CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE.

  

CHRISTIAN LIVING 

Malachi 4

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and

smite the earth with a curse.

We see clearly that before the second coming of Jesus a third Elijah is prophesied to come.

Notice the work of this Elijah, 

he is to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, this is a clear indication that before Jesus comes there will be a great apostasy and that there will be a need to turn back the hearts of the “Fathers” back to the children.

The work of John was to restore all things back to the worship of God; to prepare people to accept Jesus at His first coming.

Likewise Our mission is represented by the ministry of John the Baptist who was called to " *Prepare the way of the Lord*" we are called to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ.

Christians are to present themselves as a chaste virgin, Holy and without blemish, or wrinkle or spot. ( 2 Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 5:26-27)

As remnant Christians living in the time of the end, we are called to be a the light of the world, we are called to show forth God's praises in this world. We are a royal priesthood, a peculiar people.

Our light is to shine and not be hidden under a bushel, so that through us many shall come to the true light.( Matthew 5: 14

1 peter 2:9, Isaiah 62:12)

But before we shine our light to the world, we must be the light.

just like the moon reflects the light of the Sun(the true source)

So also are we to reflect the light of God in this world that is full of darkness.

To be able help someone, you must have what that person needs.

 In our world today there is little or no difference between right or wrong anymore, almost everything have become a norm.

1.The Outward and

2.Inward character make up a true Christian lifestyle/behavior.

The Christian lifestyle should be a balanced one, and the transformation should take place inwardly and outwardly too, both are very important. As Christians the moment we accept Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit, we are transformed.

And those things we used to do before we find ourselves not doing them anymore because we're now new creatures, and old things are passed away. ( 2 Corinthians 5:17)

We are now walking in the Spirit and not according to the flesh, we are dead to self and worldly pleasures.( Galatians 5:16-17)

As a Christian Love is Paramount.

LOVE

Love is the greatest commandments, in love hang the all the Laws and the Prophets( Matthew 22:37-40)

Paul when talking about the gifts of the Spirit says that we should all covet the best gifts, but the excellent way is LOVE.

What is Love?

LOVE is Kind, Patient, Merciful, envieth not, tolerant, thinketh no evil, obedient, not proud, peaceful, gentle etc...( 1Corinthians 13:1-8)

These are also part of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. ( Galatians 5:22)

Merciful, blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.

Mercy is one of the attributes of God, and since we are made in his image and likeness, we ought to be merciful too, we ought to show mercy to one another.

Remember the story of a poor servants who owed the master  and when the

master demanded for the money, the servant pleaded to be pardoned...and the master pardoned him..

The same servant saw another fellow servant who owed him some money and he asked for his money from the fellow servant and that servant pleaded with him, that he doesn't have the money now, the servant refused to show him mercy and grabbed him by his neck.

When the master of the servant heard what has happened he was totally disappointed, and ordered that the wicked, merciless servant should be thrown into the prison. That is exactly what happens between us and God.

When the Lord shows us mercy, we in turn are to show others mercy, because we're his children and are made in his image and likeness.

Kindness: we're admonished to be kind, and do good deeds, to those who need our services.

Visiting the orphanage, prisons, providing for the needy or less privileged, praying and caring for the seek, praying for one another.

Tabitha was greatly missed in her town when she died, women and children cried, because of her, all bringing out the clothes that Tabitha made for them, clothing the naked, helping those who are in need.

When she died people wept, and cried...the disciples couldn't hold their emotions anymore.. And they prayed to God to raise her up, that was how she was raised from the dead

Food for thought:

As Christians, in Churches, in our neighborhood, in our towns, what do they know us for?As a wicked man/woman?

Or as a very kind and merciful person?

 Love forgives: if we say we Love and have the Holy Spirit leading us, we won't find it difficult to forgive, because we have been transformed

It only becomes difficult to forgive when we don't have the Holy Spirit.

