20 Things That Don't Make You A Christian

(Photo from Tiramisustudio - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

The last 2 posts were about things that don't make you a Christian.

But to be honest, as I've been thinking about it, that list could go on and on.
I mean - being a baker doesn't make you a Christian.
Going to France doesn't make you a Christian.
Being a Yankees fan doesn't make you a Christian (but you are getting closer at least).

Anyhow, let me - instead of putting together 10,000 more posts - summarize the idea with a list of some of the common things people think make them Christians.

It's important to note here that there is a difference between causality and correlation.  There are many things that are correlated to being a Christian i.e. there are many things that Christians do, say, or live out...but those things don't MAKE a person a Christian, they are just associated with being a Christian.

When it comes to causality, it is by grace through faith, period.  Paul makes that clear in Ephesians 2:8-9 (click the reference to read that passage).

But here's a list 20 things that many people think equals being a Christian:

1. Going to church
2. Giving to church
3. Reading your Bible
4. Praying
5. Being involved in youth group
6. Serving or caring for the poor
7. Liking Christian movies, preachers, t.v, or other media sources
8. Pointing your finger at the sky after a touchdown
9. Saying you are a Christian
10. Raising your hand at a conference, retreat, rally, or event
11. Praying the "Sinner's Prayer"
12. Being involved in church leadership
13. Going on a mission trip
14. Not swearing and/or drinking and/or/ sleeping around
15. Singing on a musical worship team
16. Serving in church
17. Saving grace before meals
18. Living in the south
19. Working for a church
20. Being a pastor

What's the point?  Being a Christian isn't caused by anything on this list.  Being a Christian isn't the same as doing any or all of the things on this list.

In our next post we will look at what makes a person a Christian and the fruit we can measure to test if someone is a Christian.

- tC

Will What You Do Last?

Photo by Suat Eman - FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We live in a world that is always looking for the next best thing.

We live in a world where there always is the next best thing.

Haven't most of us spent time on the internet and then, thinking it was ten or fifteen minutes later, found out we had blown over an hour of time just surfing with no real purpose?  Social media makes its living based of that kind of behavior.

We can be easily caught up in things that don't really matter and that won't really last.  And while there are portions of our days that are filled with what we might call mundane tasks (filling the gas tank, paying the bills, doing laundry), the question I want to pose tonight is about how much of what we do actually has the potential to have an eternal impact?

Investing in the lives of people has an eternal impact.
Loving and knowing God has an eternal impact.
Sharing the Gospel with people has an eternal impact.
The study and application of God's Word has an eternal impact.
Loving the unlovely has an eternal impact.

Pause and reflect here.
One day we will all step from this life into the next and what will we bring with us?
Spoiler alert: Facebook, Twitter, and photos of what we had for dinner won't be there.
May we make investments today in things that will last forever.

- tC