In This Issue

Some Important Questions For Every Christian, by Ira Mikell
The Christian and His Relationship With God, by Ethan R. Longhenry

Some Important Questions For Every Christian

Ira Mikell

The following has been taken from a tract that I had written a few years ago. I have updated the material and changed it for the format of this paper.

There are many questions that will help each of us examine our relationship as Christians. They are used as a means through which we can remember who we are, and what we as Christians truly stand for as we study the word of God. Let us be reminded what Paul once said to Timothy:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (1 Timothy 2:15).

Certainly, it is not wrong to question the authority of many things done in our own life. However, we must be careful so as not to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) to the extreme.

Where am I on the first day of the week (Hebrews 10:25)?
Am I a true Christian? A true soldier of God's Kingdom (2 Timothy 2:3-5)?
Do I truly love my Savior, Jesus Christ, as I should (Ephesians 6:24)?
Is my worship toward God pure, or is it in vain (John 4:23-24)?
Am I trusting in the riches of this world, or in the everlasting abundance of the riches in Heaven (Matthew 16:24-26)?
Am I praying as often as I should (Ephesians 6:18-20)?
Will I be ready to meet Jesus in the clouds someday (Matthew 24:44)?
Is God the conductor of my life, or have I let Satan taken control (Matthew 6:33)?
Am I wearing the entire armor of God, some of the armor of God, or none of the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17)?
Will I be ready to pass the test on judgment day, when God will show me either to the door of eternal life, or the door of everlasting punishment (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)?
Do I always tell the truth, or tell lies (Ephesians 4:25)?
Am I letting my light shine before the world (Matthew 5:14-16)?
Am I being the preserving salt of the earth, or as the salt that is ruined for eternity (Matthew 5:13)?
Do I study and meditate upon God's Holy Word as often as I should (Psalm 1)?
Do I love my enemies, or hate them (Matthew 5:43-48)?
Am I showing myself to be a true neighbor to others around me (Luke 10:29-37)?
Am I using the talents given me by God in such a way as to glorify Him in all righteousness (Matthew 25:14-30)?
Am I searching for those who have gone astray from the fold of God, and/or bringing others to Christ by preaching His Word (Matthew 18:12-14)?
Do I stand up for Jesus against the sins of the world as often as I should, or do I allow them to pass by without a word of care (1 Corinthians 16:3; Galatians 5:1)?
Am I a preacher of righteousness, or a preacher of unrighteousness (Romans 10:14-15; Matthew 28:18-20)?
Are my eyes continually fastened upon the goal of reaching Heaven and receiving the rewards thereof, or are they ever fastened more upon the goals of this world which lead me straight towards Hell (Matthew 7:13-14)?
Do I judge others concerning their sins before judging my own lifeand ask God in prayer to forgive me of my sins, and help me purify my soul in order to help others (Matthew 7:1-6)?
If I am one who is married, is my marriage to my spouse right in the sight of God (Ephesians 5:22-33; Proverbs 5:15-23)?
If I and my spouse have brought children into the world, are we bringing them up in the nuture and admonition of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4)?
Have I unlawfully divorced my spouse for reasons other than adultery (Matthew 19:9)?
Have I caused my brother or sister in Christ to stumble in any way, and if so, have I gone to ask them for their forgiveness? If not, why haven't I done so (Matthew 6:14-15)?
Is my speech pure and holy, acceptable to God (Zephaniah 3:9; Titus 1:15; Titus 2)?
Are my thoughts pure and holy, acceptable to God (Titus 1:15; Titus 2)?
Am I walking in the light of God, or in the darkness of Satan (Psalm 119:105)?
When I encounter temptation, do I flee its every form and never look back (Matthew 26:41)?

There are many other questions, just as important as these, that are not included in this article. However, every Christian should be able to ask himself questions as he studies the Bible daily, answering them through his understanding and knowledge of the scriptures concerning those things which God teaches us about Christianity and our attitude toward the world.

Ira Mikell
ira@thechristianexaminer.com

The Christian and His Relationship With God

Ethan R. Longhenry

Of all the creatures which roam the Earth, we humans are truly the most blessed. We have been made in the image of our Maker (Genesis 1:27), and we are able to have open fellowship with Him through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3). We have been granted the promise of eternal life if we continue to hold fellowship with our God, which is possible by loving Him, doing His will (1 John 2:25; 2:2-3). But exactly what is our relationship with our God?

We have a special relationship with our God. He loves us, even to the point of giving up His only Son so that we may have life with Him (John 3:16). Surely there is no greater demonstration of love!

Thanks to a modern misconception about love, many think that God loves us in such a way that we will not have to suffer or feel pain or experience much adversity. In the eyes of these people, God can only show those positive demonstrations of love, such as giving freely, helping us, and allowing our lives to be more comfortable.

Is this idea true? By no means! As we read in Hebrews 12:4-11:

You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives." It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.

So we can see that our Father does love us, and He loves us as children. As any parent worth his or her salt will tell you, the love of a parent is not always pleasant or comfortable, but works in the best interest of the child. When the child misbehaves, he or she is disciplined accordingly, so that the child learns to do right. In ancient times, children who acted like modern-day brats were normally "illegitimate" children, with parents who made life too comfortable due to their condition.

The Bible shows clearly that the Christian's relationship with his God is like that of a father and a son: our Father in Heaven loves us: when we do good, we are rewarded, yet if we do wrong, we are disciplined as sons. If we do not receive discipline for our sins, then we are as illegitimate children, and have no share in the inheritance of eternal life. For those who are sons of God, the discipline and other temporal sufferings lead to a stronger character and resolve on Earth and of course riches in Heaven. Thanks be to God for our wonderful relationship with Him!

Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com

For Further Discussion

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