Christians today make some errors without knowing if they ever had. These errors are born of ignorance, a lack of discernment, and an inability to stand out for the wholesome truth. Unfortunately, most of these Christians are church-devoted individuals, prayer warriors, and are active in the likes of religious activities where they worship and/or belong.
Christianity being not a religion and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ does not hinder Christians from doing the activities that are religious in nature, but they must be scriptural. The Holy Bible defines religious activities of a Christian as an outward endowment. Jas 1:27, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” The outward endowment of a Christian found in the epistle of James is, respectively, the service of responsibility towards men and the duty to God. This formed the religious feature of Christianity.
Basically and fundamentally, if there has not been the written word of God finding an expression in your heart, then it is of great need to cross-examine your posture if you are indeed a Christian or not. Because other religious activities could be engaged in with the account of self- deceits that they are all the services God want from a Christian. Or, the lifestyle of a Christian living that kind of religious life.
In this article, let’s examine the Seven (7) errors Christians make today without knowing or if at all they knew about it and are ready to quit.
1. Christians Leaving Out Spiritual Growth For Massive Church Programmes
The Bible advised Believers to gather, share reflections, and grow in the understanding of his word,
Heb 10:24 — 25, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
The Bible identified virtues of corporate meetings with objectives as divinely defined. The purpose is to provoke one another into doing and operating like God, and another of the purposes is unto the coming of Jesus Christ; a ground preparing for Jesus Christ coming. Unfortunately, today, most of the Church programmes lack this content. There would be consistent gatherings, and some of the goers would heavily build their stamina on those Church programmes. Some will not personally study, pray, and dwell in the spiritual habitation of God by themselves, as focus is always on Church activities.
2. Christian Taking Side With a Denomination and Not With The Gospel
Some Christians are more loyal to a camp, clan, denomination, and general overseer than Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is only our Great High Priest Heb. 4:14 “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” and the Church of God has no name or title. The Bible calls you the Church, an habitation of God through the Spirit. The Church is not a denomination, but a body of believers in Jesus Christ. Paul, in his letter, warned some individuals against claiming that a clan or group exists in the body of Christ. The apostle questioned them, “Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” It is sensitive to take sides with a denomination and not with the gospel. Be as the Bereans who invested so much in the study of the Word. You can be a participant in human institutions for good and for God, but do not mistake them for the Lord’s.
3. Believing That Some People are Above You and Cannot be Corrected or You are so Spiritually Mature to be Corrected
Another mistake is to assume a ‘Lordship’ over others, or you put others in the same spot. This is common in Christianity practiced on this side of the World. Some people believe that years of experience, leadership, etc makes them overnight perfect people. Why is correction needed? You cannot adjust souls you misled to the point of death. If Paul corrected Peter. The same can happen to any person, at any time, for whatever they did seemingly unscriptural.
4. Measuring Crowd as Approval That the Message of a Pastor or Ministry is Truth
This error is so common. You are wrong if you think that a big crowd signifies that the truth is being preached by a Pastor or Ministry. Be a Christian that discern by the Spirit and not by physical attachment. The Bible states that the Devil is transformed into an angel of light. That a preacher sold out the biggest stadium in the United Kingdom, United States or France does not validate that he preaches the truth of Jesus Christ. The Devil is full of scams.
5. Judging Others When You Are Sick Yourself
The Bible does not tell us to judge. Judgement belongs to God. Criticism by critiquing according to the word of God is the most appropriate thing to do. The word of God is there to expose liars and teach the truths; use the word and not cursings and abusings. The Bible says By their fruits we shall know them. And you can not speak about others when you are so sure of yourself being in the same spot dangling.
6. Learning Scriptures for Knowledge and not Applying
One of the serious error in life is you being studious and the impact of studies is not even obvious to you. The cost of studying is to serve a potential benefit of how it works for you. The same goes for the Christian who learned scriptures for knowledge by just memorizing, preaching, and reciting without allowing it to transform him/her. Jas 1:23, “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.”
7. Measuring God’s Approval by Material Possession
Material possessions are not a measure of God’s approval. The story of the rich man and Lazarus is a sharp example. In fact, the rich can be so prideful and allow riches to run into their skulls without being able to give them up for Jesus Christ. There was an example of a man with Jesus Christ in the gospel book.
Conclusion: As Christians, let us live above these seven errors. There should be a sincerity in the faith we practice.
