Living the Christian Lifestyle
ProductPublish date: 10/18/2012
The name, Christian, means “Christ-like” or “anointed one”. Unfortunately, way too many Christians never live up to this name. They experience no victory personally, and their weak, sinful lives are a poor witness for Christ. Sadly, for the most part, these compromised Christians represent the world’s view of the Church.
What are the outward and inward evidences of a Christian lifestyle? You can present an outward appearance of holiness daily, and still serve as a poor Christian witness. Matthew 23:27-28 NLT says, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs — beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Living as a Christian requires having the character of Christ within and without. A transformation must occur as a result of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. Galatians 5:24-25 AMP says, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires. If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]”
When we truly practice a Christian lifestyle, our heart attitude and our actions match up. The evidence of our submitted and yielded life becomes obvious to others. Father God will then be able to pour out His glory and power upon all those around us. Our faith, in the midst of trials and storms, remains steady and unshakeable – firmly rooted in the Word of God. Those who live the Christian lifestyle live a confident life on the inside and outside.
In this 6-disc series, Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne challenges you to examine the true meaning of what it is to be a Christian and to live a lifestyle that exemplifies Christ and the Word of God.