What's the Point of being a Christian?

     If you’re a Christian, have you ever wondered what the point is? Is it just to have something to believe in, or is there more to it? I accepted Christ as my savior as a young lady of twelve. At twelve I was sure I knew what I was doing and why I accepted Christ. As an adult, I was encouraged by my amazing husband to really look at why I believe. Was it because I went to the same church from the time I was in daycare until my senior year in high school and I thought that is what was expected of me? For a while I thought that may have been true. After taking some time to look back at the day I publicly accepted Christ and remembering the way I felt at the time, I realized that I really did accept Christ because of what He did on the cross for my sins, and not just because it was what was expected of me. I truly believed, but I didn’t change, not right away.

     Do you believe what you believe because that is what was expected of you? Are you allowing Christ to work in you and change you because you believe in Him and what He wants to do in your life? Or do you simply believe so that you are assured of not going to hell or just so you can say you believe in something? I’m sorry if those statements seems harsh, but if we are not being changed by God’s gift of grace, given through His son and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, then we aren’t living the way God planned for us. It took me over ten years of considering myself a Christian to start letting God work in my life and really change me. What about you?
     My pastor has spent some time recently talking about how Christianity is dying in America and how we as Christians are not being changed. The first is a direct result of the last. If we are continuing to live like we did before we accepted Christ, continuing to sin and treat others badly, what kind of example are we giving? Are we living in a way that would make others say, “Yeah, I want what she has,” or would they say, “They're no different than me, why should I believe that?” Here's a scary thought: Will your own children become believers based on how you are living, or do they see any change in you at all?

     I would like you to imagine for a moment that you are a believer in Christ, but that doesn’t really change the way you live (if indeed you are changing?). You continue along the same path, not sharing His word with others or living like you believe. Then you die and go to heaven. What if, as part of your judgment, God lets you take a look into hell and see the people you had contact with, possibly even your own family? They are suffering in agony for eternity and He asks you why you didn’t share Him with those people and save them from their torment? Could you handle that? I know I couldn’t.

     As believers in Christ, we have something that no one else does. It’s the power of the Holy Spirit. I have said this before and it bears repeating. We have the power of the Holy Spirit in us, just waiting for us to let it take hold and make changes. We can’t change on our own and God knows that. That is why He sent Jesus to the cross. So we could be saved and have the power to live in a way that honors Him. All we have to do is seek God and ask Him to help us change. He will and He won’t let us down. It will take time though, so don’t lose heart! No one can completely change over night, but we can commit to change and strive to change every waking minute that we have. Eventually the difference will become visible. It might take years, but God will be there with us the whole way, encouraging us and giving us the strength, through His Holy Spirit, to really be changed.

     So what is the point of being a Christian? It’s to be changed, through the power of God, so that we can share His word with others and hopefully, change them.