Become Essential

I've noticed something among Christians recently; they're too casual. Hear me out now. I'm saying this because it needs to be heard, not because we will like hearing it. Think about this for a minute... If I, a Christian, have noticed it, what does the world notice about us? Most likely, we're seen as hypocritical like the Pharisees, which is a dangerous position to be in as a believer who should be nothing like (not even almost like) those men.

We say that we're "in the world, but not of it," but are we truly going into the world and sharing the only way, the truth, and the life, or are we simply existing in the world and only sharing God when it's convenient or easy? I know too many would say it's "bad for your mental health" or that it could/would be complicated (almost unnecessarily so) to keep fighting for the truth of God's word in that type of environment. Do we care so much about ourselves that we're not willing to SOLELY rely on God (meaning that we are *completely on our own with Him) in that time, so we're able to minister to those still ignorant of the truth of God's Word?

We openly share biblical information about Him on social media, yet we're not ready to be hands-on in the world's filth. Why do we think we're truly living for Christ? How do we genuinely believe that we would be willing to die for Christ and keep the faith should we ever be put in a war camp or taken as a prisoner? It is an honor to die for Christ. According to Philippians, Christ is our only reason for living. Not family, not friends, not a career, not entertainment, not travel, not anything else BUT Christ. These things are good and are blessings in our lives, but as I said earlier, we've gotten too casual about Christ.

Philippians 4:21 - For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity]. (AMP)

I don't believe it was intentional, but it's undeniable. I don't think that every single Christian has gotten too casual, but every Christian *individual creates the whole body of Christ according to Ephesians 4:4-6; "there is one body [of believers] and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when called [to salvation]— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all who is [sovereign] over all and [working] through all and [living] in all." (AMP) One body. One spirit. Even if some body parts are working as they should, if all parts are not working accordingly, the whole body is unhealthy altogether.

That's not to say using social media to spread information from the Bible is terrible, but there MUST be a balance. We can't afford to rely on social media to do all the work God wants us to do. It's almost selfish even to believe that the "platform" we have is the only thing we should maintain. We've got to serve others above ourselves. Social media is convenient for our (some could say most) schedules, lifestyles, keeping in touch, and more, but is it not inherently selfish if it's convenient for individuals specifically? You might think, "It's not just convenient for me, but others can listen on the go and have the information faster than in person," and that's true. Still, it's also promoting selfishness not only for you but for others as well. Convenience is sometimes good, but it can also lead to *complacency, which is not good. We cannot afford to please selfishness, but should instead become selfless.

• Colossians 3:14 (AMP) Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others].

• John 13:35 (AMP) By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.”

• 1 Thessalonians 4:9 (AMP) Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write you, for you have been [personally] taught by God to love one another [that is, to have an unselfish concern for others and to do things for their benefit].

• Ephesians 4:16 (AMP) From Him the whole body [the church, in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in [unselfish] love.

There must be a balance of both comfort and uncomfortable, convenient and inconvenient, digital connections and literal human connections. Why would we willingly lean on our own understanding of something (how it is to us and others as individuals) and end up biased toward one direction? (That one direction being convenience) Having an unbiased perspective means you must look at both sides (no matter which one you agree with) and have the Bible and God as the sole focus of learning and understanding.

You might think I'm being too literal and that it's unnecessary. To that, I say this, if we're only preparing for less literal situations, why are we unpleased with the lukewarm results of Christians partially serving Christ?

Do I believe there are metaphors in the Bible? Absolutely, but the authors used those exact metaphors to express the *dire need to be *completely, *wholeheartedly, and *absolutely *consumed by the power of God through the Holy Spirit.

We cannot afford to be casual anymore; we must become *essential. Essential means to be absolutely necessary. We must refuse to be anything less than absolutely necessary to the body of Christ. We cannot afford to be satisfied with being less than absolutely sold out to God with our entire being. Now is the time to be literal. The end times are coming, and we could face persecution and hatred from those around us. *LITERAL persecution and maltreatment, by definition, are cruel and violent. The type of "persecution" Americans have gotten used to is nothing compared to what we could face in the coming years. We must know that it's metaphorical, but we must be spiritually prepared for the literal sense of persecution. I'm afraid the results of spiritually preparing for anything less would be detrimental to Christianity because it will produce half-heartedness. Half-heartedness is lukewarm, and lukewarmness disgusts God.

