![]() How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Is God a loving Father to you? One who wants to know you personally so He can love, direct and guide you, and give you the very best? If so, then you’re probably experiencing peace and contentment in your faith.Is God an impersonal, invisible force inside everything and possibly every person? And through Him we become one with the universe? Then you’re probably seeking a formula, technique or a method to develop oneness with the cosmos.In your mind, is God a cosmic scorekeeper? You probably assume you’ll never measure up, hoping that in the end your good choices will outweigh your bad ones.Do you think God is an angry deity, waiting to punish you? You’re likely working hard to tiptoe around Him and appease His anger.Whatever your picture, here’s how it impacts your everyday faith and impacts authentic Christianity : Start with an accurate picture of God.Įvery single one of us has an image of God in our minds. What is authentic Chrisianity? How do we move beyond religion, church programs, legalism, performance orientation and compartmentalized lives to a grace-filled, authentic relationship with Christ? 3 Key Principles To Grasp If You Want To Practice Authentic Christianity 1. Others have gotten caught up in a faith culture of “doing” church and then separating that part of your life from your family, work, school and relationships. I had come to understand forgiveness, but I hadn’t yet come to understand authentic Christianity.Ĭan you relate? Some of you have experienced forgiveness, but your faith is built on a foundation of “shoulds” and achievements … and then failures. Not all of you are co-eds and maybe some of you have healthier boundaries regarding achievements, but can you relate to this kind of “schizophrenic” Christianity? Statistics say that 90% of believers live this way: behaving instinctively however we want to live, then repenting and drawing close to Him again. I would live like I wanted to half the week, and feel repentant and interested in God the other half. Honestly, I was a little annoyed - I was glad He forgave my sins, but this running-my-life thing wasn’t what I signed up for.Īs a result, I became a back-and-forth believer. I’d become a student of the Bible and quickly noticed the co-ed way of life I was choosing didn’t seem to fit what He was teaching me in the Scriptures. I was crushing this faith thing.īut, as college progressed, my faith was put to the test. God’s impact was quickly evident in my life! In my new, redeemed life, He allowed me to experience freedom and joy, and a lot of my “big sins” fell by the wayside. For the first time, I decided to follow Him. Soon after, a friend invited me to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp where I experienced God’s pull on my life. Just as I’d been taught, I set and attained goals, one after the other, feeling pretty good about my drive and stamina.īut where was it going to end? If I couldn’t experience happiness in this moment, when would it come? At the end of the next set of goals? MY INTRODUCTION TO AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY She was right-everything I’d set to accomplish had been achieved. She rattled off my achievements: I’d gotten the girl, the grades, and the scholarships.īut in that moment, I’d never been more aware of my unhappiness and my emptiness. I had a list in my head that I strived to achieve - and for the most part, did - and I was willing to be the hardest worker in the room to ensure my success.ĭuring my senior year, when I was at the very top of my game, a friend looked at me and said, “Chip, you must be so happy right now.” ![]() I worked multiple jobs in my pre-teen and teenage years, making sure to maintain my near-perfect grades and continuing to check off sports accomplishments. What about you? When did you come to understand the Creator of the Universe knew you, cared about you, and wanted to have a relationship with you? Is that moment now?Īchievement was ingrained in me from a very young age. ![]() ![]() Get a relational profile of an authentic disciple of Christ! Free MP3 Listen Now ![]()
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