“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
Acts 11:25,26
The disciple were first called Christians (literally “Christ followers” or ‘those of the household of Christ.”) at Antioch.
The name Christian was a nickname, possibly a word of derision for Jewish and Gentile believers in new movement within Judaism known as “the Way”.
It was a name the early believers took to themselves. A name that now stands for an entire movement.
Today by most estimates Christianity in all its forms is the largest single religion in the world.
Followers of “the Way” can be found in every corner of the world be it in countries with anti-Christian regimes where it has to survive in secret, or in the worlds democracies where it has free reign to prosper openly.
Once while in discussion with some friends I heard it said that “While freedom allows the church to grow easily and quickly, persecution can be good for the church.
When it’s persecuted the church has no option, it has to concentrate on what it believes. It has no time to get side tracked with politics or other frivolous things like it frequently does in a free society.”
It is with that in mind I asked myself what is a Christian? What is the quintessence of being Christian? Especially here in North America in the twenty-first century.
Certainly to those who felt the swords of the crusaders in Jerusalem in the fourteenth century, a Christian must have seen to have been a blood thirsty savage.
To many especially those of low birth, in the Europe in the middle ages the God of Christians must have seen as a harsh taskmaster placing through the church, almost impossible demands on lowly man.
Here in the “enlightened” twenty-first century many of those who espouse to an alternate lifestyles see Christian’s as hypocritical uncaring, judgemental, self serving legalist who use the bible to fulfill there own agenda.
Today especially here in North America, the average none church going person who sees some evangelist and pastors in the media must think, God as someone negative. A person who wishes to impose harsh rules on them.
They see the Church as against everything. Yet nothing could be further from the truth.
Like any movement that has survived centuries there are groups and individuals that have claimed to be Christian and are not.
Individuals who have for personal gain or unthinkingly in their zeal have departed from the pure word of God and followed their own agenda.
In Matthew 7:12 Jesus clearly states,
"Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Today in the twenty-first century, particularly here in the free society that is North America, what it is to be a Christian, the pure essence of what it is to be a Christian, seems to be lost in the cacophony of noise from those that claim to be Christians and are not.
Who then qualifies as a Christian?
Christianity varies widely in its practices and forms of worship. There is quite literally something for everyone.
Worship can range from the deeply traditional services.
Services that have been performed for centuries the same way. With elements that to those who practice them have deep meaning. Elements that take the worshipper through deep waters immersing them silently in the love of God.
At the other end of the spectrum are the modern charismatic’s who prefer a lively service with modern music, and dance. People who are full of emotion and wish to express there love of God with intensity of spirit.
Forms of worship however do not define who a Christian is.
Becoming a Christian is an individual choice. No one is born a Christian even if every member of your family is a Christian.
John 1:12 states, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become Children of God.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 make it clear that salvation is a gift.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, though faith– and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God.– not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Like any gift we must choose to take it in order to have it.
A true Christian has made that choice and had a life changing experience with God that change is noticeable.
A person with Christ truly working in his or her life will perhaps slowly at first but most definitely start to desire to do the will of God.
They do not judge another individual but rather reach out to anyone who will listen, regardless of their beliefs or life style.
Christianity, true Christianity is all inclusive, Peter noting
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9
The choice is always up to the individual as to whether they wish to become a Christian.
And it is up to the individual Christian to present that choice with out prejudice to all whom they would come in contact with.
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