What is Christianity

     Christianity is not a religion as many people believe that it is. Religion is a man made concept. Christianity is a unique way of living with each other who believe in Jesus Christ. Living in the believing faith, love, and trust of Christ. Not only of Christ but also between each other. As the Bible tells us in Matthew 19:19 Honour thy father and mother: and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Another unique saying of Christ is in Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persectue you. Another unique factor in Christianity is the fact that we do not need a big fancy church to worship Him in; we can pray to Him any where we feel the need to; for instance, at home, anywhere in the house, any room, basement, bedroom, kitchen, living room, or even in the yard, walking down the street, at the store, anywhere we feel it is necessary to pray or just to talk to him. And it does not matter of what our status is in this world; are we rich, poor, middle class or whatever, He will hear us.

     Christianity is based upon Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. The Old Testament tells us of the coming of Jesus is in the early part of the Bible and came to materialize in the New Testament thousands of years later. His resurrection is very important to us because without it there would be no Christianity, no faith, no eternal life, and no hope of anything. Just death to look forward to. Because of Christ's resurrection we know that death has been conquered, and we too will be raised from the dead by the power of God, to live forever with Christ. This we learn in 1 Corinthians 15:55 O death where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Christ gives us meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the Resurrection gives us hope for the future. God's power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so we can live for Him in a evil world.

     The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central fact of Christian history. On this fact alone the church is built; without it there would be no Christian church today. Jesus’ resurrection is unique. Other religions have strong concepts, concepts about paradise and afterlife, and various Holy Scriptures. Only Christianity has a God who became human, who literally died for his people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule his church for eternity.

     Why is the resurrection so important to us? Because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the Kingdom of Heaven has come into our humane history. Our world is now headed for redemption and not disaster. I know as we look around us at the things that are happening, it looks like it is all disaster; but, in the end God's power of redemption will take over and prevail. God’s power is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus. Because of the Resurrection, we know that death has been conquered, and we too will be raised from the dead. The Resurrection gives authority to the church’s witness to the world. Look at the early sermons in the book of Acts: the apostles’ most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead! The Book of Acts is telling us about how Christianity started. The first church. The Resurrection gives meaning to the church’s regular feast, the Lord’s Supper. The Resurrection helps us find meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the Lord will help us to get through it. The Resurrection gives us hope for the future. The Resurrection assures us that Christ is alive and ruling his kingdom. He is not a myth, but is a legend that is very much alive and real. Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, lifestyle, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians; Jesus Christ rose from the dead!

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