There have been criticisms, castigations, condemnations, refutations and disbelieving of almost everything pertaining to Christianity. Scientists, historians, philosophers, psychologists and many others who claim to belong to “super academic” fields have tried to ridicule Christianity on the basis that its postulations of facts are fictions. These groups of people see nothing real or good about Christianity. But Christianity is very real. Hear what two great Christians of old said about the reality of Christianity. Alan Shlemon while talking in his write up on “Christianity is the Best Explanation for Reality” said: “If you listen to what people claim are the powerful truths they live by, you’ll recognize that Christianity is the only worldview that can justify all of them.” This means that Christianity justifies all the basic powerful truths on morals and others people claim to know. C.S Lewis said this: I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” This quote contains a lot about the reality of Christianity. Through Christianity we see everything else.
Today’s devotional is going to, first; present one thing that is real about Christianity that many seem not to know. This is talking about whether Christianity is really a religion or not. Over the years, many have placed Christianity on the platform of religion. Most members of religious bodies have used this view to attack Christians, seeing Christianity as an antagonistic party to them. Many Christians have presented Christianity alongside with other religious groups making things difficult for Christians. Christianity though has closer features with religion, is not really a religion. Religion, in its broadest sense is a set of beliefs, practices, or moral values designed to guide the ways humans think, behave, and interact with the physical and spiritual world around them. Under religion we have traditions with their rituals, ceremonious and sacred activities clouded with secrecies. Christianity might share in some of the systems, yet is not a religion. Christianity is more of a relationship.
From Genesis to Revelation we see God relating with His children intimately, giving them rules on how to relate with Him. God gave laws on how His Children should be relating with one another morally, socially, to relating with each other communally, relating and treating domestic animals and many others. The Ten Commandments are all about relationships. In giving rules how to relate, God instructed His children of the Old Testament of how to relate with the poor and the even slaves. God sent Jesus Christ into the world saddled with relational messages. He came to tell us exactly how to know Him and His Father. He showed the ways of how to feed the hungry people and deliver the afflicted so that they become useful to their world again. Jesus’ view on heavenly kind of relationship is LOVE. He taught and showed the world what true LOVE is. Christianity therefore came after His name when people saw His ways of living in Antioch. They referred to those following His footsteps as “Christians.” No religion upholds teaching of LOVE like Christianity!
PRAYER:
FATHER, I am glad to know that I am not in religious group as a Christian but in relationship group. Grant me therefore, ability to relate with people the ways YOU, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are relating in the name of Jesus.
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch