"People love power and glorify. It is a part of human nature to seek power and glory. As a result many people have used Christianity to gain power and glory for themselves. They may be calling themselves Christians, but their actions are not those of a Christian." - S. Hudgik

"So why do you call me 'Lord,' when you won't obey me?" (NLT) - Luke 6:46

Anyone can call themselves a Christian. But does calling oneself a Christian mean everything you do is a Christian act?
"Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder." (NIV) James 2:18-19

What James is saying is something we all know to be true--your actions speak louder than your words.

You can call yourself a Christian, you can even believe in God (the prince of evil, Satan, believes in God), but your actions will reveal who you really are.

"You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe -- and tremble!" (NKJV) - James 2:19

Christians are not perfect: However, Christians sometimes make mistakes. That is also a part of our nature. We all make mistakes. Even when we are doing our best as Christians, we make mistakes. We are not perfect. We are sinners (yes, Christians are sinners) who continually stray from following Christ.

A Christian can honestly be trying to follow Christ and trying to do what the Bible teaches, and be doing evil.

It seems that I have just contradicted what James wrote--that we can tell who is a Christian by their good actions. Or have I?

How do we tell the difference between those who are truly Christians and those who profess to be a Christian, but have not truly accepted Christ in their heart?

One of the most famous quotations from the Bible is, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged" (KJV Luke 6:37). This quotation is frequently taken to mean that we should not judge others in any way whatsoever. But that is not what Jesus is saying here.

What Jesus is saying is that we should not judge the hearts (motives and character) of other people. Only God can see into people's hearts, and only God can judge whether someone has truly accepted Christ as their Lord and savior.

Should Christians judge others? Yes! We should judge people's actions--judging between good and evil. And we must judge, based on their actions, whether other people are true Christians. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." (NIV)

In answer to the comment, "I see Christians doing evil things, so Christianity must have some problems. It is not perfect. It is not the true religion." There are two points:

1) It is possible that someone claims to be a Christian, but is not truly a Christian.

2) It is possible for someone to truly be a Christian in their heart, but make mistakes in their actions.

In either case, do not judge Christianity based on the actions of people. Judge Christianity on the actions and person of Jesus.

Could you even imagine living out the experience that Saul encountered on the road to Damascus? Imagine ... going about your daily routine when a bright light hits you so hard you fall to the ground and hear a voice from heaven calling you by name. It is an experience few have ever witnessed. Saul was by no means a good man. He hated Christianity, persecuted Christians, despised God, and played a role in murdering Stephen. He was filled with anger, animosity and hate. Saul was the antithesis to Christ. All that was wrong with humankind could be exemplified in and throughout the life of Saul.

To equate that to modern society, we need to think on what we would consider the worst of humankind. Picture in your mind the worst kind of sinner and then you will begin to see more clearly the type of person Saul was during his time. Thinking in those terms now, try and figure why God sought him out. Notice that it is not Saul who goes looking for God, but that God found him. As bad and evil a man he had become, God found him worth His effort. Saul was significant to God, because God knew the potential that Saul had within his heart.

Three things to note regarding the similarities between our conversion and Saul's conversion:

God found us, we did not find Him
God's redemption is for all of humankind
God is able to use anyone for His glory

Now think about the person you pictured above. Imagine that individual encountering God in such a powerful way. Think what could happen through such an individual. Although we are all created in God's image, unfortunately, not all of us choose to live in His likeness. However, His grace and mercy is more than sufficient. Regardless of past sin or situation, God is there, He has already found you, and you just need to look. Second, regardless of past sin His redemption is for you. Jesus came into this world and suffered and died for you alone. Thirdly, God can use you to accomplish great things for His kingdom. Some of the most dynamic and influential people for the Kingdom are those who have had to overcome great turmoil and sin in their life.

Action Point: Look to Jesus! Receive His salvation! Go about His business!

Prayer Point: God, use me to reach the lost and hurting. Use me to show Your love and grace.

