't make you a Christian..

Your lifestyle, attitude to people especially those who are underprivileged, your unreserved love and willingness to forgive when angered , your conducts especially when no one is looking, your conciousness to either join the majority or maintain piousness is what defines you as a Christian.

Christian (ity) means, 'Christ-Like'

Exactly .

One Christian song writer write ."We make God’s love too narrow by false limits of our own." He might have said the very same thing about the Church.The Church has great convictions about little problems, and little convictions about great problems. for example tithe shouldn't have been "the big debate" it should be personal, if you like tithe if you like don't tithe , but we debate it as if our salvation depend on it.

Jesus saw what happened to those who sat in the seats of authority and understood that redemption could never come from them.

Calling ourselves "Christian" should automatically entail a commitment to excellence. Sadly, this is not always the case. far too often we use being "Christian" as an excuse for being less than excellent. This is
tragic and reflects poorly on the One we love and serve.

Riele:
Does going to church makes one a christian ?

Being a christian shouldn't mean our daily presence in church or whatsoever !

What does being a christian mean to you ?

Good question. This is a good question that many church-goers do not understand.
Going to church and attending Christian programmes such as special prayers sessions, deliverance services, etc have become the norm today.
However, the true essence of Christianity is quickly becoming extinct.

Being a Christian means accepting Christ Jesus as your Lord and personal saviour. Believing in your heart He was sent to reconcile man with God and that He is The Way, The Truth and The Life; Nobody goes to the Father, except though Him. Then, living a conscious, holy life through the help of, and communion with, the Holy Spirit.

paxonel:
to be a Christian means to believe in Christ that's all, nothing more than that.
If you like be armed robber or prostitute it doesn't change anything, you are still a Christian.
From the stand point of God's view, you are not different from bishop oyedepo and adeboye

A Christian is a follower of the way, armed robbery and prostitution is not part of the way.
The fact that christ is a friend of sinners simply means that he wants to call them out of those ungodly ways into his way( the way to the father).

jesus himself defined what it means to follow him...

You must deny yourself, take up your cross, and then follow him. lt's active work, and involves building for the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is a reality on earth, and was meant to be on earth, in this world.

Daejoyoung:

A Christian is a follower of the way, armed robbery and prostitution is not part of the way.
The fact that christ is a friend of sinners simply means that he wants to call them out of those ungodly ways into his way( the way to the father).

no!
There is no other way of the father but to have faith in Christ only.
Christ teachings are not the way, Christ himself is the way.

paxonel:
no!
There is no other way of the father but to have faith in Christ only.
Christ teachings are not the way, Christ himself is the way.

christ is the way in what sense? the end goal is simply to keep his commandments, this is the reason you are told to believe in christ in the first place. To believe that he has authority to give those teachings, and then obey the teachings, and secondly to share in the fellowship of his sufferings.

Daejoyoung:

christ is the way in what sense? the end goal is simply to keep his commandments, this is the reason you are told to believe in christ in the first place. To believe that he has authority to give those teachings, and then obey the teachings, and secondly to share in the fellowship of his sufferings.

no!
That is a misplaced priority!

We believe in Christ in order to have everlasting life, that is the first priority, the only reason Christ came to earth to die.

John 3:16 ...whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

So Christ is the way to everlasting life not the way to his commandment.
Infact, his commandment has been there long before Moses and that did not achieve eternal life.

In my personal walk with God, I have come to realise that Christianity is not what you THINK in your head or what anyone says it is; it is what God says it is. Jesus is the head of the church and He left us with guidelines on how to know the father better. He gave us His word and all we need to know as written in the bible. Follow the Bible and study it for yourself, and ask the Holy spirit to teach and guide you. Do not presume what or how Christianity should be, but really know what it is by studying the mind of God, His word.

Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.. There is something not quite right about this statement.. I can't place my finger on it.. Can somebody,?

paxonel:
no!
That is a misplaced priority!

We believe in Christ in order to have everlasting life, that is the first priority, the only reason Christ came to earth to die.

John 3:16 ...whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

So Christ is the way to everlasting life not the way to his commandment.
Infact, his commandment has been there long before Moses and that did not achieve eternal life.

Was that what jesus taught you? what did jesus himself say, to enter life keep the commandments, then deny yourself take up your cross and follow me. Stop interpreting the gospels by the epistles, rather interprete the epistles in the light of the gospels. Read the teachings of jesus and live your life in that reality.
Jesus himself came to teach what the kingdom of God should be like on earth, his death was a foundation for that kingdom, so that by his own blood he bought for himself a multitude from across the world who would make up that kingdom.
lf one doesn't practice what jesus taught, claiming that all he came to do was to die? how then can one claim to be a follower of the christ?

Daejoyoung:

Was that what jesus taught you? what did jesus himself say, to enter life keep the commandments, then deny yourself take up your cross and follow me. Stop interpreting the gospels by the epistles, rather interprete the epistles in the light of the gospels. Read the teachings of jesus and live your life in that reality.
Jesus himself came to teach what the kingdom of God should be like on earth, his death was a foundation for that kingdom, so that by his own blood he bought for himself a multitude from across the world who would make up that kingdom.
lf one doesn't practice what jesus taught, claiming that all he came to do was to die? how then can one claim to be a follower of the christ?

if i were you i will go back and digest the full story of what conspired when Jesus to told the man to enter life keep the commandments

Matthew 19:20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

That means something was still lacking with the commandments the man has been keeping from youth. To solve that problem read verse 21

Matthew 19:21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Come and follow me to where?
To Jerusalem were Jesus will be crucified and resurrected where heaven and it's treasures will come down to earth at his resurrection.

