Is Christianity Practical?
Many who choose to not live the life that is pleasing to God will claim that the Christian life is NOT practical.

Introduction
We watch others and see that they do not seem to find Christianity practical to be used in our society.
The world has such an allure that they cannot and will not focus on Christ and try to follow His will.
Too often, most people will try to rationalize the whole theory of Christianity, and never get around to actually applying it to their life.
Hopefully, this lesson will make sense and we can start being active Christians rather than just active thinkers.
Most people try to take Christianity and try to make sense of it.
The problem is that it is really impossible to understand Christianity from a human perspective.
The apostle Paul said that the world considers it foolishness, but he also says the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men (1 Corinthians 1 through 3).
Some people want to emotionalize or intellectualize it so that it makes sense to them.
Only then can they begin to apply it.
Christianity is much more than a philosophy of religion.
It is actually a way of life.
We have got to learn how to live this life if we are going to please our Father in heaven.
Some people want to discuss the theory of Christianity without talking enough about living the life of Christianity in practice.
We can do this if we learn to apply what we believe into everyday situations and problems.
Real practical Christianity involves the following:

A Way Of Living
It is a strange thing that many can believe they are a Christian; but do not live like one.
Can one be a sailor without getting on a boat?
In many fields, it is against the law to claim a status, position, degree, or credentials in a fraudulent way.
Imposters are all around us.
Do you ever check the wall of your doctors to see if it is their name on the degree?
The point we are making is that one can no more be a Christian without living a distinctive life that mirrors our Savior and follows the teachings of Christ.
If we read Matthew 5:14-16, we are supposed to let our light shine so that all can see. We are not supposed to cover our relationship with God.
The life of a Christian is to be different from the world.
We may live in the world, but we are not supposed to be of the world .

A Way Of Loving
When dealing with relationships, we find that love is the foundation of every good relationship.
Jesus said that our love for one another will show the world that we belong to Him (John 13:35).
This kind of love demonstrates itself by action and not merely words.
1 John 4:7-21 describes the love of God and how we should adopt that love for our fellow Christians.

A Way Of Sharing
From the very beginning of the church the church had fellowship (sharing) together.
This was not limited to association, but demonstrated in sharing.
Acts 2 through 4 shows the demonstration of sharing their things with other saints.
They all made sure that no one was in need of any necessity.

A Way Of Learning
When Jesus said: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me”, He gave the guideline of the development of our faith.
The Christian life is one of constant continual growth.
We may grow so much and reach a plateau, but once there, we need to focus upon the next plateau that we can reach.
We can never be satisfied at where we are, because then we will be as the rich man who said: “Soul you have much goods, enjoy your wealth” at which the Lord said: ”Your soul is required this very night”. (Luke 12:16-21)
From spiritual babies, we are to grow.
We grow by longing for the pure milk of the word (1 Peter 2:2).
We are commanded to study God’s word so that we may rightly divide God’s word.
That means to understand the difference between the old and new covenants (2 Timothy 2:15).
We are to grow into all aspects of Him (Jesus) (Ephesians 4:15).
After all, He is our perfect example which we are to imitate.

A Way Of Teaching
The first and foremost duty of any Christian is to teach others.
As we mature we are able to teach those new to the faith and those who are younger.
Titus 2 1-7 explains that the more experienced men and women should teach the less experienced men and women.
Jesus said in His great commission to go make disciples and teach them all things (Matthew 28:19-20)
We teach others by our words.
We teach others by edification (encouragement).
We teach others in our communication.
Most importantly, we teach others by our example.
If we are to be lights in this world, we must shine.

Conclusion
It is not enough to just know the truths of the Bible.
We have to translate these truths into everyday life situations.
We must not only tell the world about Christ, but we must also demonstrate it.
Have you applied your faith in these areas of life?
If you have not done so, it is time to start.

By Carey Scott based on an article by Bobby Dockery

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