What It Takes to be a Christian by Jaye Lewis

Hello friends,

There is no certain formula. There are no magic words. There’s no need to send money to any organization. God doesn’t need your money. He desires your heart. He’ll never shove you, scare you, or trip up your words. He cares not about the color of your skin nor the eloquence of your speech. He frowns on theatrical display, no waving coats nor scary articulations needed. My God hates that kind of stuff. Jesus called the “players” of his day, “Hypocrites.” They still are.
I didn’t understand these things, for many, many years. I believed every Preacher who transformed sermons into theatrics, more in tune to a bad Off-Broadway Play, than God’s grace. I didn’t understand what being a Christian really means.

The Saving Hour by Jaye Lewis

He came to me in my darkest hour.
Or was it the break of day?
He came to me with the sweetest power,
To take my sins away.

His burden is, so, gentle;
You see, He has sheltered me
Beneath His Saving mantle,
And loves me tenderly.

My Cross that He helped me carry,
Was a never-ending array,
Of complaints which are legendary,
Yet He changed my life in a day.

My heart belongs to Jesus,
To Yeshua, Christ the King,
The One whose grace is ceaseless.
He is my everything!

I don’t dwell on tomorrow;
I’m a struggling soul like you
With a multitude of sorrows
And Jesus to see me through.

I don’t know why He sought me,
Saving this lonely soul.
He loves me, and He bought me
Making this Christian whole.

© Jaye Lewis, 2009

So, to my friends who are not Christians, but who wonder what it means to be one, I can tell you, sincerely, that to be a Christian is to be Christ’s face to the world. Whether the world is a next door neighbor, or someone in line at the bank, we are still admonished to not just “talk” about Jesus, but to “be” Him.

It troubles me that there are those who draw near to Christ with their lips, urging those who are often destitute, to empty their pocket books, and give the little they have to them. Like the snake-oil salesmen of a century ago, they will have their chance to face the One who said we should give “to the least of these.”

I realize now that I belonged to Jesus long ago, with a simple desire to serve Him and to serve others in His name. Words mean nothing. God looks at our hearts, and He collects what is written there.

Father in heaven, we can never be truly the face of Christ, but in these days of dark uncertainty, may we be the heart of Christ to one another. Grant us the grace and the means to help our community, and especially help us help those who are most in need.

With love,
Jaye Lewis
www.entertainingangels.org