Note : this instruction of selling and giving to the poor and come follow Christ is not for us today. The instruction was for that man and anyone who want to be Jesus disciples at that time, not now.
So, understand the time difference.

There was no kingdom of God at that time Jesus gave them that instruction because Christ has not yet been crucified.
Today in our time there is kingdom of God because Christ has been crucified and resurrected, therefore were are greater than John the Baptist and all Jesus disciples at that time Jesus was not yet crucified, including all the prophets of the old testament and their commandments Matthew 11:11

paxonel:
if i were you i will go back and digest the full story of what conspired when Jesus to told the man to enter life keep the commandments

Matthew 19:20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

That means something was still lacking with the commandments the man has been keeping from youth. To solve that problem read verse 21

Matthew 19:21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Come and follow me to where?
To Jerusalem were Jesus will be crucified and resurrected where heaven and it's treasures will come down to earth at his resurrection.

Note : this instruction of selling and giving to the poor and come follow Christ is not for us today. The instruction was for that man and anyone who want to be Jesus disciples at that time, not now.
So, understand the time difference.

There was no kingdom of God at that time Jesus gave them that instruction because Christ has not yet been crucified.
Today in our time there is kingdom of God because Christ has been crucified and resurrected, therefore were are greater than John the Baptist and all Jesus disciples at that time Jesus was not yet crucified, including all the prophets of the old testament and their commandments Matthew 11:11

okay so now that there is a kingdom of God, how do we live our lives now in this new kingdom? aren't we to follow the teachings of the king in this kingdom which is christ himself? for example live by the beautitudes and the sermon on the mount?
jesus said for instance, that you are forgiven of your sins by God as you forgive others who trespass against you, he also said mainly to people go and sin no more.
Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil which is sin and slavery, so we must sin no more and live by his commandments such as

Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you

Love thy neighbour as thyself


Whosoever wants to do the will of God and ask for the Holyspirit, and is a seeker of righteousness, shall be filled,

Riele:
Does going to church makes one a christian ?

Being a christian shouldn't mean our daily presence in church or whatsoever !

What does being a christian mean to you ?

Was Yahushua a Jew or a Christian?

Daejoyoung:

okay so now that there is a kingdom of God, how do we live our lives now in this new kingdom? aren't we to follow the teachings of the king in this kingdom which is christ himself? for example live by the beautitudes and the sermon on the mount?
jesus said for instance, that you are forgiven of your sins by God as you forgive others who trespass against you, he also said mainly to people go and sin no more.
Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil which is sin and slavery, so we must sin no more and live by his commandments such as

Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you

Love thy neighbour as thyself


Whosoever wants to do the will of God and ask for the Holyspirit, and is a seeker of righteousness, shall be filled,

exactly!
We ought to follow all these teachings of Jesus. The commandments are very necessary for our successful living in this kingdom that we are already in.
But they were never the criteria for us to be in the kingdom in the first place. Neither will they become a criteria for us to exit the kingdom.

So, when i see people saying a Christian will go to hell or he is in hell fire, i laugh, what are these ones say?

Salvation is free gift, we don't work for it, neither are we keeping the law for it.

We are not keeping the law for God, we are keeping the law for us.
The law was meant for us.

It simply means manifesting the Life of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth after you must have believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

Riele:
Does going to church makes one a christian ?

Being a christian shouldn't mean our daily presence in church or whatsoever !

What does being a christian mean to you ?

Being a Christian means one has finally come to realize how depraved he is, full of sin and totally unable to keep the Lord's commandments despite how hard he tries with all his spirit, soul and body he keeps breaking it. The Christian understands that God hates sin and so he too must hate sin even in the inward parts. His inability to keep the commandments of God brings him to the point were he cries out to God for salvation then the Holy Spirit leads him to belive in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died for
'him' and rose from the dead and now reigns in heaven with God the father and confess with his mouth this things with all sincerity and deepest need. This is when new life from God comes into a man. A totally changed heart that hates the things and ways of the world and loves the things of God. A power to be able to keep the commandments he once could not. Shalom.

Riele:

Does going to church makes one a christian ?
Being a christian shouldn't mean our daily presence in church or whatsoever !
What does being a christian mean to you ?

From the beginning nobody need Jesus for anything because he has done his part in the creation work {Proverbs 8:22-31} but our biological father Adam brought a curse on all his descendants {Romans 5:12} this led us all into a situation that's difficult to liberate ourselves {Psalms 49:7-9} so we need a perfect human equal to Adam to pay the price {1Corinthian 15:45} this means an angel (perfect heavenly son of God) must come down to offer a sacrifice to write off our sin.

Of all the angels in heaven only one volunteered himself for this heavy task, and guess who? Well it's the same angel who said "of all the things God used me to create, i love humans the most" Proverbs 8:31 compared to John 1:1

God vowed that whoever amongst the descendants of Adam (the rebel) that could adopt Jesus as his role model will be granted the privilege to live FOREVER! John 3:16

So a Christian is the person who is working seriously on his personality to imitate Jesus in thought, word and action. Such a person needs encouragement from fellow believers that's the purpose of meeting together as a congregation {Hebrew 10:24-25} because those on the outside are under the influence of Satan so they can't see any need to change (repent) from their sinful ways! 2Corinthians 4:4

Riele:
Does going to church makes one a christian ? Being a christian shouldn't mean our daily presence in church or whatsoever ! What does being a christian mean to you ?

Christianity, the religion is built around the belief in the doctrines and traditions of the men one has set as god over one's existence — your pastors and mogs —, so being a Christian or at least belonging to a group and attending group meetings becomes a pivotal part of what it means to be a Christian.