Let's get real for a moment. Have you ever wondered what true, authentic Christianity looks like? It's easy to get lost in the noise of modern life, but let's dig into the Scriptures and see what the Bible says about living out our faith genuinely.
𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲
First things first, love is the cornerstone of authentic Christianity. Jesus made this abundantly clear when He said, "𝘈 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶: 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳" (John 13:34-35, NIV). Notice He didn't say, "By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you post inspirational quotes on Instagram." It's about real, tangible love – the kind that makes people stop and wonder, "What’s different about them?"
𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸
Authentic Christianity isn't just about talking the talk; it's about walking the walk. James tells us, "𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘋𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴" (James 1:22, NIV). It's like going to the gym. You can have the best workout plan and all the right gear, but if you don't actually exercise and instead just sit there watching the tv on the wall, you won't see any results. Similarly, if we only hear the Word but don't put it into action, we miss out on the transformation God intends for us.
𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Now, here's a comforting truth: God doesn't expect us to be perfect. The Apostle Paul, who wrote a significant portion of the New Testament, openly admitted his struggles, in what I like to call the "do-do verves". He said, "𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 – 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘐 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨" (Romans 7:19, NIV). If Paul can admit his flaws, so can we! Christianity isn't about pretending we have it all together. It's about recognizing our need for Jesus and leaning on His grace.
𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
James also tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17, NIV). This doesn't mean we're saved by our works – salvation is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV). But our faith should naturally lead to action. Think of it like a car. Faith is the engine, but works are the wheels. Without the wheels, the car isn't going anywhere.
𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗜𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿
Prayer is another vital part of authentic Christianity. But let's be real – it's not always easy. Sometimes we get distracted, or our minds wander. (Squirrel!) And that's okay! Even the disciples, who walked and talked with Jesus, asked Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1, NIV). So, keep it real with God. Talk to Him honestly, share your struggles, and listen for His guidance.
𝗔 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗮𝘆
And hey, who says Christians can't have a sense of humor? Proverbs 17:22 tells us, "𝘈 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦" (NIV). So, laugh a little! Enjoy the journey, and remember that joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, NIV). After all, we're called to reflect the light of Christ, and that light should include joy and laughter.
So, let's get real about our faith. Let's love deeply, walk our talk, embrace our imperfections, put our faith into action, pray earnestly, and sprinkle in some humor along the way. Authentic Christianity isn't about perfection; it's about a genuine, growing relationship with Jesus. Let's live it out together!