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[[How many Christians LIVE as if every aspect of what we profess to be true - God’s Word of the Bible - is actually true?]]

MOST do- We don’t worship idols, we don’t sacrifice our children to gods, we don’t constantly engage in direct opposition to God as the heathen do- MOST are there when their neighbor needs help, when the starving need assistence, when the sick need caring for. That’s ALL Christ asks- He doesn’t ask us al lto becoem super sinless saints

[[Your first discipleship responsibility is in your family.]]

Exactly. One of hte lessons of hte bible is that we shouldn’t be spending capital outside of hte family IF it’s goign to be hurting the family at home- that includes not only monetary capital, but physical and emotional as well.

[[I mean, really, wouldn’t we all live differently if we lived like we TRULY believed in the all powerful, all sovereign God?]]

we DO live differently- much much differently- peopel have htis mistaken notion that in order to be a ‘real Christian’ a person has to polish their halo every day, wear robes, lash htemselves 30 times each morning, and stand on the street corners preachign hte word till our voices are hoarse. That’s NOT What God expects, infact very few are called to be hte super saints non Christians think we should be. MOST are just called to be in the world, but seperate from the world (ie: NOT to worship false gods, not to actively engage in evil, and just to be aroudn if or when someone shoudl truly NEED a hand or help- even if that opportunity never arises- it is God and God ALONE who directs our paths, and if it’s His good pleasure to bring one opportunity after another our way, then al lthe better, but if it’s not His good pleasure, then we are NOT to force hte issue because we ‘FEEL’ irrelevent in His work, and htink we need to be ‘doing somethign for Him’ when He Himself has NOT called us to do so.

Beign a Christian doesn’t mean one automaticlly bcoems an ouitspkoen missionary, street corner evangelist, missionary to the downtrodden etc. Remember, The two women in the bible- one just sat doign nothign but listenign to Christ speak, while hte other worked furiously trying to make sure all the guests were taken care of- running herself raggad- she complained to Christ about it, and remember what Christ told her?

“”Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42).”

Those criticising Christians for supposedly not ‘being Christian enough’ simply haven’t a clue about what it really means to be a Christian. They, like Martha- simply don’t udnerstand that God simply wants us just to BE- instead of always beign so busy we can’t see the real message, nor udnerstand the truth of life. In some people’s eyes, unless Christians are cosntantly preachign hte gospel, laying down hteir lives, givign up every modern convenience, then by golly, they must not be true Christians at all.

As Christians we ARE proclaiming hte truth by how we live- the world sees us- they see that we don’t revell in evil, they see that we don’t worship the same htings they do, and htey see that we ARE set apart- we ARE proclaimign His word without ever havign to utter one word- whiel some are called to missions, most are not- whiel some are called to feed the poor- most are not- while some are called to minister to hte sick, most are not. Most are just called to be set apart, and htis is NOT an all or nothign situation either- being set apart is a process- a prcoess worked by hte Holy spirit- some being more mature than others- but hte great majority being not as mature as the few- but ALL are wholly right where God has called them to be at that particular time-

http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/jesusandwomen/marymartha.stm