Message topic: What does it means to be a Christian?
Scripture text: Romans 8: 6-13
What does it mean to be a Christian? Does it depend on how long you have been going to a certain church? Does the time a man and a woman spent together even having children makes them married couples?
So what is ment to being a Christian? Over the years many people thinks that going to Church regularly even occasionally or simple believing in God makes them a Christian: but the bible presents a different perspective and definition of a Christian.
A Christian is someone whose behavior and heart reflects Jesus Christ and follows all His attributes through the leading of the Holy Spirit: followers of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch as recorded in Acts 11: 26: because their speech and behavior were like Christ.
What does it mean to behave like Jesus Christ: a Christian is someone who has put their faith and trust in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ through His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, our behavior should mirror and resembles Christ in all aspects.
When we truly follow the examples of Christ we will be called Christians, when we partially follow, the bible refer to us as carnally minded Christians.
What is the difference between a Christian and a carnally minded Christian? are you concerned about yourself more than anything or anyone else?
We are living in a day and age where me, myself, and I have become the throne that we worship at. Everything in our social media outlet, it has never been easier to promote yourself.
We have even coined the phrase “selfie” which some have taken to new heights and levels. How do we know if this is creeping into your heart? One of the places to check which we may not be thinking about is your prayer life.
What do you spend most of your time prayer about? if it is just about you and your needs, then this selfishness may be creeping in, when you look at the model of prayer Jesus gave us praying for your needs was part of it. Not all of it, if every part of your prayer revolves around you all the time, be careful you might be drifting towards a carnal mind.
Are there any ways that you can tell if a person is a Christian. We
Find these words in Matthew 7: 17-20. Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring fort good fruit, every tree that brings not good fruit is hewn down,
And cast into the fire; wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.
Their fruits can be seen through their deeds and their and words, is a carnal minded Christian a Christian? A Christian life should pattern the life of Christ: His life displayed love, kindness, patience, forgiveness, gentleness, how much of these attributes do we displays in our lives daily?
A sign of a carnal minded Christian is never satisfied with what you have: greed is not just wanting more, it is also the feeling of never having enough or never being content with what you have.
The bible equates greed with idolatry, when greed sets in it is very easy to become carnal because your desire becomes the pursuit of more, when you are never satisfied or feel like you have to get more, then even God himself is not enough.
If you are following God because of what you can get from him, than the lust of the flesh has set in, and this is a carnal mindset.
Do you think you are more than what you really are? Then remember pride is a big warning sign of a carnally minded Christian and many times they don’t acknowledge its presence: most people who are prideful are never willing to admit it.
Pride can take many forms and you have to be very careful because it is very easy to slip from humanity to pride. If you ever start thinking you are indispensable or this can’t happen without you, then be careful pride is slipping in.
Many people mistakenly believe that there is something special about them or there is some great thing they have or do that makes God want to use them. This is simply not true. What I have discovered in life is that God uses people in spite of who they are, not because of who
They are. If you think of yourself more highly than you should then you are becoming carnally minded.
Do you find yourself unwilling to forgive others?
Unforgiveness is horrible and it does not line up with God’s character. If you don’t forgive then you are behaving like the world. The world has no appetite for forgiveness, once you are something that is what you always are. This is not how it works in the Kingdom of God, If you have no appetite for forgiveness then search your heart because you are displaying a carnal mindset.
Are you seeking pleasure with no boundaries?
One of the less subtle warning signs of a carnally minded Christian is
a pursuit of pleasure. The mindset that you can do what you want when you want, when this way of thinking sets in, things that are black and white in scripture become gray. What was once thought sinful becomes acceptable or you make excuses that allow it to become acceptable.
A big part of a carnal mind is wanting what you want when you want it. This includes worshipping people or ideas that can get you what you want. This happens when selfish desires become more important than what God desires.
Is your love for others growing cold?
I guess one of the greatest litmus tests to see where you stand is your love for other people. I honestly believe it is impossible to be walking with God, full of his Spirit and there be no love for people in your
Heart. You cannot love God and not love people. God said it Himself.
Whosoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.
For whoever does not love his brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen (John 4: 20)
Let us not forget that we cannot be Christians unless we follow all the attributes and examples Christ Jesus demonstrates and left for us to follow at all times.
Let us not forget to forget that to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace: The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
They that are in the flesh cannot please God, but you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.