In the United States and most other western countries we don't take a quote like that one shared above too seriously, we typically read it, process, and move on. We may check ourselves and our walk with the Lord upon hearing something like that and it's great to do that, we should be checking ourselves and our walk often, but most of the time we don't go too deep into it. We don't think about the sacrifice of the martyrs in Iraq and what those in the Middle East and some Asian countries are going through for Jesus, and we don't question our heart deep enough to really find out if we would go that far because we feel safe in our little corner of the world far away from the oppression and craziness. But today I want you to think about it, I want you to go deep into your heart and really feel for this question, if Christianity was a crime, would you still want to follow Jesus? Could they convict for it by the way you're living now?
I think most people who are reading this knows what it means to be a Christian, that you believe Jesus Christ (Yashua) to be the son of God and part of the holy trinity, you believe that He sacrificed Himself for you on the cross after living a sinless life and died, then rose again to set us free from death and sin(Romans 6:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; 1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 1:18). We know that being a Christian means that we are to walk in His ways, we are to die to sin and walk in love with each other(John 15:12; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:2;1 John 2:6;). We know all this but are we living it? Would someone hanging out with you for the day even know you were a Christian by the way you go through it?
Jesus says in John 13:34-35 that everyone will know that you are His disciple by loving others as He has loved us, so if Jesus is truly in your heart than your answer should be yes, yes they would convict me, yes they would know I am a Christian by the way I live. If that wasn't your answer though, if you found that they wouldn't convict you, I remind you it's never to late to repent. It is never to late to turn back from the road you are on and come to Jesus. Be blessed in the Lord.
Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Isaiah 33:15-17
He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure. Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar.
Luke 9:21-27
21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
John 13:34-35
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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