Christian Duties

As we go through our daily lives as Christians, how are we to relate to those we encounter along the way?

One of the most prolific inspired writers of the New Testament, originally known as Saul, described himself, in his address to King Agrippa, thusly:

Acts 26

4My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;

 5Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

 6And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers:

 7Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

 8Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

 9I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

 10Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

 11And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

Here was a man on a mission – to persecute Christians! Who would have imagined that such a man would be called for such a Glorious purpose? Yet reading on we find:

12Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

 13At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

 14And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

 15And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

 16But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

 17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

 18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Consider also:

Acts 1

8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Clearly, we, who have likewise been called as followers of Jesus Christ, have been admonished to be Salt and Light to the world.

Matthew 5

13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

 14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Putting this into practice requires more than a passive role. Often it requires us to step outside of our comfort zones and, perhaps, to cross some conventional lines of ‘political correctness’. It also requires us to set aside certain preconceived notions or misconceptions and actually inquire into the eternal security of our acquaintances, neighbors and co-workers.

Think about it; when is the last time someone inquired into your eternal security?

Even as I write this, I am aware that I assume I am writing to a Christian audience, just as I generally assume that most of the people who I encounter on a daily basis must surely be brothers and sisters in Christ! Imagine my surprise when I had a conversation some time back with a fellow who, upon inquiry, professed to be a Buddhist. He cited a number of reasons why Christianity and Judaism did not hold credibility for him. Regrettably, I did not have an opportunity to witness more to him before he departed from my sphere of influence. I can only pray that a seed was sown during our brief discussion.

I have recently separated from a place of employment, which kept me on the road and away from home anywhere from 10 – 14 hours per day and placed me in direct contact with many hundreds of folks on a weekly basis. As I mused upon why the Good Lord would place me in a position that kept me from my family so much I decided that it was evidently NOT for the money, as the return on the time invested was quite bleak.

It quickly became obvious to me that there must be a greater purpose and I began to look for opportunities to share various aspects of my faith and convictions, as unobtrusively as possible, while fully performing my job function.

Management recently told me that I was prohibited from discussing politics and religion with customers, although there is no prohibition on tangential chit-chat, in general. Before I had fully decided to what degree I should comply with their mandate, my position was abruptly terminated, although I had not found any opportunities to speak on the tabooed subject(s) in the interim. A case can be made on both sides of the issue.

Titus 3

 1Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work

Mark 8

38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

The reason for termination cited was in relation to sales volume, not ‘political correctness’ in the workplace.

Whether Satan had a hand in the process, or God is moving me elsewhere, or if it is just part of the happenstance of daily life remains to be seen.

In any event, as I was just reminded by a good friend and brother in Christ:

"All things work to the good, to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Proverbs 10

 1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

 2Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.

 3The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

 4He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

 5He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

 6Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

 7The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.

 8The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.

 9He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

 10He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.

 11The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

 12Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

 13In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

 14Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

 15The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.

 16The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.

 17He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

 18He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

 19In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

 20The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.

 21The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

 22The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

 23It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.

 24The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

 25As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.

 26As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

 27The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

 28The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

 29The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

 30The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.

 31The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.

 32The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.