"i'm A Christian When It's Convenient" Types

[Bigbadaboom]

I can't stand when people display stickers on their cars and wear shirts, hats and what ever else proclaiming that their upstanding, righteous Christians and then they act like "Butt Heads". This only puts more black marks on those who walk the walk and talk the talk.

[uscbigdawg]

"Let he who is free from sin cast the first stone" seems kind of appropriate here. No body is perfect.

I'm a pretty devout Catholic. I was Baptised, Confirmed and took my First Holy Communion 3 years ago after 6 months of classes and about another 3-6 months of just questioning what was going through my head and my heart. I love my faith every day and can never express my thanks enough for God's endless grace.

However....it took 28 years to start this faith journey and while some folks are overflowing with faith, my is kind of a leaky faucet and it's going to take some time to out grow some old habits. In the mean time, I will not evangelize anyone, because who am I to tell someone that my way or anyone's way is the right way, wrong way, or a better way.

I prefer to believe that if I live my life the way I'm supposed to, that hopefully that will reflect onto other people and in turn enlighten them to God's grace (or whomever they choose to pray to).

Just my $0.02.

SPC (P) Richard A. White, Senior Medic

249th MP Detachment (EACF)

Camp Humphreys, ROK

[straightshooter1]

If a person has accepted Jesus Christ that person, the Bible teaches, is saved and has a new nature. The old nature was crucified with Christ. Problem is, the person still lives in what the Bible calls the flesh. The difference, at least for me, is that when I am in, for example, a traffic situation that ticks me off:

Before I was saved, I would immediately curse and/or wave to the other driver with the one finger salute and move on.

Now, I sometimes still want to scream at the driver or somehow fix his/her little red wagon for offending me, but I have that fraction of a second, a short period of time, that allows me to know that what I am wanting to do is not what I should do.

Now I wish I could honestly tell you that when I have that moment to "reflect" on what I want to do, I simply forgive that person who annoyed me and smile and forget it. I wish I could say that, but tjat would not be true. Sometimes I have done something that, a moment afterwards, I regretted, knowing that I have failed Jesus again.

Anyone who is honest about their Christian life will tell you that they often do something they shouldn't, fail to do something they should or think something that they shouldn't.

As a person matures or grows in Christ, these episodes ought to be less and less, but no one, who lives in this flesh, will ever be perfect until they get to Heaven.

That being said, there are, of course, Christians who are, as the Bible calls them, "back-slidden", who live like they did before they were saved and there are those who simply call themselves Christians who are not.

I simply know what I was before I had a relationship with Jesus and what I am now. I know I am not some goody two shoes or better than others-I am just a sinner saved by grace.

Bob

[Bigbadaboom]

What I'm saying is; If you are a Christian and you are unable to maintain a good attitude towards others then don't advertise because you can become a "Stumbling Block" for Seekers.

You won't see stickers on my car.

[straightshooter1]

You are very right about that, IMO. I disliked and mocked Christians for many years based on what I saw so-called Christians do. I grew up in "Church" and, from the time I was old enough to make my own decisions, I vowed never to darken the doorway of a Church again and I didn't for about 35 years afterwards. It took a friend witnessing to me for four years to get me into a Christmas musical.

But I am so glad he never gave up no matter how badly I ridiculed him and Christians in general. When I finally figured out it wasn't about how somebody here behaved or reacted, but about Jesus Christ, I got saved.

I have the fish on my car. I think it will remind me not to act like I want to when someone cuts me off because I don't want to be a stumblingblock. My former Pastor, however, was like you-he didn't have a sticker so, if he did mess up, he wouldn't sully Jesus by his actions.

Some guy a lot smarter than me said that non-Christians don't read the Bible, they read the people who read the Bible. I try to remeber that statement when someone annoys me and let them see Christ in me, not some jerk who can't control his own life trying to tell them about what great things Jesus Christ has done for him.

Bob

[bountyhunter]

If a person has accepted Jesus Christ that person, the Bible teaches, is saved and has a new nature. The old nature was crucified with Christ. Problem is, the person still lives in what the Bible calls the flesh.

Exactly. Remember, even Christ fell short being in the flesh. When He prayed in the garden the night before He was to be taken to die, He asked God to "Let this cup pass away from me." In other words, He asked to be taken off the hook because his flesh body was afraid of the suffering it was about to go through. When He returned and saw the disciples sleeping, He said: "The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak." a comment that applied to both the disciples and to Himself.

It applies to all of us.

You are very right about that, IMO. I disliked and mocked Christians for many years based on what I saw so-called Christians do.

Same here. Now I just refer to them as christians with a lower case "c" to differentiate them from actual Christians.

Christ warned: "Many will come in my name and will deceive many."

He was right, not everybody who calls themselves a Christian actually is one.