83% of Americans profess to be Christian. In my opinion at least 73% of them are either delusional or blatant liars. Why do I say this you might ask? Well, it's because I'm right.
You see, I do believe that 83% of Americans BELIEVE in God or in Christ as God's Son but BELIEF does not equal BEING. To believe in God or Christ as the Son of God is only the first and EASIEST step of five in the Christian Process. The Five Steps are as follows: 1. Belief 2. Relationship 3. Following 4. Love 5. Death. If you have not died to Christ (the fifth step) then you are not a Christian.
I have not died to Christ. I thought that I had for a very long time. You see I "became a Christian" and was even baptized on July 9th 2000 about a week after having attended a Christian Youth Camp by the name of Camp Crestview. At the camp I had had a very powerful and very real spiritual experience wherein I first came to not only believe in God but to know him personally. At that time, I believed that that was all that was needed and thus when I professed my faith before my church and was baptized and believed and wanted with all of my heart that my life was now in the hands of Jesus, I believed that I was saved and had become a Christian. But I was wrong. Even when I found myself doing everything in my power to be obedient to God and even when I was truly in Love with Jesus and who he is and what he had done for me, I was wrong. Why was I wrong? Because I had never truly done the fifth step, I had never died to Christ. I believed in him, I knew him personally (as personally as I know anyone that I know), I read his word and spent time with him and followed him in the sense that I was obedient to and wanted to be more like him, and I loved him and knew that he loved me, but I never died to him. My Worldly Self deluded me into thinking that I had done enough. That I could be Worldly Michael believer, in relationship with, follower, and Lover of Christ and that I was safe and complete without having to do anymore. But, during the course of my 12 some odd years of Christian experience, the Holy Spirit has told me more and more that I was wrong. Worldly Michael cannot be the New Creation that we are all called to be because Worldly Michael is literally the Old Creation and the old cannot be the new. If I am ever to truly become a Christian or "Little Christ", If I am ever to become the New Creation, if I am ever to become a true Child of God then I have to finally die to Christ. A step that I believe not many ever complete.
Why is it so hard to die to Christ? Especially if you believe in him, know him and have a relationship with him, follow him and try and please him, and Love him? Well it's because we love ourselves more. Our ego's will not allow us to destroy ourselves and exchange our will for Christ's will. Even though we have been promised that if we should only lose our lives then we would truly for the first time ever find our lives.
I think that there might have been a few times in my twelve years wherein I did die to Christ, but only for a short SHORT while. I always seem to find a way to come back to my Old life. I guess that is why an old Christian saying is that: We must die to Christ every morning and over and over again during the day and night.
Do not allow yourselves to be deluded into believing that your journey is complete when your first believe in God or in Christ. Belief is only the first step, and it is the easiest. Every step after that one is more and more difficult yet more and more exciting and fulfilling. Actually, some might even argue that to die to Christ is the only step or the step that truly opens up all the other steps to their true and full potential.
I don't know. Just something that was banging around in the old noggin and so I thought I would write it down. If I ever do finally die to Christ (for a longer period of time than I maybe have done in the past), those of you who know God or Christ will know instantly, because I have met people who have died to Christ (not many but I have met them) and you can always tell that they have, because you can sense Jesus in and around them. Their relationship with Jesus is self-evident and unmistakable.
Anyways, maybe this is all too revealing for a blog but I guess I might as well post it anyways as I am not the shy or ashamed type. ;)
- Michael
p.s. I am not trying to make the statement that if your worldly self isn't completely gone that you are not saved or anything like that... but you should strive to rid yourself more and more of your worldly self and allow more and more of Jesus into your life.
see it and I have spent many years studying the Rapture and Coming of Christ and I would be glad to have you guys check it out.