I can remember growing up in the organized church being told all the things I needed to do to be a good Christian.
I think most of us who were part of the church were taught we needed to do certainly things to be pleasing to God.
We were all told that we are saved by grace, but after that we have to do, do, do to be good Christians.
What are We to Do
Usually the first thing we are told after coming to Christ is to find a Bible believing church, read your Bible, and witness to your friends. As we got involved in church we were again told to be at church whenever the doors are open, tithe your ten percent, get involved in a small group, do visitation, go on a mission trip, and on and on it went.
To be a good Christian, you can forget about grace because it all depends on how much you can do for God, at least that is the way it seems if you listen to others.
Always being told how to be a good Christian also brings up the thought that if you do not do all the things you are told you should do, then maybe you will be considered a bad Christian, and none of us want to be known as a bad Christian.
So what do we do? We try even harder to do all the things we were told to do to be a good Christian.
I think there are so many people who love God, yet feel so guilty because they just cannot measure up to being a good Christian, at least in the way that we have been told.
It is time we reprogram our minds from what the church told us and focus again on what God has told us. We are saved by grace, NOT OF WORKS. Ephesians 2:8-9 reads .. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
No More Guilt
We can stop feeling guilty about not doing enough. We need to stop listening to the do, do, do message and realize God has already done it all. God has done all that is needed to have a relationship and fellowship with Him. It is a gift from Him to us.
Good works will naturally flow from us through the love and power of the Spirit, not by our own effort trying to measure up and do things to earn God’s acceptance.
In Christ, we can relax and rest in Him. We do not have to worry about being a good Christian or a bad Christian. We can know that we are loved and accepted by our Father just as we are.
Done with Religion 
I know what you mean. Thanks for commenting.
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Life in the Spirit is true freedom. I know what you mean about not being a Bad Christian – in my day, this was known as being a Bad Witness hehe. But nobody used to laugh about it then ;)
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Good works are truly a natural result of the Spirit living within us. When they’re done I am usually not conscious of them and they’re not planned. They’re just natural everyday things you do for people.
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Glad you liked the article. So many of us are taught we need to be doing something, yet God has already done everything that is needed. I am not trying to say good works are wrong and unnecessary. They will be a natural result of the Spirit living within us. Yet good works are not required to earn God’s love or acceptance. We can rest in him, knowing he has done all that is necessary. Thanks for the kind remarks.
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The main thing I took away from this article is deduce the 3 words, “do, do, do,” to one word, “Done.” I’ve heard people say when God puts someone on your mind, you should pick up the phone and call them. I did that in the past and they were happy to hear from me, I think. I don’t do that anymore because it puts pressure on me. That brings guilt. It doesn’t necessarily mean that God wanted me to call the person. They just simply crossed my mind.
I truly enjoy all of your articles. They usually are helpful reminders of what not to focus on. I am loved and accepted by my father just like I am.
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Yes, it is more times than not the simple things that God uses. Like you said, daily allowing God to use us can make a big impact on those he brings to us. Thanks for posting.
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My experience after being born again 3 years ago is that He tells me day to day what my assignment is. One of my first assignments (He has such a sense of humor) was to literally get a glass of water for a young lady working a ride at Six Flags who had no water on a 95 degree day. No one seemed to care about her as she got the people ready for their ride, but I felt God urge me to ask her how she was. She almost broke into tears about how thirsty she was but she didn’t have any water. So after the ride was over, I ran to a concession stand and brought her water. Again, she almost cried with gratitude. Then that day, the verse came up either on my phone or a random Bible read about getting even water for someone thirsty (and I was just getting to know the Bible then) as being a way to serve Christ. That was Him telling me that if I pray every morning to serve Him with my life and to direct me, He will. To get caught up in how others define what serving Him is might mean NOT asking that girl how she is, or not leaving a $60 gift certificate to buy new shoes on a poor man’s door. Or sponsoring a poor orphan girl in Africa (the church I know up the street sponsors one girl instead of telling their members to each sponsor one–wouldn’t want the pastor’s salary to dip).
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