Commitment Defined

Many who call themselves Christians in todays world are Christians in name only. A true Christian is one who does not compromise with the worldly element. They are not afraid to stick their necks out in defense of the teachings of Christ. They have strong moral character and are knowledgeable of the scriptures. They have a strong prayer life, support their local church, stand behind their pastor, read their bible every day, fast regularly, tithe regularly, and have fun doing what is right and holy in the sight of od. The committed Christian has or is learning to take their problems to the !ord, pray through, and then leave them in the hands of an abundantly provident od. They have a peace that passes understanding in all matters. They do not beat others to death with the gospel and seek the wisdom of the "oly #pirit in how to lead the lost to salvation. "e that winneth souls is wise. $rov. %%&'(b. They do not keep themselves clean only for the reward, but because it is the right thing to do. They do not flaunt righteousness before those who refuse to hear the ) ood *ews) about eternal life by casting their pearls before swine. They are concerned for the poor and charitable to all to the best of their ability to provide.

*ewsletter
PURPOSE: To provide a guide to improving the Christian image in the world and insight into how to bring Holiness into our daily lives.

+hen, in the process of time, a Christian finds themselves faced with probable circumstances and cannot reconcile themselves to compromise the ospel of ,esus Christ, they are faced with the dilemma of enduring pain. As stated in - $eter .&%, we must arm ourselves beforehand. +hether we must suffer deprivation of food and substance, separation from loved ones, physical hardship, outright torture, or any other kind of discomfort the world may inflict upon us, we must forethink these possibilities and determine in our minds and spirits that this is the price we must pay to enter in at the straight gate. Matt. /&%'.

0efore we get to this point however, we must straighten our lives to present an e1ample of "oliness and 2ighteousness to the world. 3or if we attempt to enter into any degree of standing up for our beliefs while still being wishy4 washy about the tenets of the ospel, we will most certainly fall under the pressure of a condemning world as being a hypocrite and will be ridiculed. Any further attempts to win the lost for Christ, in any given situation, will be nullified by our inconsistency. -t takes a mammoth effort to reverse peoples opinion once we become labeled as such. The Christian image is not popular in many segments of todays society. +e are called prudes when we attempt to defend the righteousness proclaimed by the 0ible. +e are shunned if we rebuke someone for using filthy language. +e are relegated to diminished tasks and responsibilities in the work place for standing up for the ospel. Christ is our teacher and e1ample. "e said we would suffer persecution in the world. -t)s part of the price to be paid for eternal life. +ithout prayer, daily scripture reading, fasting, and a few other elements, there is no hope of achieving the strength necessary to withstand what we must inevitably endure.