What Does It Take?

Four good friends of mine have passed away in recent weeks.

I miss them but I also treasure the memories I have of them.

I also know they were Christians.

This brings to mind a question.

What does it take to make one a Christian?

Do I know my friends were Christians because they attended my church?

Three of them did so attendance at my church is not what made them Christians.

The fourth attended another church.

So does attendance at any church make one a Christian?

Not necessarily.

Simply occupying a seat in a certain type of building does not necessarily make one a Christian,

What about Bible study?

Does reading the Bible guarantee the reader is a Christian?

Again, the answer is not necessarily.

A scholar can read and even memorize vast portions of scripture without being a Christian.

What about participation in sacraments?

Again the answer is not necessarily.

People can go through the motions without their hearts being in it.

Don’t get me wrong.

Church attendance is a wonderful.

So is Bible study and participation in the sacraments.

But what truly makes a person a Christian is the relationship he or she has with God, the Father.

That relationship is made possible through Jesus, the Son, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Think of it this way.

Let’s say there is a pilot who is a Christian.

One day while flying out over the ocean his plane encounters mechanical problems.

He is forced to land in the ocean and then swims safely to an uninhabited island nearby.

He does not have his Bible.

There is no church on the island and consequently no access to sacraments.

Does the man pilot remain a Christian without access to these things?

Of course, because he still has what it takes - a relationship with God.

The thief on the cross gives us an even better example.

Even in his final moments, he turned to the only One who could truly make a difference.

He turned to Jesus.

Luke 23:42-43 (NET) - Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

One final thought.

I am certain each of my friends had this relationship because they demonstrated it in their lives.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 2, 2016.

I will be back here on Friday, September 9, 2016