Christian Living

The Christian Structure

by paul hoffmaster
02/27/22
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The foundation of the Christian Faith is Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 3:11)  He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith. (Hebrews 12:2)  To build one’s Faith on anything other than Jesus will cause a shaking of one’s beliefs.  It is not by knowing who Jesus is; rather, it is by knowing Him that brings us to the salvation experience.  Once the Gospel has been established, there is a responsibility of every Believer to understand the transformation that will take place in his life.  The second chapter of Ephesians illustrates the positional standing of every new Christian.  I urge every Believer to spend time immersing himself in the truth of this section.  Don’t move on until the truth of the Word becomes embedded within you.  Also, realize that God will start a process in you that will result in your spiritual growth. (Philippians 1:6)  As the Believer begins the growth process, he will start a demonstration of the Kingdom of God.  It is one thing to be a walking, talking audio Bible, but it is an entirely different thing to exhibit what you believe.  Going to church does not impress the nonbeliever.  What they want to see is what kind of life you lead outside of the church.  You can wear a cross and become a silent witness, but what people want to see is someone who has died to his own desires and lives a life centered on the needs of others.

The realization of our spiritual growth is directly related to our understanding of I Corinthians 13.  Faith without love limits one’s outreach.  Hope without love hinders our expectations.  Love is the glue that joins people, not only to God but to one another.  Sadly, too many Christians just read the Book and forget to live the Book.  Judging deflects from the “three-ring” center of the Christian's life: Faith, Hope, and Love.  Judging instead of loving hinders the Gospel message.   Love forgives and does not judge.  The Believer is the conduit through which God’s love flows into an unlovely world. 

Christians can make a lot of noise.  The problem is that the noise we are making is driving people away from the Lord.  Without love we are like a “…sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” (I Corinthians 13:1)  The Bible teaches that without Faith we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6), but without love our words and actions will be mute to the world.

If Christians would center on loving and not judging, we would see the Lions and Lambs sharing the fields.  If Christians would display the love of Jesus and seek to be peace-makers, the world would be a safer place to live.

The Disciples asked Jesus to increase their Faith. (Luke 17:5)  Let us today ask Jesus to increase our Love.  May we learn to love as Jesus loved.  Let us start with our “Jerusalem” (family), and then our “Judaea” (friends), followed by our “Samaria” (community), and then the “uttermost part of the earth” (the whosoevers).  (Acts 1:8)

May an epidemic of Love sweep our land!