In His Grace

"Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord" (Acts 9:31, NIV).

Remember the classic movie "The Karate Kid"? The first time they show where the "bad guys" training, the group was chanting a slogan: "Fear does not exist!" This is a statement many Christians need to repeat over and over. With God, fear does not exist! Fear keeps us from reaching our potential. Fear keeps us from taking the proper risks that we should take for the Kingdom. Fear is an obstacle to the presence of God. We need to seek the Spirit and ask that all fear be removed from our lives. We need to walk in freedom and liberty in Christ so that we can do all things through Him that strengthens us.

There is a fear, however, that every Christian should have: the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge ..." Psalm 111:10 echoes that same message. Likewise, Psalm 128:1 says, "Blesses are all who fear the Lord ..." Ecclesiastes 12:13 states that we need to "Fear God and keep his commandments ..."

Repeatedly, Scripture commands us to fear the Lord. This fear carries several different meanings in terms of a believer's relationship with God:

It is recognition of God's holiness, justice and righteousness as a counterpart to His love and mercy. It is an acknowledgment of who God is.
It is to regard Him with holy awe and reverence. The fear of the Lord is a means of honor and respect.
It is a means of placing one's faith and trust in God alone.
It identifies the power of God.
It is recognition that God is angry about sin and has the ability to punish those who turn from Him and who do not keep His commandments.

We are commanded in Scripture to fear the Lord. It is a way we should live. Properly fearing the Lord does many things for the believer:

It aids us in living a life of obedience
It aids us in rearing our children
It aids us in having a heart that strongly opposes sin
It aids us in being humble
It aids us in our life by providing peace and comfort

Fear God and nothing else. Out of your respectful fear of Him, many blessings and a long life will come.

Action Point: Like the early church, live in the fear of the Lord.

Prayer Point: Father, help me to see You more clearly so that I may have a healthy respect and a healthy fear of who You are.

"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Go south to the road - the desert road - that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' So he started out ..." (Acts 8:26-27, NIV).

Do you remember growing up and being told to do something? The common response was always: "Why?" Or, "Do I have to?" As men, we have excelled in giving excuses and justifying our poor decisions. We procrastinate, we walk at our own pace, and we are self-seeking to a fault. If we do not see an immediate benefit, we loose interest.

In this text, Philip is just told to go. He is not instructed much more than that. Notice there is no dialogue or period of "Q&A" between Philip and the angel. The angel simply said, "Go" ... and he did.

When we are told to do something by someone in authority our response must be immediate. Regardless of our position, we are each confined in our knowledge and understanding of situations and circumstances. And, remember, there is always someone who sees the big picture.

There are three specific attributes that seem to hinder us from doing the will of God or exhibiting direct obedience to someone in authority:

* Pride

As men, we always believe we have to be the best and be in complete control. We want to be in charge. We want to give orders. These are all characteristics of the bigger issue of pride. We stand with our arms crossed and defiantly say no as an outward sign to an inner problem.

* Fear

Often times, although we seldom admit to it, we are simply afraid. When missionaries are called to go to a remote part of a third world country, they go by trusting in God for protection and safety. They do not go with reckless abandonment, but rather at the pace that God leads them. God will lead the way and protect those that He sends.

* Rebellion

Romans 13:1 says, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities ..." There will always be someone above us and in authority over us. How we react and respond to that is very important in seeing how we live. God calls for us to submit and obey; anything else is rebellious and disobedient.

"Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king" (I Samuel 15:22-23, NIV).

Action Point: God has a plan, believe in Him and do what He has called you to do.

Prayer Point: Lord, don't let my pride get in the way; help me to not be afraid, and help me obey Your Word.

I believe that the most important tenet of Christ's teaching is - "[i]The end does not justify the means[/i]." Unfortunately, it is more implicit thn explicit - but it resounds over and over throughout his teachings. If people would adhere to this, most sin or evil could easily be avoided.

John Bassett