Why Am I a Christian?

 

The summer of 1970 was a turning point in my life. It was a time when Jesus said to me, “Either let’s get real with our relationship or let’s forget it”. I was living for myself and going through the motions for Jesus. Jesus did a work that led me to give all my life to Jesus as Lord of my life. In June of 1973 I went into full time local church ministry and served Jesus in the local church for over forty-seven years.

 

This year marked the beginning of my retirement from pastoring. I have found the answer to a question that I asked regularly throughout forty-seven years of pastoring: “Why am I doing this?”

 

In Acts 8 we encounter a man named Simon. Simon was a magician who amazed the people in Samaria. Simon responded to the preaching of Philip.

 

Acts 8:12-13 says, “But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philp. And seeing sings and great miracles performed he was amazed.”

 

Simon believed and was baptized. He began with the right focus on Jesus as his Savior, living as a follower focusing on the kingdom of God. But notice that Simon began focusing on the signs and great miracles.

 

In Acts 8:15 Peter and John come and pray for the new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8:17 they laid hands on the believers and the believers received the Holy Spirit.

 

Acts 8:18-19 says, “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered money, saying. ‘Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands my receive the Holy Spirit’.”

 

Simon is focusing on the miraculous and not on Jesus. He wants the power so that people look to him and are impressed with him. He believes he can obtain this through material means.

 

I had to be careful as I served God through His church that I was not doing it so people would be impressed with me or for financial gain.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about focusing on Jesus and following Him.

 

What does it look like when we are focused on following God and seeking His kingdom?

 

In Genesis 6 God tells Noah to build an ark because God is going to bring judgment by flooding the earth. It had never even rained at that point. God was telling Noah to do something that he had no knowledge of.

 

In Genesis 6:22 it says, “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.”

 

Following God and seeking His kingdom will mean we have to obey God in areas in which we have no knowledge or understanding; it means we obey by faith.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about obeying God by faith, not sight.

 

In Genesis 39 Joseph is tempted to have sex with Potiphar’s wife. He says no and in Genesis 39:9 Joseph says, “Np one is greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

 

Following God and seeking His kingdom will mean we will say no to sin because we know that it is displeasing to God and will harm others.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about seeing what sin really is and letting God empower us to say no to it.

 

In Matthew 4 Jesus calls Andrew, Peter, James, and John to come follow Him. In Matthew 4:20 it says, “Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” In Matthew 4:22 it says, “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.”

 

Following God and seeking His kingdom will mean that we have to leave things that take the focus over Jesus.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about making Jesus and His kingdom the priority of our lives.

 

In Acts 9 Ananias is told to go and share the gospel with Saul and heal him of his blindness. Ananias is not sure he wants to do that because he knows that Saul had been severely persecuting the church. In Acts 9:15-16 God says to Ananias, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of My name.”

 

Following God and seeking His kingdom will mean we will have to take risk and experience suffering because of the God’s kingdom.

 

When I served Jesus through the local church, I had to make sure I was doing it to honor God and not for selfish purposes. Serving Jesus must be about Jesus and not ourselves. It must be about His honor, His will, and His kingdom.

 

Focusing on God’s kingdom by Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                     Joe