RELATIONSHIP CHRISTIANITY 🆚. RELIGIOUS RITUALS.

Christianity could rightly be defined as "the outward expression of the life of Christ, the Risen Lord who lives within the believer". Christianity means
"Christlikeness". Christ is a person, and not a religion.

What makes you a Christian is not baptism, confirmation, or any other form of religious rites. What makes you a Christian is "... CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory; IN HIM WAS LIFE; and the life was the light of men" (Colossians 1:27; Jn. 1:4).

There is no life in religion; it's mainly about strict adherence to some dead rituals, and fleshly exhibitions. While the Christian is motivated by love in their service to God, religious practitioners struggles to please God out duty. They try very hard to impress other people with false piety, by putting on a show in the flesh.

Religion is not of the spirit; it's of the flesh. "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8). Christianity is of the heart (the spirit). "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Rom. 2:28,29).

CHRISTIANITY IS THE OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST, THE RISEN LORD WHO LIVES WITHIN THE BELIEVER.

Hiding under the guise of the under-mentioned religious activities doesn't make you a Christian if you are not in Christ.

YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN JUST BECAUSE

                             

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▶ You go to Church and read the Bible.

▶ You are very skillful in the art of chanting some current religious mantra with the hope of scaring the devil away.

▶ You nodded in agreement to what the Preacher is saying.

▶ You danced a jig in Church.

▶ You shouted seven thunderous hallelujah to impress other congregants.

▶ You fasted fourty days and forty nights in fulfilment of a religious obligation.

▶ You are an expert at the usage of religious slangs and phrases like, "bless you; it is well" etc.

▶ You prophesied in Church, the other night.

▶ You have a religious title or an elevated position in your local Church.

▶ You built a Church with your money, or sponsored a religious event. Remember Cornelius (Acts 10:1-48).

⬜The above-mentioned activities are good and noble deeds, but they can't earn you eternal life. Salvation is not attainable; It is obtainable. It is a gift (Eph. 2:8-10).

💠A CHRISTIAN IS ONE WHO➖➖

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✔ Is in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), having received Jesus Christ as Lord, and Saviour according to Romans 10:9,10.

✔ Knows that he is saved and has received the gift of eternal life now! because he is in Christ. "And this is the witness, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life" (Jn. 5:11,12).

✔ Has a firm and strong conviction about their faith in Christ, and not a wishy-washy attitude (2 Tim. 1:12).

✔ Who knows the Lord, and relates with Him personally, and intimately. Prayer is not a one-way street; it's not all about binding and loosing alone. The Bible teaches about different kinds of prayer, but primarily, prayer has to do with fellowship or communion with God. It's one way you walk and talk with your Heavenly Father.

Intimacy with God is the goal of Christianity "God is faithful, by whom you were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9).

✔ Whose interest and desires revolves around the kingdom priorities (Matt. 6:33; Phil. 3:13,14).

✔ Is ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ❗❗❗

✴️ ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN❓❓❓

OVERCOMER'S W🌍RLD®

Emmanuel B. Afolabi