Revelation 3:16 - So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. (AMP)

I, too, am guilty of becoming lukewarm, but let's help each other become consumed with His fire! If we do not, destruction will come because of our own mistakes. His grace doesn't make way for habitual sin, but it does mean that even if we had habitually sinned, God's grace is available. He wants us to habitually become greater through Him and because of Him. Yes, our mistakes are potentially destructive; GOD can help us rise above the destruction. That's how great His love is for His children; He provides a way of escape before we even sin. Oh, how great is our God is! I say this not to discourage my family in Christ but to encourage them in the fight for faith!

*DEFINITIONS (I highly recommend them to help you better understand the post!)

In order of when they were introduced in the post. Com·plete·ly - /kəmˈplētlē/ adverb

• totally; utterly:

In·di·vid·u·al - /ˌindəˈvij(ə)wəl/ adjective

• single; separate:

• of or for a particular person:"the individual needs of the children"

noun

• a single human being as distinct from a group, class, or family:

Com·pla·cent - /kəmˈplās(ə)nt/ adjective

• showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements:

To help clarify, I've included the definition of smug and uncertain: Smug - /sməɡ/ - adjective 1. having or showing

excessive pride in oneself or one's achievement

Un·crit·i·cal - /ˌənˈkridək(ə)l/ - adjective 1. not expressing criticism or using one's critical faculties

Dire - /ˈdī(ə)r/ adjective

• (of a situation or event) extremely serious or urgent:

• (of a warning or threat) presaging disaster

Com·plete·ly - /kəmˈplētlē/ adverb

• totally; utterly:

Whole·heart·ed·ly - /ˈhōlˌhärdədlē/ adverb

• with complete sincerity and commitment:

Ab·so·lute·ly - /ˈabsəˌlo͞otlē/ adverb

• with no qualification, restriction, or limitation; totally

• independently; not viewed in relation to other things or factors

Con·sume - /kənˈso͞om/ verb

• Use up (a resource)

• (especially of a fire) completely destroy:

• (of a feeling) absorb all of the attention and energy of (someone)

Es·sen·tial - /əˈsen(t)SH(ə)l/

adjective

• absolutely necessary; extremely important:

noun

• a thing that is absolutely necessary:

Lit·er·al - /ˈlidərəl/

• taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory

• (of a translation) representing the exact words of the original text:

Additional Reading & Resources

Podcast:

Learning The Lessons Of Time - What Do The OT Prophets Have To Teach Us About America Today? The Rebellion

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3HiLqs0OadNjVpPvLOLtR6?si=pGAc_EQWTDyAMY0PVPYsSA

Bible Chapters:

Amos 3

Isaiah 3

Phillippians 1-4

Deuteronomy 4, 6, 8

Titus 3

Anti-Christianity On The Rise:

Article Title: Regular Christians Are No Longer Welcome in American Culture

https://time.com/4385755/faith-in-america/

Quote from the article below:

"To sincerely believe that (intrinsic or extrinsic) Christianity is not dangerous, one would have to be religiously illiterate or downright insane."

https://kurtz.institute/news-commentary/is-christianity-dangerous#:~:text=There%20are%20many%20more%20ways%20in%20which%20Christianity,have%20come%20about%20as%20a%20result%20of%20Christianity.

Quote from the article below:

"The Christian nationalist movement is largely white, reflecting the long entanglement of nationalism and racism that is our collective inheritance since the earliest days of America’s colonial settlement."

https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/common-witness-ncc/the-dangers-of-christian-nationalism-in-the-united-states-a-policy-statement-of-the-national-council-of-churches/

Article Title: U.N. poised to attack religion, church, Bible in looming LGBTQ study

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/feb/9/un-poised-to-attack-religion-church-bible-in-loomi/