Back To The Basics (Part 1)

Real Love Ministry was created to help other strengthen their relationship with God as well as their earthly relationships. However, the first step in doing either of those things is to first get back to the basics. This means getting to the core of what it means to be a Christian. Let’s face it, no matter how long, or short, we have been a Christian, we all fail. We all needed picked back up and we all need to get back to the basics at some point. RLM has created a four week series to help others do just that; get back to the basics of what it means to be a Christian and have a relationship with God.

There are many scriptures in the Bible that talks about what it truly means to be a Christian. One very powerful chapter that does this is Luke 7. This chapter has four different stories that outline the structure of what it means to be a Christian. Let’s take a look at the first story:

The Faith of a Roman Officer (Luke 7: 1-10)

¹ When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. ² At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer^[a] was sick and near death. ³ When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. ⁴ So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, ⁵ “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”

⁶ So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. ⁷ I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” ¹⁰ And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

The first basic step for being a better Christian is that you need to be a respectable person of authority. The above scripture shows us that we should be disciplined in our walk with God. The solider in this scripture was so disciplined and knew the powers of Jesus so well that he knew Jesus could heal his slave without even being near him. Ways that we can be disciplined in our daily lives is not only by getting in the word daily but also in our day to day interactions with others around us. If we know something is not pleasing to God, or we wouldn’t do it if God was physically standing in the room, then we should have enough discipline to not even think of doing it at any point in time.

A good soldier also leads by example. They do not just go running around saying “look at me! I’m a brave strong solider.” They show others they are a solider by their actions and the things they stand for. The same should be said about Christians. Christians should not run around saying “look at me! I go to church every Sunday and I read my Bible every day.” It’s so much more than that. Others should be able to see that you are a Christian by your daily actions and your love for others.

This week RLM would like to challenge you to become a good soldier of discipline for God and lead by example. Keep God in the front of your mind at all times every day. Let others see the light that is in you and let them know you are a Christian by the way you live your life.

Prayer: Dear God, I pray that everyone this week remember you and remember what it truly means to be a Christian. I pray they will be able to show discipline to you and also be able to lead others to your grace and mercy by their daily actions. In Your name, Amen.