Fri, Feb 27th - 1:29PM

Christianity God's Way

A Contagious Christian

con.ta.gious  adj.  1.  spread by contact: said of diseases.  2. carrying the causative agent of a contagious disease.  3. spreading from person to person.

When a man (or a woman, or child) holds nothing between himself and his God, does not allow his affections to be drawn away to fix on any of the myriad of idols around him in this world...

When such a man, having a loving loyalty to his Maker and Lord walks in a consistently righteous manner before his fellow men in all his dealings with them, and presents a clear example of holiness to them,

When the joy of eternal life in him is not suppressed by all of the pressures coming down on him in his daily existence, but his response is one of patient persistence,

When the gentleness and the power of Christ are exhibited equally in this person  as he verbally expresses the simple Gospel to those in need of salvation,

 This man gains the respect of those around him, whether they agree with his particular theological persuasion, whether they are willing to surrender their lives to his God or not.  Though he is yet a pilgrim and sojourner in the earth, and not yet fully perfected in his character, he nevertheless has a contagious quality about him that cannot be resisted by the world.  Pilate marveled at Jesus, and secretly admired Him.  Agrippa, being "almost persuaded" to become a Christian like Paul, saw not only the truth in Paul's testimony, but this very quality of attractiveness in him. 

Paul describes this contagion very aptly in these words:

For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

To the one [we are] the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who [is] sufficient for these things?  2Cor. 2:15,16

In another place Paul's willing union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection is expressed in the ministry he has to the Corinthians:

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.  2Cor 4:10

I don't, by any means claim to have attained unto this that I speak of here, but it is the only kind of contagious-ness that I want to possess, and I trust that is so for every true follower of Jesus Christ.  All it really takes is to be willing to take up the cross daily, and die to my own desires in following Him.  A simple formula, granted, but this is what He requires of a sincere disciple.  Sadly, not many who name His name today are ready for this kind of contagious-ness and the death to self it entails.  The masses seem to have opted for a more world-friendly version of Christianity, with its comforts and human approval and the compromises that go along with it.  They want to say they have Christ's life in them, but aren't ready to participate in His death.  That's not for me.  I want the real thing, whatever the cost!  He's given His all for me;  How can I withhold my all from Him?

And when he had called the people [unto him] with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.  Mark 8:34-38

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