So you got baptized, now what? Where is the background music and the magically twirling princess transformation? So you grew up in the church; you sit in the nicely covered pews of the air-conditioned building week after week, and yet you don’t feel ‘Christiany’. What is causing this lack of vibrancy and enthusiasm for your Christian walk?
There is a difference between going to church and being a Christian. Anybody can go to church; it’s a free (hopefully), open place that anyone can just walk into. But does going to church consistently magically turn you into a Christian? No! That’s like saying going to Burger King makes you a burger or going to school makes you educated (more on this later).
It’s a great pet peeve of mine as a church leader, that we teach people to attend church but not what it means to be a Christian. What is a Christian anyway? And what does it require to be one? There is this idea floating around that being a Christian means that God whimsically solves all your problems and all you need to do is attend church every week, fellowship with the brethren, and then we’ll all get to heaven, Praise God, Hallelujah, Amen. But being a Christian is much more than that. A few quick points on what it means to be a Christian:
Believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation from sin-John 3:16, John 14:5
Trusting in a God you cannot see-Hebrews 11:6
Following the guidelines laid out in the Bible-Psalm 119:105
Suffering persecution for Christ’s sake-2 Timothy 3:12
According to an online dictionary, a ‘Christian’ can be defined as ‘Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike’. Therefore being a ‘Christian’ should be self-explanatory, Jesus was kind ‘….Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God’ Mark 10:14; he was forgiving‘……Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more’ John 8:10; he was loving ‘For God so loved the world….’John 3:16 and he lived a balanced life ‘And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man’ Luke 2:52. All these qualities that Jesus’ possess Christians should so plainly show.
A little bit of history
The word ‘Christian’ only appears three times in the entire Bible, Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16. Jesus didn’t call his followers Christians; it was only after he left the earth that heathens in Antioch, began calling his followers ‘Christians’ as a nickname. According to Strong’s Greek Bible, the Greek word for Christian literally means ‘follower of Christ.’ (Where the Christian name came from)
And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Acts 11:26
Active Christianity
Not denying that fellowship with other believers is a vital part of the Christian walk but it cannot be a replacement for active Christianity. What do I mean by that? Being a Christian means that you are actively following Christ every day not just sometimes, or when it’s convenient.
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
Luke 9:23
The Christian experience is a journey not just a destination. Therefore,
daily we must seek to walk with Christ, daily dying to our sinful habits and
living for Jesus and his ministry.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20
Perhaps the reason you don’t feel like a Christian is because the relationship aspect of your Christianity is lacking. So, do you know Christ? Going to church without actually getting to know Christ, is having a form of godliness.
“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
Back to the whole going to school thing. If I just attend classes at school but I never take notes, I never apply the lessons my teachers have taught, I never study and I fail all of my classes, would you say that I am educated? The same goes for our Christian experience if we always attend church but we never apply the lessons to our lives, then we truly cannot call ourselves Christians.
Daily communication with God through prayer, devotion and Bible study is the first step to being a Christian. Only by developing a relationship with a God and seeking to obey his commandments, we can truly become Christians.
Prayer for Today:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I want to truly be a follower of Christ. I do not want to only attend church but I want to be a Christian in my heart. Remove from me the obstacles that prevent me from having a real connection with you. I thank you for your mercy, grace, and patience with me oh Lord.
Amen.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article today. If you have a question, query or story you’d like to share with me, please leave a comment or email me using the form below.
