WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?

We would all agree that Christianity is a religion. But with so many different opinions as to what Christianity really is, we may well ask, "How can we decide what Christianity really is?"

Since the Bible is the basic book of Christianity, we would do well to turn to the Bible to determine what true Christianity is. But we find that there are many interpretations of the Bible. And so again we must ask, "How are we going to know who is right?"

At this point each individual must humbly ask Almighty God to identify to his or her conscience which is the true interpretation of the facts of the Bible.

However, there are certain facts which the Bible sets down and, regardless of any interpretation, these basic principles stand in the Bible.

First, the Bible sets forth the fact that there is a Supreme Being over all the universe called God. (Genesis 1:1)

Second, the Bible declares that God created man and woman to live on this earth under God's control. Genesis 2:16, 17

Third, the Bible makes it very clear that man and woman are in rebellion against God. As long as people control themselves it is an evident fact that God cannot control their heart and life. (Romans 8:7)

Fourth, the Bible establishes the fact that man and woman's only hope is to surrender completely to God in the person of Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12)

Fifth, the Bible reveals the basic fact that when a person is thus willing for God to take control, God actually takes over to live in that heart and life. (Galatians 2:20) The person senses a new life within - he or she becomes a new person. (II Corinthians 5:17)

Since all this takes place through Jesus Christ, the person is called a Christian and the whole thing is called Christianity. (Acts 11:26)

These are the facts. Now, will you ask God to give you the meaning of these facts for your own heart?

If you are so willing, simply bow your heart and say, "Almighty God, from the bottom of my heart I give you permission to move in and become the life within my life."

WHAT IS SIN?

We will all agree that sin is something evil. But just what is evil?

Some have the idea that sin is doing certain things that are wrong. But what person is going to say what things are right and what things are wrong?

We would all agree that no human being has the final right to decide what is right and what is wrong. God alone has this absolute authority. However, it is on this point that people get all mixed up.

Man and woman were created with God in control of their hearts - God was the only authority. God warned man and woman not to take into their own hands the authority to decide good and evil as it says in (Genesis 2:17) "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it." But man and woman deliberately decided to take this authority into their own hands. "She took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat." Genesis 3:6. Man and woman determined to say what is right and what is wrong. Man and woman put themselves in the supreme position in their own heart in place of God.

Thus sin is a person's running his or her own life instead of letting God run it. Notice the spelling of the word sin. Note the "I" in the center of it. Whatever a person does in his own strength is sIn in God's sight.

God gave people the Ten Commandants as a perfect mirror in which people could see themselves as he or she actually is - so that they could see the big "I" at the center of their heart and see how full of the old "I" (sInful) his or her life really is. In Romans 3:19 we read that the law was given "that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God." Each one of us must admit to God that we are constantly guilty of running our own lives.

We must give God permission to kill the big "I" in us and take control at the very center of our being. Then, if we are constantly surrendered to God, He will give us power to do good instead of evil in each aspect of life.

If you have never decided to let God take control of your heart and life, won't you stop just now as you read this, and tell Him in utter self abandonment that you are willing for Him to take over completely?

And, if you have done this in the past, won't you tell the Lord again that you are still willing for Him to take out of your heart and life anything that is not according to His will? Whoever you may be, are you willing right now for God to control your heart and life? Your answer is either "yes" or "no".

WHAT IS FAITH?

One of Satan's favorite tricks is to twist the meaning of a word until it means the exact opposite of what it is supposed to mean. That is precisely what he has done with the word "faith." The result is that there are two absolutely opposite ideas in people's minds as to what "faith" really means.

The twisted idea is that faith is man or woman taking hold of God. The true idea is that faith is man or woman letting God take hold of them. Let us look briefly into these two views.

According to the twisted idea, man or woman looks over the case for God and decides that God is worthy of his or her trust. He or she thinks it would be a good idea to have God on his or her side. So people decide to take hold of God and work God into their plans. Note that it is man or woman doing all the doing.

Thus the false idea naturally arises that the harder people hold onto God, the more he can get from God. How often we hear, "If you had enough faith, God will do whatever you ask Him." Does this mean that the more a person puts pressure on God, the more God will have to do what this person wants? How absurd this is! It is evident that the idea that man or woman can take hold of God is absolutely false.

As we turn to the true meaning of faith, we find that the Bible teaches that God is the Supreme Power in the universe and man or woman is a small, weak, limited creature. Instead of thinking that he or she is somebody, people must admit that they are frail, helpless, self-centered and then cast themselves down before almighty God. All one can do is to let go and let God take hold of them. (see Ephesians 2:8,9)

Great faith means great surrender. The more fully a person lets go to God, the more fully God can take hold of that person and work out His will through that person. Thus we must constantly surrender ourselves to God in order that He may continually have His way in our lives. (see Colossians 2:6 and John 3:30)

Many sincere people have entirely the wrong idea as to what faith is. They try their best to hang onto God and live for Him in their own strength - but something still seems to be wrong down deep inside. The Apostle Paul makes it very clear that the believer does not live by his or her own faith in Christ, but rather he or she lives by Christ's faith supplied to his or her soul from God Himself. (see Galatians 2:20)

Perhaps you are one of these sincere people who senses that you need something deeper. Perhaps you have some problem which you cannot seem to solve. Perhaps you do not possess the peace in your heart that Jesus promised. Perhaps your religious life is a burden and you find yourself unable to be a happy Christian. (see Romans 10:1-4)

If you are aware that your own efforts are hopeless - just tell God with all your heart that you are through trying to hang onto Him and that you are now ready to give up and let Him take hold of you - or to get a stronger hold on you, as the case may be.

