What Does It Mean To Be A Christian ?

[Richard A. Kent]

You probably have heard or even seen it here before, regarding the question of “what is the definition of a Christian “? But I believe it is not only the most important question to know, but it is also the most distorted and opinionated of all questions related to the Christian faith. Modern churches are popping up everywhere with their own theories of what they hold as Christ’s truth, but sadly it is anything but truth. As Christians we are followers of Jesus Christ, so it is imperative that we know and understand first hand the truth as he taught it. The enemy of God loves to hide within the walls of the church, and distort the real truth for one that may be slightly more pleasing to hear at times, but with no real power to save souls.

Jesus Christ’s walk on earth was to first hand teach us how we can get to Heaven. He was a radical and, was

not afraid to cause a few waves if needed. This is important for us to know because as Christians we need to know the character of our Lord, so as to mold ours after him, amen? This is also one of the most blurred aspects of Jesus’ life. Jesus Christ was a peaceful man and did not promote physical violence true, but in the spiritual realm and in the Church he was armed and prepared to fight anything coming against the father’s truth. He would be what many would call the strongest spiritual warrior that ever walked the earth. Note also that though his fight was mostly spiritual, it did require him to be confronting and without fear oppose those that were not opposed to violence. This means that our walk as Christian will be both spiritual and at times very physical.

Jesus taught of love, grace and compassion, yet at the same time he taught of discipline and self control. He was not a wishy-washy kind of person. His walk was serious and he walked his journey on earth with a very serious attitude. He taught that hell was a very real place, and that it was not something to fool with. He taught that Heaven was attainable by anyone, but that sadly many would refuse God’s love by rejecting real truth and thus would choose to face a hell meant only for devils.

Knowing who Jesus was while on earth is the key to knowing how to be a good Christian. Without this knowledge, a person can’t ever hope to fully be what they should be and thus this topic in my opinion should be on the top of every church list of sermons. Every church needs a good discipleship class that teaches the words and actions of Jesus Christ so that we may mold ourselves after him. First and foremost, if a church does not center everything it does on the words of Christ, it is not Christian. To be Christian means to be Christ-like, and for a church to be Christian it must teach the real Jesus Christ. It will not compromise any part of Christ doctrine ever.

What we as Christian have to decide is just how far we are willing to go for our faith. It is a part of our life? Or is it what consumes our life and makes us what we are? Do people see Christ shine from within us? Do our actions reflect our love for Christ and thus prove we ourselves are real and not hypocrites? Today look around, at us, our family and our churches, do you see something that is negative to Christ words? Don’t be afraid to speak, Christ wouldn’t be.

[Dr. Henry, President of the AOCI]

Amen! glory to God!