The Church and The Christian: Two Sides of the Same Coin

What’s the difference between the church and Christians? It’s easy to assume that they are one and the same, but they are actually two sides of the same coin. The church, in its broadest sense, is comprised of all those who have accepted Christ as their savior and committed to following his teachings by choosing to do good and avoid evil as outlined in the Bible. On the other hand, Christians are individuals who follow these teachings and live a life that follows in Christ’s footsteps.

God blesses those who follow His commandments

Be holy, because I am holy (1 Peter 1:16) There are many ways to live a life that is pleasing to God, but one way that stands out above all others is to find your home church. To be an active member in a local church is not only biblical; it's also essential for spiritual growth and emotional stability. Of course, you'll need more than just two minutes a week on Sunday morning to grow close with God. You must spend time reading His Word and praying daily so that you can better understand His will for your life. Once you've found a home church, become involved in its ministries as much as possible. Join small groups or service teams where you can meet other believers who will help hold you accountable as well as encourage you along your journey toward Christlikeness. With these tools—God's Word, prayer, fellowship with other believers—you can't go wrong! In fact, you can't go at all without them. Find your home church today! Your life depends on it.

While at Home Depot today my husband bought me some flowers which were white and pink roses mixed together. When he gave them to me he said When our marriage was in trouble, we turned to Jesus. My husband told me about how we were struggling financially which caused arguments between us almost every day and how I blamed him for everything that went wrong in our lives. We both knew something had to change or else we would lose each other forever. We prayed a prayer from Psalms 50:15-16 asking God to give us peace and rest from all our troubles and worries so that we could enjoy each other again like when we first met. He also asked God if He could give us a way out of our financial problems because he didn't want to have any more disagreements with me over money issues. After praying that prayer, things started changing for us quickly! Our prayers were answered! Not only did God provide us with enough money to pay off all our bills but He also blessed us with an abundance of extra cash every month. Now, we are not rich by any means but we have never been happier and neither has our marriage ever been stronger than it is now! This is just one example of how much God loves us and wants what's best for His children. If you are having financial problems right now, don't give up hope; turn your life over to Jesus Christ right now and ask Him to help you through your struggles as well as bless you with prosperity in your life.

We all make mistakes

Even though we know that we’re not supposed to act on our selfish desires, sometimes those pesky sinful thoughts slip in anyway. When you give into those temptations, you might feel disappointed with yourself for slipping up or even find yourself wondering if there’s something wrong with you. But it’s important to remember that everyone is bound to make mistakes—even Jesus! This week’s scripture describes Jesus helping a man who has been bound by chains for thirty-eight years. After healing him, Jesus asks him why he was chained up like that. His response? I have been a sinner from birth; I have never done what my master commanded me to do. (Luke 15:21) It sounds like he’s had plenty of time to repent for his sins over those thirty-eight years, but instead he chose to continue down his own path toward destruction. Now, as a result of his actions, he’s physically broken. And because of that, Jesus heals him and forgives him for all his past transgressions. In other words, God doesn’t see your past failures as an indicator of your future behavior—He sees them as opportunities to grow closer to Him through repentance. So don’t be discouraged when you mess up; instead use it as an opportunity to learn more about God and how He wants us to live our lives. We’ll talk more about forgiveness next week!

Choose whom you listen to

As a young Christian, you will undoubtedly find yourself in conversations with people who do not believe what you believe. Sometimes they’ll be family members, sometimes they’ll be friends, but either way you need to carefully consider what to listen to—and what not to listen to. You don’t have to accept everything that is said as truth (that would go against everything Jesus taught), but it is important that you hear out your peers and understand where they are coming from. It may seem odd for us to suggest listening when we just told you not to accept everything as truth, but it is important that you remain open-minded. Christians can easily fall into an echo chamber where we only listen to those who think like us; we must fight against that tendency if we want our faith to grow. God didn’t call us to insularity; he called us to missional living. And part of missional living means engaging with others outside our tribe. Be careful whom you choose to engage with, but remember that we were created for community and there is value in understanding different perspectives. Choose wisely and use discernment, but also make sure you aren't avoiding engaging altogether because it's easier than learning something new or being challenged by someone else's point of view.

Be forgiving

Forgiving others will bring you closer to Christ. When we become Christians, He forgives us our sins, but as we walk with Him day by day He wants us to forgive those who have sinned against us. According to Jesus in Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. In verse 15 He says that forgiving is a picture of what God does for us!

 If we don’t forgive, God doesn’t forgive us. Jesus died on a cross for our sins so that we could be forgiven. He knows that none of us can be perfect, so He gave us a way to be forgiven. We must rely on His forgiveness by asking Him to come into our hearts and forgive us. Only then are we truly free from sin’s burden because God has already forgiven it! When we hold onto anger and bitterness toward others, we make ourselves slaves to Satan. When someone hurts us, instead of getting revenge or holding onto resentment against them, let go of your anger and ask God to help you forgive them (Ephesians 4:26). Then ask Him to help you forget what happened. Forgiving is an act of love for both you and those who have hurt you (Colossians 3:13). To live in freedom from bitterness means letting go of your right to seek revenge (Romans 12:19). Remember that if you harbor resentment toward someone else, they will never feel free from guilt until they know they have been forgiven.

Don’t be a hypocrite

Hypocrisy is, quite simply, acting in a way that contradicts your values. When we say things like I’m all for supporting women’s rights, but I don’t want to see any legislation around it, we are being hypocrites. You can either support women’s rights or you can oppose them—you can’t have it both ways! As Christians, our faith calls us to be people who are open about our beliefs. There is nothing wrong with people disagreeing with you; however, there is something wrong with claiming one thing and doing another. If someone disagrees with your belief system, then let them challenge you on it instead of hiding behind a facade of false modesty. Dont be afraid to stand up for what you believe in! And if someone disagrees with what you believe, they should do so respectfully rather than trying to tear down everything that makes you who you are as a person (1 Peter 3:15). It may seem counterintuitive, but honesty will help you avoid hypocrisy. Try to recognize when you are using nice words to mask an opposite idea. For example, saying I hate guns! without any actual plans to get rid of them isn't true kindness—it's hypocrisy at its finest. But recognizing how your actions contradict your words doesn't mean you're going against Jesus' teachings—in fact, it helps point out where He is working in your life!

The kingdom of heaven is like...

Analogies are great, because they allow you to teach or explain something difficult or unfamiliar in a familiar context. In other words, it's easier to understand heaven if we think about it in terms of something we already know. Jesus used many analogies in his ministry, but one example is particularly helpful for understanding both heaven and our life here on earth: that of a pearl merchant (Matthew 13). In fact, an entire parable is built around one simple analogy. A merchant discovers an incredibly valuable pearl—the most perfect pearl he's ever seen—and immediately goes out to sell everything he owns to buy it. He doesn't even care how much money he makes from selling his belongings; all that matters is getting hold of that pearl. He trades up from one house to another, then sells those houses as well until finally he has nothing left but cash—which isn't nearly enough to purchase such a precious treasure. So what does he do? He sells himself into slavery, becoming the slave of all just so he can have enough money to make the purchase. That's how important it was for him to get hold of that pearl! And though we may not be quite as passionate about pearls as was our friend in Matthew 13, we're probably pretty passionate about things like family and work and relationships...and yet sometimes those things can seem more important than knowing God personally.