People's extremity is God's opportunity. When we reach the end of our rope, then God can actually take over and work in our hearts and lives.

Won't you stop right now and put your faith in God by simply saying to him from down deep inside, "I give up," and leave the rest to Him?

WHAT IS IT TO BELIEVE IN CHRIST?

The basis of the Christian faith is belief in Christ. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) But, what does it mean to believe in Christ?

There are three depths of meaning in the words believe in. First, they may mean simply "the mental acceptance of a fact as being true." Indeed, we must accept the fact that Jesus Christ did actually live on this earth and die on the cross, but - believing in Him means something far more than this.

In a deeper sense, to believe in means "to accept the fact that someone has the ability to perform what is claimed." Again, we must agree that Jesus Christ is far more than a mere fact in history. The evidence is abundant that He has the power to influence the course of history and to change the lives of people even today. But, believing in Christ means something far deeper than this.

Basically, to believe in means "to entrust oneself wholeheartedly to someone." We do not truly believe in Jesus Christ, according to the Scriptural meaning, until we surrendered ourselves to Him. We must let ourselves go entirely to Him.

Perhaps a chair will illustrate these three depths of meaning. First, we can believe that a chair exists and yet not be benefiting by sitting in it ourselves. Then we may believe, very sincerely, that the chair has the ability to support someone - but, until we personally sit down in it , the chair is not supporting us. We only really believe in the chair when we decide to cease standing on our own feet and, instead, allow our weight to shift over on to the chair.

And so with Jesus Christ. We truly believe in Jesus Christ only when we reach the point at which we decide to let go of ourselves to Him. We must admit that we have been "standing on our own feet" - controlling our own hearts and running our own lives. We must relax, release, let go - allow Him to take control, support and move us as He will. Only then can we know what it really means to believe in Christ.

If you have never consciously decided to let yourself shift from your own control into His hands - won't you stop a moment, right now as you read this, and tell God that you are willing for him to undertake and under-gird your heart and life?

You may hesitate because you feel you don't understand enough about all this. However, it is not a matter of you under standing. It is rather a matter of your admitting you cannot under stand and letting God under stand (stand under) you.

When you are tired physically you release your body to a chair and let it stand under you. So with God, you must release yourself to Him - so that He, like the chair, can stand under you to be your support and strength.

If you are tired of "standing on your own feet" won't you stop right now and give God permission to undertake in your heart and life for the first time or another time?

WHAT IS IT TO BORN AGAIN?

Every serious-minded person is concerned with the teachings of Jesus Christ. His teachings are found in the Bible. One of His most important teachings is found in John 3:3, "Except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God." Jesus says that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he or she is born again. But what does it mean to be born again?

In the first place the term born refers to the beginning of life. The term again means to "repeat" or "take place a second time." Put the two meanings together and you have "to start over", "to begin a second time." But how can this be? How can a person begin all over again?

It is evident that our first birth is physical. We are born with a natural desire for food, clothing, and shelter. As we grow older we acquire the ability to gain these for ourselves. In fact, it would appear that man's main aim is to gain material things. The reason for this is that man's heart is set on the things of earth. He thinks that physical things are all there is to life.

Man's natural heart is insensitive to spiritual, eternal things. Man's natural mind is blind to the true spiritual realm. He cannot even imagine that there is a realm other than physical. This is why Jesus said that a man must be born again before he can ever see the kingdom of God.

But how can a man or woman be born again when he or she is grown up? Simply stated - only by a basic change in the innermost part of his or her being. A person must come to realize that he or she sees everything from an earthly point of view. He or she must be absolutely willing to give up his or her own point of view, his or her own ideas, his or her own will, his or her own heart and soul to God - so that God Himself may take control at the center of his or her being and make him or her a part of a new realm of thinking and living.

When a person is thus willing to give God permission to take over, a complete change takes place at the very core of the heart - a person is literally born again. Anew person, Jesus Christ, comes to live within. The whole outlook on life changes; there is a new Power for living. The apostle Paul says in II Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new."

Perhaps this may sound strange to you. But be assured that this is the very essence of all the learning of man about man. Philosophy says that a person must find the center of truth and recenter his or her whole life around the center. Psychology says that a man must find the proper focal point and coordinate him or herself around that point. Modern medicine stresses the need for readjustments in the soul through psychotherapy. Jesus gathered it all up neatly in the one little verse in John 3:3, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Would you like to know what it really means to be born again? Then let you heart go open to Jesus Christ as you repeat the following part of the familiar Christmas hymn: "O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray; Cast out our sin (my sin) and enter in, be born in us (in me) today."

WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN LIFE?

The Christian life is just that - a life. It is not something dead, stale, and stagnate. Rather it is something that is very much alive, growing and developing.

We might say that the Christian life is like walking. The Apostle Paul says, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him." (Colossians 2:6)

The first step in the Christian life is to receive Jesus Christ. This does not mean merely to receive His teachings, His example, or His way of life. It means to receive Him. We must literally allow the living Christ to enter into our hearts and live His life in us.

But before He can so enter and take control, we must give up controlling ourselves. We must be absolutely willing to surrender completely to Him. Only when we reach this point can He enter and take control.

The result of so receiving Him is an entirely new life. Instead of us living, it is actually Christ doing the living in us. We have a new Source of life, a new Direction in life, and a new Power for life.

If all this sounds strange to you, you have not taken the first step in the Christian life. For the Christian life begins only when Christ Himself begins to live in your heart. If there is any question in your mind as to what this means, stop reading for a moment, right at this point, and tell God that you are willing, without reservation, for Him to take control of your heart and reveal the meaning to you. Perhaps you hesitate because you feel you don't understand enough. But remember, no one ever crosses a bridge until he or she sets foot on it. Likewise, it is impossible to live the Christian life until we take this initial step to surrender.

However, this is only the first step. The Christian life is a walk - step after step - until that day when the believer steps from earth into eternity to become complete in Christ.

This is where so many make a great mistake. They presume that receiving Christ is the end of the whole matter when in reality it is just the beginning of a new walk. Paul says, "As (in the same way as) ye have therefore received Christ Jesus, so walk ye in Him." (Colossians 2:6)

Each new day - each new moment - presents us with a new decision. We must choose either to remain motionless or to afresh surrender to Christ and allow Him to move us forward in His will.

At first, this continual surrendering may seem laborious, but as we continue yielding to Him, it will become as natural as walking in a physical sense.

We should eventually reach the condition in which the constant attitude of the heart is one of surrender to Him, so that our wills may be empowered by His will continually - so that we are walking ("abiding") in Him. (John 15:5) Until this is true in us, our Christian lives will never be pleasing to God, satisfying to ourselves, or effective in His service.

Won't you stop right now and take your first step of surrender, or another step of deeper surrender? Will you tell Christ, without any reservation, that you are willing for Him to take control in this moment and move you forward in His own will and way?

HAVE YOU A BURDEN?

Perhaps you are one of those people who have a deep under-lying feeling of despair way down underneath in your heart. If so, this little leaflet is written just for you.

In the first place, may I suggest that you should thank God for this very feeling - for through it you may find your way into a new life such as you never even dreamed possible.

There may be many reasons why you feel as you do. But all these reasons boil down to one basic fact - you feel utterly helpless and hopeless in the midst of the circumstances of life. You are aware that in yourself you do not have the understanding and strength which you so desperately need to go on living.

However, have you ever thought that perhaps this is just the very way God reveals to people their need of Him? Jesus said, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Your basic problem, then, is really how to come to Him to find the rest your soul needs.

Well - to start with, you must acknowledge to Him from your heart that you have been trying to carry you own burden. You have been trying to run your own life. You have been trying to do the right thing. And yet there is still something basically wrong.

Have you ever realized that perhaps the basic thing wrong with you is the very fact that you yourself have been hopelessly trying to understand and straighten things out, instead of letting God Himself move in at the very center of your being to become your understanding and strength?

Have you told Him from the depth of your heart that you were willing for Him to take over and be your life? Will you admit to Him that your burden is more than you can bear? Will you give Him permission to lift the weight off your heart and carry it for you? The whole of Christianity says that this is just what God can do.

But you may say as you read this, "No one knows my problem. No one has ever had a burden as heavy as mine." But the Bible says in (I Corinthians 10:13) that God is faithful who will not allow any burden to come upon us which is greater than we can bear if we give God permission to bear it for us.

However, His solution to your problem can come only when you are willing to release yourself (including your burden) to Him. Stop trying to figure the thing out for yourself or trying to do something about it yourself. Simply relax, cease your struggling, and very definitely give Him permission to take over in your heart.

The pressure, the weight, the pull, the tug in your soul is simply God inviting you to release yourself to Him. But, He can only have His way in and through you when you are thoroughly discouraged with yourself.

Even as you read this , if it makes some sense to you, if you are aware of a gentle pull upon your heart, don't try to hang onto yourself. Simply yield to the love that will not let go - give God permission to go ahead and have His own way in the midst of it all. Let go and let God have His wonderful way. In (Psalms 55:22) we read, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee."

Won't you bow your heart before Him even now as you finish reading this and tell Him from the depth of your despair, "All right, God, I'm ready to let go and let you take over completely."

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