A Self-Check Of My Christianity

Certainly, Christians should have the goal to achieve a eternal home in heaven.  So, since I am on a journey to reach this heavenly reward (2 Tim 4:7-8) how can I check myself to verify I am not a lukewarm Christian.  Lets just take a short personal assement.  I may be a luke-warm Christian if:

1.  I have time to watch hours of television, play video games, etc., but I can’t seem “to find the time” to read my Bible or pray.  There is nothing wrong with favorite hobbies and forms of entertainment, but balance is needed with priority always going to spiritual needs.

 

1. I am not prepared to defend my faith, teach another the Gospel of Christ, or even know how to remain faithful.   This is often consequential of #1 above, but this should be a serious warning sign to a Christian when  they have been a Christian long enough to be knowledgable of the faith, yet “ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God” (Heb 5:12).

 

1. I always want others to pray for me when I am “suffering”, “being tried”, or “struggling”, yet I never have the desire to pray for others or even know what their daily struggles may be.  This shows a serious disconnect with one’s congregation and shows the person has a wrong perspective of “self” and their biblical requirements to others.

 

1. I expect the church to teach sound doctrine and develop strong leaders, yet I never attend to men’s meetings to support the current men who are leaders, I do not attend Bible Studies so that I may be a sound teacher or leader in the future, or I do not volunteer to teach the youth so that they will one day be grown men and women in the church who will lead in their roles.  How can we expect a strong congregation when we are not helping the congregation to meet that desire?

 

1. I often talk about my “faith” in Christ, but I criticize “the church” or any doctrine of “the faith” (Eph 2:8-9) which I disagree with, or I don’t teach others about the “church” or “the faith”.  The mindset of being a Christian has been severely polluted by the religious world around us, and has even caused some to feel embarassament about the church and doctrines described in the Bible.  Therefore, many have accepted the idea of “being a Christian”, but not living or teaching what a Christian entails.  If my social profile on the internet is focused on my being a Christian and contains daily scripture posts, but I miss weekly gatherings with the saints for worship or Bible study, I would be better to delete my “Christian profile” and be honest with the world about who I really am.

 

1. I will not “cooperate” when things are not done my way.  I can recall as a child even plugging my ears and repeating “I can’t hear you” when I couldn’t have it my way.  There are many reasons we may not “have it” the way we want in a congregation.  We must ask: is it authorized, is it the best method or most cost efficient, will this cause others to be offended, will disallowing an authorized item to stop fighting promote or teach a scrupple to those less studied, etc.  The point is there are often many reasons a congregation does or does not do many things, and it should not be considered a personal attack on someone else’s preference.

 

1. I like to be greedy with my time, resource, or money, and I can easily overlook those issues within myself while I “put down others” who are trying to be faithful, who are active in the church, or who do the best with what they have.  I guess we should not be surprised by this behavior in the church. Christians are saved from the world, but oftentimes still have those worldly ways within them.  Until one can truly overcome these selfish desires, they will not reach a point in their Christian Walk where they are strengthening both themselves and the congregation.