WHO IS A "CHRISTIAN"?

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   A "Christian" is a person who lives in Christ, and Christ lives in him... he lives inside God, and God lives inside him... as stated by Paul, "it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Gal.2:20).

    - A Christian is "another Christ", to live on earth the glorious adventure of love, being humble and meek like Jesus, doing the same work of Jesus,casting out devils and healing the sick, going about doing good, helping people to go to eternal Heaven, by being like Jesus "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world", to take away all bad karma of people, would say the Hindus... teaching and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom with his words and good deeds...

    ... And all of this with fear to nobody and to nothing, because a Christian does not trust in power or money, but lives this present mortal life "by faith in Christ"... and if God is within me, I am not afraid of anybody, because God takes care of me... and I am afraid of nothing, because Jesus is the Lord of the tempests and of the hurricanes, and he lives in me!... and a Christian who is "poor", is a millionaire, like the child who has nothing in his pocket, but has everything in his father who loves him... and God, my Father, is "the multimillionaire", the owner of all the money in the world, and of all the cars and houses, and the Lord of health and power and honor... and he has everything for me!, just as anything I have is for my child!. - One day someone asked me: How come if my Father is the multimillionaire he lets me go around with my old Chevy instead of giving me a new Cadillac?... of course, I don't know the answer, but God knows... may be God knows that with a Cadillac at hand you may end up in Hell, and for sure he wants to see you in
Heaven with the old Chevy and not in Hell with a new Cadillac...

God is "in love" with you:

    - We just made a comment of the first two thoughts of Gal.2:20: A Christian is "another Christ", and lives by "faith in Christ"... the third thought of the same verse is also great: "God has loved me and given himself up for me"... in a radio talk I said God "is insane" because he died for me who am
nothing, and I could not retract it because it was a live talk... but latter I found out that Paul calls God "foolish", or "crazy" in the Spanish version of 1Cor.1:25: The "foolishness of God" who died on a cross for me, and the "weakness of God" who becomes bread and wine every day to be my daily
bread in the Eucharist... a "foolishness", says Paul, wiser than all human wisdom, and a "weakness" more powerful than all human strength combined...

    - God is madly in love with you... let yourself be loved... he is waiting for you daily in the Eucharist made wine and bread (Jn.6:53, Matt.6:11)... this is the strength and glory of a Christian, not that he loves God, but that God is madly in love with him!... God does not want now to be in a cradle at
Bethlehem, but to live inside your heart, doing wonders through your nothingness...

Happiness of a Christian:

   A Christian is got to be a very happy person, even in death!... because death is the glorious way to go to Heaven.

    "Suffering" for a Christian is a source of happiness, because every "affliction" has a glorious double edge:

    1- It is like an injection that God uses to purify him... I am a Medical Doctor and people pays me to put them injections!.

    2- Every pain or sorrow is an "individual cross", the best weapon to help relatives and friends to go to Heaven... Jesus did not redeemed us with his wonderful sermons, nor with his astonishing miracles, but with his cross!... and our daily cross, is our best way to be evangelists, and thus the best reason to rejoice, as Paul cries out, "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's
afflictions for the sake of his body, the church" (Colos.1:24).
    A crippled old Christian lady at home is not a burden for the family, but the best treasure of that home... she is "another Christ" helping all her relatives to go to Heaven... and Heaven is our real home!.
    An unhappy Christian, is a bad Christian.

In the "Sermon on the Mount":

    The "Sermon on the Mount" in Matt.5-7 is the "Constitution of Christianity", and it is the best place to find out what a Christian is:

   1- Chapter 5,  tells us that a Christian is a person who fulfills the Law of the Old Testament, but a Law much more refined than the Law of Moses, the "low of love of Christ" (Gal.6:2): "It was said "you shall not commit adultery", but I say unto you that whosoever looks on a woman to lust has committed adultery in his heart... it was said: "an eye for eye, and a tooth for a tooth", but I say unto you, if anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also, and if anyone wants to take your coat, give your cloak as well... it was said, "you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy", but I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you"... (5:27,38,44).
    The big problem is that nobody could fulfill the Law of Moses, not even Moses!... so, who can fulfill the new more refined "low of love of Christ?... and
here comes next chapter 6:

    2- Chapter 6, says that if you trust in God, like the flowers and birds, God will be "in you"!... and you will be able to love your enemy and bless them that curse you... and not you, but Christ who lives in you!...

- We all want to love, but we are all selfish by nature, and "selfishness" is exactly the opposite of love... but if Jesus is in our heart, we are going "to love", "to give away our things, to give away even ourselves to others", because "to love" is "to give"... and not us, but Jesus who lives in us!.

- That's why "faith in God" is the basis of Christianity, the most powerful force of the universe, capable to fill us with love!.

   3- Chapter 7, tells us that once Christ is "in you", you do not become a "robot", you are still "yourself", and you have to exercise the "faith in God" for every minute
of every day of your life... you still can pray or not pray to God... you still can hate instead of love, and you will hate every minute that you trust your life in your nothingness, or in the nothingness of human power of money, instead of trusting it in that minute in God... you still can go to Heaven or to Hell... you still can be a true Christian or a false Christian... you still can make miracles and cast out devils for your honor, instead for the honor of God, you still can rob God of his honor, and you will go to Hell!...

-The "Beatitudes", in chapter 5, have been wrongly considered as an introduction to the Sermon of the Mount... rather they are the "heart of the Sermon", the "heart of the Gospels", the "heart of the whole Bible", the "heart of the living Christian"... learn them, and the version of Luk.6 (the 4 "beatitudes" and the 4 "curses")... and repeat them whenever you have a crisis, they will focus your entire life.

    1- "Blessed are the poor"... the "poor in spirit", says Matthew, "you who are poor", says Luke... "for yours is the Kingdom of God"... and we will talk about the Kingdom shortly... and Luke adds "but woe to you who are rich"...

    2- "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted"... and Luke adds, "woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep".

    - Jesus gave this Sermon after healing many people in 4:23-24... so, another beatitude could be added: Blessed are the sick, because they will be healed...

    3- "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth"... the "meek" are those who will have love and joy and peace on earth... and this is what anyone wants on earth, trying to get it with money or power of honor or drugs... everybody is looking after love, joy, peace.. and not the "smart", but the "meek" will have it, they will inherit this earth, right now, they will have the earth as their possession!

    4- "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst"... "for righteousness", says Matt., those who are deprived of their social rights... "blessed are you who now go hungry", says Luke, "for you will be filled"... and Luke adds, "woe to you who are well fed now, for you will be hungry".

    5- "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy"... for every act of mercy you do, you will receive 100 on earth, says Jesus (Mr.10:30).

    6- "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God"... you want to see God?... now?... be pure of heart!... like Mary!

    7- "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God"... "children of God", the most you can be!... a child of God, his son!... on earth!... now!

    8- "Blessed are you when you suffer persecutions, insults... rejoice and be glad!, for your reward is great in Heaven".


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