What is true biblical Christianity?

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthians, and us today as well, to “stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). But what is “the work of the Lord?” Is it not the works Jesus had been doing (John 14:12)?

Yet the kingdom Jesus Christ taught, modeled, trained, conferred, and commanded his followers to seek, enter, and expand was so offensive to the religious people of his day, He was killed because of it. So is this same-natured kingdom normative for us today? Is it still true biblical Christianity? Was this mainstay of Jesus’ teaching and ministry part of “the faith that was once for all entrusted/delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), or not?

For our society at large, church is mostly a meeting place, a social gathering spot to interact with nice people. And/or, it is a place to worship and learn about things that happened almost two thousand years ago. And most of us have been conditioned to be content to live with a Christianity without a mighty kingdom. No wonder the world and our culture is largely passing us by.

What a yawning gulf exists between the versions or brands of Christianity most Christians and churches today model, preach, teach, and practice from the type we find in the New Testament. Instead, we have settled for a more comfortable Christianity that is principally based on Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. But where is the kingdom in that, doing his works, and us being “fellow workers for the kingdom of God” (Col. 4:11)?

What has happened? What has changed?

Frankly, today we are witnessing the decline of many institutional churches and the rise of the so-called post-Christian era. Some wonder what can be done? If things are going to change, we suggest we have to restore the preaching, teaching, and practices of the kingdom Jesus taught, modeled, conferred, and commanded. Isn’t that our model? Or, do we have no model?

What is true biblical Christianity—our brand or Jesus’ brand?

Source:

1A Once-Mighty Faith (future book – est. 2014-2015) by John Noe