4/30/2024 Banding Together: Consumer Christian or Committed Lifelong Disciple??

Reflections on Romans 6:11–13 (NET): So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, 6:13 and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.

Could it be that considering myself dead to sin requires that I present my members “…to be used for righteousness?” Could it be that sin loves a vacuum left in our lives by us temporarily ending sin yet we sadly have no freedom since we do not seek our commander daily for orders? Are we not in a war? Can we succeed in life as a Kingdom citizen by failing our commander? How many admirers of Jesus never seek him even once as their commander? In this current time of Spring 2024, there seems to be a challenge from YHWH for American believers to cease being Consumer Christians and to become Career Christians. Christians whose existence and persistent actions outside of church attendance or activities prove that they have a discipleship career controlled by a commander; Christians acting not as a professional in ministry, but simply as an actual, active-under-command Kingdom disciple and citizen.

It seems that many Christians have careers, rather than they are Career Christians.

Am I an active follower and disciple of Jesus Christ? Am I consistently presenting myself as “…alive from the dead…?” Do I wake up each morning asking for a tasking from Jesus? Below are questions to help determine if I am a Consumer Christian on Kingdom welfare or a meaningfully Kingdom participant citizen under Jesus’ command. The questions below may seem oddly specific. They are taken from true Kingdom citizen experiences.

Should the United States actively persecute Christians consider the questions below:

Is there sufficient evidence against me based on my behavior in multiple settings to convict me of Christ-likeness? How blatant or visible is my grace behavior outside of church?

Can someone knowledgeably state that you opted to not make your own life decisions, but instead submitted these decisions to YHWH and waited on his reply regarding - career, marriage, who to date, where to live, whether to leave a difficult situation, etc.

Can someone truthfully report that you sacrificed a cherished dream, an important promotion, or any other important life plan to instead serve someone selected by Jesus?

Has anyone come to you and said, “I need to accept Christ. You are a Christian. Tell me how.”

Have you ever, in the process of terminating an avowed 70 year old atheist for proven fraud, had the Holy Spirit intervene and say “Stop. Lead her to Jesus” and you acted as commanded? (She accepted Christ and was not fired.)

Can you state, at this moment, what you see YHWH, the God of history, doing in the USA? Or only state a list of Satan’s and/or non-believer’s negative activities? Are you blind to the God of all history due to focusing on what is wrong?

Can anyone show the you are a net grace exporter? Meaning that you deliver more grace to others than the grace you consume from YHWH and others?

Has another Christian confronted you in a business setting and said, “I’ve been watching you! You do everything as unto the Lord! You don’t care about [worldly considerations]! You will serve anyone.”

Have you ever risked your freedom or your life to advance the gospel?

Are you more afraid of Satan or more actively invested in the Kingdom while walking in a store? Walking in a parking lot? Attending a tough family gathering? Sitting alone in your home? Participating in your community? When you watch/read the news?

Fearing Satan is not a Kingdom standing order. Fearing Satan leads to memory failure. Failure to recall Jesus’ personal intervening activity in your personal history. The list of questions above comes from Jesus’ real personal intervention. People experienced these things.

If you cannot answer yes or truthfully cite behaviors affirming Kingdom focus and courage in some variant of the questions above?

When did you take up your cross and follow Jesus? How are you defeating sin by presenting yourself “…to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness..?”

Righteousness is not your possession. Righteousness is a gift.

Pass it on. Move! Act! Every morning ask for your commander’s intent for the day! Then act on that intent. Yes. It will be awkward and hard. Act anyway. Courage is required in Kingdom citizenship and life. Also, Sin loves a vacuum. Void the vacuum with Kingdom action.

Become convictable as Kingdom a citizen. Accept slavery to YHWH as Paul teaches in Romans. This is how you limit your slavery to sin. Hupotassois your decision alone.

Taking up your cross is a public act of courage done outside of church.