Reference

Colossians 1:19-23
On Being A Christian

On Being a Christian

Outline

  1. Serious Letters
  2. Being a Christian
    • Misunderstandings
    • They were alienated
    • They are reconciled
    • They will be chrtis showpieces
    • They need to stand firm and faithful
    • So What is a Christian?
      • Paul gives us a pretty good basic description.  A christian is someone who was alienated from God, but who is now reconciled to God through the death and life of Jesus.
  3. A picture to keep in front of us
    • We need to remember that we were alientated from God. Otherwise we can slip into proud, self-sufficient ways of thinking that keep us from being thankful, worshipful, and careful to listen to our Master's voice. We can lose sight of just how badly we need ou Lord's grace.  We can also forget howmuch others need to hear the message of Jesus
    • We need to remember that we are now reconciled to God.  This is why we celebrate and sing praise to Jesus, who made reconciliation possible. It's the best medicine to help us eal with the discouragement that sometimes creeps in because we're still not perfect.  It gives us confidence that our Lord hears us when we pray, and that He will speak to us and lea us.  We live in joy, knowing that - right now - we are fully God's children, welcomed by Him, forgiven, set free, able to experience His prsence and help
    • We need to remember that Jesus is shaping us to be showpieces of His grace and power.  Otherwise we can start to think that our salvation and progress are things we have achieved for oureles, and we can turn service for God into a way of earning points and being better than others rather than a way of showing gratitude and love.  Or we can get too comfortable with being forgiven but not transofrmed, forgetting that Jesus' goal for our lives is to make us into something new.
    • And we need to remember our responsibility to be faithful and firmly planted: walking day-by-day with the Lord, cultivating healthy faith, listening to the right voices and not being ed astry by the wrong ones.  Asking God for the strength we need, trusting Him for it, and living in it.

K.G. Radant © 2025