My instincts, feelings, desires, and opinions sometimes stink. I often have to refute them, deny them, and forcefully turn away from them. Christianity helps me do that. Christianity isn’t about justifying or excusing my faulty instincts, feelings, desires, and opinions. It’s about humbly laying them down and submitting them to the will of the risen Lord Jesus.

Christianity isn’t about counting down till Heaven. It’s about building up the kingdom of God in human hearts.

Christianity isn’t about religious information. It’s about inner transformation.

Christianity isn’t about passive church attendance. It’s about active divine assistance.

Christianity isn’t about a lot of rules. It’s about Spirit-empowered tools (the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit).

Christianity isn’t about a daily quiet time. It’s about all the time of your life.

Christianity isn’t about what you do without. It about what you let the risen Jesus do within your heart.

Christianity isn’t about a church building. It’s about people letting God build them together in Spirit-led relationships.

Christianity isn’t about compliance with a religious organization. It’s about real reliance and daily dependence on Jesus.

Christianity isn’t about religious favors that you earn by being good or learn about by studying. It’s about letting your heart continually yearn for an ever-closer relationship with the living Jesus.

Christianity isn’t about religious clicks, human politics, or calling people heretics. It’s about showing everyone (even your enemies) that the living Jesus causes you to care about them.

If Christians hadn’t listened to criticism about church the Protestant Reformation would have never happened. Let’s look beyond our instincts, feelings, desires, and opinions and put Jesus first!

I look forward to the day that Christians won’t be talking about what they heard in a Sunday sermon but that church services will be asking Christians to openly share what they heard directly from the living Lord during the week. Learn to listen to and rely on Jesus. He said: “My sheep hear My voice.”