The Ignorant Christian

Introduction

“You got to be who you are in this world. The old man got to be the old man and the big fish got to be the big fish.”

If you consider yourself to be a Christian, what I mean is a real Christian, a man or a woman who is a true believer of the gospel message and a true follower of Christ Jesus; then I have some words of caution for you.

You cannot be that Christian who talks the talk and does not walk the walk. You need to talk the talk and walk the walk. You see, ignorance is not a good excuse. Ignorance will lead to spiritual death; total separation from the presence of God.

A Christian got to be a Christian regardless of whatever the situation is. If you are the kind of person who changes relative to his or her circumstances, then you may be in deep trouble. A Christian’s foundation is based on absolute truth i.e. truth that cannot be changed, what was, is and will be regardless of whatever happens. To speak point blank, Christ is the only absolute truth and all that is, is through him, in him and for him.

Now a Christian’s weakness lies in ignorance more than in anything else simply due to the fact because he or she chooses to be ignorant. Kicking the absolute aside by no means changes the output of a situation. You see, what is absolute cannot be changed. Reminds us very well of the scripture in the Book of Hebrews: “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.”

Now a Christian can be ignorant of many things but I feel there are three which affect almost all of us and are a major stumbling block to our so called Christian lifestyles. I admit, I am fully guilty of this myself and of course conviction does not resolve the issue but active response to the situation will sure make a difference not only in my situation but also in anyone who dare respond upon Godly advice. Amen.

The 3 Major Forms of Ignorance

1. Ignorance in Prayer

As I said before, I am very much guilty myself. Prayer which is communication (remember two way street), communion, ultimate intimacy with our creator. First of all, adequate time has to be laid aside for prayer. What I mean is quality time, where some actual, real effort is being put in from our side to touch the throne of God. Word of caution: If this first step is not being put into play, then please don’t waste your time in reading the rest. Second step is to make sure that your prayer closet has some kind of immunity to distraction. Of course as soon as your intimacy begins with your creator, the enemy is bound to strike. So safeguard your prayer closet from distraction. At least take some defensive measures. Thirdly, prayer has to be a consistent habit and persistence is the key to receiving good end results. If persistence is not a virtue instilled deep within, then sooner or later, doubts will begin to take over and your prayer life may get shipwrecked.

2. Ignorance in Worship

The psalmist was right, “God dwells in the presence of His people”. It is quite amazing and even surprising to realize that God’s presence literally fills us and the place where we worship. Now there are two things, your personal praise time and of course there is the congregation worshipping together. Praise seems to be the best divergent tool when it comes to shifting our grounds from self to Him who lives forevermore, amen. Here is the key thou, true worship and praise seem to lay in the total agreement and concentration of the body, mind and soul. Of course  when you start off, it’s not there but as you continue and build and move regardless of the external factors (distraction outside, personal problems and circumstances, pain, suffering, sickness, disease), a change in the environment and also on the inside occurs. That’s the moment, get more aggressive, build the momentum till it’s Him and only you, lose yourself in the spirit. Believe me when I say, joy and peace is all around you; you will drown in the power and anointing of God. He’s closer than it has ever been. Here’s a secret: Praise is the cure.

3. Ignorance in Charity

Charity in the Christian sense means love. Not just love but God kind of love. The Greeks call it AGAPE. Human love normally resides in two forms: EROS and PHILIA. Now here the simple difference:

EROS: Take, Take, Take

PHILIA: Give, Take, Give, Take

AGAPE: Give, Give, Give

Agape is an attitude of the will, doing or looking out for the good of the other regardless of who they are what they do, say or think about you. This does not necessarily mean that you like the other person or party. It simply means that you desire the good of the other. Agape should not be mistaken for feelings and emotions which change according to our moods and chemical imbalances. Agape is a decision of the will to think, talk and work towards the benefit of the other regardless of the other person’s or party’s response. The Book of Ephesians says that God shows us His love in this way that while we were still sinners (enemies of God), Christ died for us to re-establish our fellowship with the Father. We should have the same attitude towards others.

Conclusion

I talked about ignorance in three forms while it is true others exist.

  1. Now the thing about prayer is that it has this great benefit (advantage), it helps us to know, understand and perform the will of God. Prayer in no way makes God change His will and do our bidding (God does not change). But it builds up our spiritual sensitivity to respond to God’s will in our lives. Remember the Bible contains over seven thousand promises already given to me and you. The question is: how many promises are we living in?
  2. Praise is kind of a sync process whereby the creation (us) get diffused into the creator and all we know is Him and all around is Him and we in Him and He in us. All else is thrown out the window and spiritual intimacy with our master reaches its peak. That’s why so many healings take place when the praise environment fills the atmosphere and us.
  3. Charity: total submission to the service of our master and our fellow mankind without any benefits breaks down every bondage, cruelty and hatred within the heart of mere humans and opens up their spiritual eyes to see the Christ in you and me. 
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