How many times did Jesus say we should forgive? 70×7

Meaning, we should always forgive, we can't stop forgiving.

You can't love someone and not forgive the person.

The bible says that we shouldn't go to bed with anger.

Prolonged anger can give birth to

Unforgiveness,   hatred, malice, backbiting

 etc...

The Lord says before we stand to pray we should forgive those who have wronged us..

Father forgive us our sins, as we FORGIVE those who sinned against us.

Just like the story of the wicked servant.

If you don't forgive then don't expect to obtain forgiveness from the Lord.

Gossip: As christians if we sit down and gossip people then we don't have the Spirit of Love. Saying negative things against people.. Weather is correct or wrong.

When we gossip we do two things without knowing it.

1. We damage and corrupt the mind of the person against the other person, we sow a seed of hatred in the heart of the person we have gossipped to.

If care is not taken, that person will automatically becomes an enemy of the other person because of gossip.

What have we done?

We have caused the person to sin..

2. We damage the reputation and self esteem of the other Person.

When such a person hears what has been said against him/her it kills that person's spirit. Weather true or not.

So what have we done?

We have committed murder

Murder is not only when we literally  to kill someone.

We can kill with our mouths, we can kill with our actions..

Sometimes in the name of exchanging words, we say things that kills someone's spirit and changes the person for life.

We should be careful..

And may God forgive if we have been involved in such before.

Love promotes peace.

If we have Love, we wouldn't want to be living in an environment where there is no peace.

We would want to make peace or support peace by all means...we wouldn't care who is right or who is wrong.

"Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the sons of God" ( Matthew 5:9)

We would overlook for the sake of peace to reign.

 "if it were to be possible live peaceably with all men"( Romans 12:18)

How do people, in our neighborhoods, or working places describe us?

A peace maker, or a trouble maker?

How do we reach out to people in these areas with such characters?

The best evangelism is our character: Actions speaks more than our words.( actions speaks louder than words)

"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God".( Matthew 5:9)

Do we want to be called "Children of God"?

How can we please God, how can we really obey his Commandments?

The Holy Spirit living in us.

When we walk in the Spirit, *we are able to fulfill the righteousness of the law, because it is the Holy Spirit that is now leading us to do the will of God*.

Romans 8:4-5

4 

*That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit*.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

*So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God*.

9 *But ye 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*.

Romans 12:2( NLT)

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God *transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you*, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2. KJV

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye *transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God*.

The moment we are converted and become transformed by the Holy Spirit many things changes in our lives.

The places we  to visit

The things we do

The kinds of friends we keep

The kinds of foods we  eat.

The Clothes we  wear.

All automatically changes..that is the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, ( that is if we humble ourselves enough to listen to him and allow him lead us)

PLACES WE USUALLY  VISIT

For eg, if I normally visit the club house, betting places etc..there is what we call beer parlour.( we people normally hang out to drink)

Before I got married, I used to say to myself, that since I never visited a club house while I was single, that when I get married, I would visit there with my husband.

But thank God things changed even before I got married, when I gave my life to Christ, the Holy Spirit convinced me that that's not place for a believer.

I see some married couple visiting such places in the name of catching fun, or a means of deriving Joy.

Our Joy doesn't come from such places, it comes from the Lord. Joy is one of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. If we want true Joy then we should come to Christ.

You will find out that that same club is where prostitutes also come to catch fun and also looking for an opportunity to catch a fish there, one day, it may be your husband.

He will end up following another woman, all in the name of catchin fun.

THE THINGS WE USUALLY TO DO

If we normally  watch secular movies, that is full of immoral scenes, secular music that is full of immoral lyrics and terrible scenes, we should stop them. Because the Holy Spirit in us would speak and alert us to the damage those things causes to our hearts.

Some of these things defile us, our body is the temple of God.

Addiction: 

Some of us are addicted to Zee world, Holly wood,  Nolly wood and all the entertainment shows..

To the extent that we don't even give much time to the  studying of the word of God and prayers.

