Christianity attracts
"birds"!
Do you find it a problem when people with different religions
all call themselves "Christians", and claim to be God's people?
Surely they can't all be right as they believe different things!
When you listen to Jesus' teachings this problem becomes easy to
understand and answer.
Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like?".. It is like a
mustard seed, which a man ..planted in his garden. It grew and
became a tree." 1*.
The mustard seed had died, but its life and nature had been
transferred into the new plant.
When God wanted people who would grow to please and serve Him He
first had to give up a very precious Seed and let it die. That
"Seed" was God's own son! 2*. Jesus was willing to come and to die - to die
for our sins 3*. to
make it possible for sinners to be forgiven by Him and to grow in
His likeness. 4*.
Just as the gardener can know how to recognise the new plant by its
leaves and fruit you and I can know how to recognise the person
who really belongs to God. Jesus said, "By their fruit
you will know them." 5*. We are to look for a real likeness to Jesus
Christ in what they say and do. A good tree does not produce bad
fruit! 6*.
If YOU have to admit today that much in your life would not be
acceptable to a Holy God, then it wouldn't make sense to want to
call yourself a "Christian"!
Jesus had more to teach us from the mustard tree. "The birds of the
air perched in its branches," He said. Although many different
birds would feed among the branches they would never belong
to the mustard tree, or become part of it! They were free to fly
off and do whatever they pleased and to return again to perch and
feed on the branches.
Christianity attracts "birds" too!
Various religions use the name "Christianity" and people are
attracted to fly to these religions and even to "feed" on their
sacraments. But it is very clear that this doesn't make them
Christians! They will go out to live their own lives, which are
clearly not Christ-like, yet they "fly" back and forth to
church.
A bird perching in a tree, and feeding on it, will never become
that kind of tree! And a person does not become a Christian by
joining a church that calls itself "Christian", or by receiving
sacraments in a church!
True Christians are those who have trusted in Jesus to forgive
their sins, wanting Him to change their lives to become like Jesus.
7*. "If anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
8*.
Jesus asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is
like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour
until it worked all through the dough." 9*. Have YOU asked Jesus to forgive your sins and
to put His love and power into your life? If you have it will work
all through your life and change you into someone pleasing and
acceptable to God?
Read about these illustrations Jesus used in His teaching in Luke
chapter 13, verses 18-21.
Bye for now,
John Nixon, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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Bible quotations from N.I.V.
1 Luke
13:18-19.
2 John 3:16. Galatians
3:16.
3 2nd Corinthians
5:21.
4 Romans 8:29-30.
5 Matthew 7:16, 20.
6 Matthew 7:15-27.
12:33.
7 Acts 5:31. 20:21.
8 2nd Corinthians
5:17.
9 Luke 13:21.
