What does it mean to be a Christian?
You probably know the right answer. A Christian is someone who has a relationship with Jesus, right? A lot of you have probably known that since before you could read.
And you’re right, of course. A Christian is someone who has a relationship with Jesus—but what does that mean? A “relationship with Jesus.” What does it look like?
How can you have a relationship with someone you don’t actually see?
That’s a tough question to answer, so a lot of us settle for little signs of being a Christian. We go to church. We pray and read the Bible sometimes. We try to do good things, or at least feel bad when we don’t do good things. We try to be nice.
None of these are bad, of course. But if we’re being honest, we know they’re not the real heart and soul of what it means to be a Christian. We know having a relationship with Jesus isn’t about what we do, or what we feel ashamed about.
Jesus didn’t come all the way to earth to bleed and die so that you could be nice person and go to church more often. He came to give you a new life. Not a better version of your old life: a new one.
Jesus came to give you a brilliant perspective.
Here’s how Colossians 3 puts it:
“Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Did you catch all that? You’ve been raised with Christ. This is about way, way more than just thinking nice thoughts about God. This is about a whole new life with a whole new perspective.
Your mind has been renewed.
Why is this such a big deal? Well, think of it this way. When Christians talk about transformation, they tend to focus on the heart. And, yes, the Bible does talk about the change of heart that takes place when someone enters into a relationship with Jesus. But that change of heart is actually dependent upon your renewed mind. We expect our hearts to change, and then our minds will eventually follow suit, but we’ve got it all backwards. If we follow the right thought, our hearts will change along with it.
Too many of us are trying to force our heart into something without focusing on the renewal of our minds. We’re putting the cart before the horse, mistaking the fruit for the root. Our heart change begins with our perspective. We start by setting out mind on things above.
So how do we do that? That’s what I’m going to use the space on this blog to focus on.
I’m inviting you to join me on a journey of understanding and accepting the mind of Christ that’s been offered to us all—and learning what it means to set your perspective on heavenly things.
For most of us, this is going to be a radical switch. Setting your mind on Heaven instead of earth is a massive paradigm shift, and it doesn’t happen overnight. We’ll all have to learn together, but the process is so incredibly worth it! The new life Jesus came to give us is far, far beyond where most of us are living, but it’s there for the taking! We just have to learn how to accept it!
Honestly, I think most of us are scared of it. Not because it’s frightening, but because it’s too good. We spend a lot of time downplaying or rationalizing promises Jesus makes in the Bible. “I came that they might have life.” “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “If you have faith, you can say to a mountain ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done.” They sound too good, so we assume they are.
But I’m telling you, Jesus is not a liar. He didn’t campaign on big political promises only to drop the ball after he got elected. Jesus came to offer you a new life, and his promises are true.
I’m going to be using this new website to explore just how true they really are, and how we can start living them out.
Care to join me?