We fill our minds with these things that defiles the us.

The Lord is a jealous God.

Some of us watch football match inside the Church, some look at the latest or trending fashion inside the Church while service is going on...those things have become an idol unto us, and God is a jealous God.

He doesn't want to share us or compete with any other thing in our lives.

When we do these things, what makes us separate from the people of the world?

The bible says, "come out from among them and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing" ( 2 Corinthians 6:17)

 We are in the world but not of this world, we are the ambassadors of Christ here on earth, our home is not here, we shouldn't live as if this is our final home.

We should be spiritual minded all the time, always on our guards..

There is a battle that is going on, battle between goof and evil. Battle for our souls, we shouldn't slag in any way, lest, the devil sift us like a chaff. (God forbid)

1 Peter 5:8

 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour"

All these worldly entertainment, and fashion are distractions that the Devil has put in this world to steal the minds of the Children of God away.

FOOD WE  EAT

If we used to drink before, the moment we are transformed, we stop drinking, because the damage that drinking does to us is not something to be neglected;both spiritually and physically.

Drinking has a way of making one be in a state of euphoria, over excitement.. And then what you couldn't say or do before you find yourself doing them.( our people call it liver, or Highness)

Research has shown that the Corona  Virus affects those who have pre existing health conditions..

It also affects those who drink and smokers too, because these things already affects the lungs..

They're side effects to all these things, some people may see it as enjoyment, but it's not.

Drinking takes that sense of awareness away from you, and after doing that thing you will start regretting later.

That's why we said, it's better to just avoid it.

Galatians 5:21

"Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God".

Unclean foods

Some people use the book of Acts 10:

To defend their eating of unclean foods that God has commanded us not to eat.

God is the creator of all things, and he knows all things, his ways are perfect.

So, if he asked us not to eat these things, are they not for our own good?

He has given us enough to eat, why then do we still want the ones he has not given us.

We should be satisfied with his ways..

Now, some of those things he asked us not to eat have been recorded by the scientists to have contained dangerous poisons and Viruses.

Some are where most of the diseases come from today.

Eg. Monkey= Monkey pox

Bats= Ebola and SARS

https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/why-bats-are-breeding-grounds-for-deadly-diseases-like-ebola-and-sars

Pigs= Swine influenza

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/news/variant-virus-pig-exposure.htm

Etc...

 Acts 10:12-22

Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

14 But Peter said, *Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean*.

15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,

18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.

19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?

22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.

What was this place talking about?

Notice, peter said No, he has never eaten anything which is unclean.

So why did God go ahead to ask him to eat them?

This was just an illustration to prove to Peter that all the humans he created are clean before him, he is the one who decides to make one clean or unclean.

Yes, the Gentiles were regarded as Unclean before, but through the death of Christ they became clean,( that is for those who will accepted or will accept his atoning sacrifice on the cross)

So Christ has made them clean and has reconciled us all to God through his death.

Note: the Jews discriminated themselves from the gentiles, and Peter would have by no means agreed to have gone to Cornelius house.

But because of that revelation, God opened the eyes of Peters understanding to understand that they are no more unclean, for he has made them clean through his blood.

This is by no means talking about literal killing and eating of meats.

It is because of this revelation that made peter to visit him.

And to confirm this, even while Peter was still teaching them about Jesus they all received the Holy Spirit. Cornelius and his whole house hold.

 THE KINDS OF FRIENDS WE USED TO KEEP

There is this adage that says, show me your friend and I will tell you who you are..

After we are been transformed, we become careful who we keep as Friends.

Because "bad company corrupts good manners"

1 Corinthians 15:33

*Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character

 Even though, we would want to keep them so that we can minister to them, just like Jesus did, we have to be very careful, our intention is to bring the gospel to them, and we are not well rooted in the word, then we might end up being converted back to the world.

We must apply wisdom in all things while dealing with such situations.

May God help us to live according to his words in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.