"And They Will Know We Are Christians By . . ."

     "For they know and trust in God, the Creator of heaven and of earth, in whom and from whom are all things, to whom there is no other god as companion, from whom they received commandments which they engraved upon their minds and observe in the hope and expectation of the world which is to come.  Wherefore they do not commit adultery or fornication, nor bear false witness, nor embezzle what is held in pledge, nor covet what is not theirs.  They honor father and mother, and show kindness to those near to them; and whenever they are judges they judge uprightly.  They do not worship idols made in the image of man; and whatsoever they would not that others should do unto them, they do not do to others; and of the food which is consecrated to idols they do not eat, for they are pure.  And their oppressors they appease and make them their friends; they do good to their enemies.  And their women are pure and virgins and do not offer their wombs; and their men exercise self-control from every unlawful union and especially from impurity; and their wives similarly exercise self-control, for they cling to a great hope of the world to come. . . . They do not worship strange gods.  They are gentle, moderate, modest, and truthful.  They love one another. . . . They observe carefully the precepts of God and live holily and justly as the Lord their God commanded them.  They give thanks to Him every morning and every hour for food and drink and other good things.  If any righteous person among them dies, they rejoice and offer thanks and pray; and they escort the body as if for one setting out on a journey. . . . But if anyone should die in sins, they weep, since that one goes to punishment."

     These words were penned in the second century by Aristides as he described Christians in the ancient world.  If one studies the description closely one sees that Christianity was a lifestyle, 24/7/365, and nothing less.  It was total and complete dedication to God and His commands and godly living.  It was not sporadic or a once a week thing.  These early saints stood out among the populations of the ancient world.

     During this time the church was growing by leaps and bounds, at times in spite of horrific persecution.  Today we look at one another and say why isn't the church growing or how can we grow the church.  Could it be that the answer lies not in programs, events, etc., but that it lies simply in the words of Jesus Christ?

     Jesus stated that the greatest command was to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength; the next greatest to love our neighbor as ourselves. Do the lives described above appear to be motivated by these commands?  If these were the lives that caused others to desire to obey the gospel then will it not hold true today?  We are a people who claim to adhere to first century Christianity, but are we? 

     Are we living lives that set us apart from the world 24/7/365?  Are we daily learning the teachings of God and engraving them on our minds?  Are we living lives whose behavior exemplifies the lifestyle of Christ?  Have we quit believing in the teaching of the gospel and practicing brotherly love to the extreme as the means to win others to Christ?  Brothers and sisters, God's word never changes.  What caused first century growth will cause 21st century growth.  May we dedicate our lives to the learning, practicing, and sharing of God's word; for this is what will truly win souls.

-J. Watson

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