We all know what a American is.
We all know what a Canadian is.
We all know what an Egyptian is.
But, what is a Christian?
A CHRISTIAN is defined as; Judgemental, homophobic moralist, who thinks they are the only ones going to Heaven, and secretly relish the fact that everyone else is going to hell.
Everything you thought about Christianity is wrong!
Christianity was at first a derogatory term used to describe Christ's followers who lived in and around Antioch as seen in Acts 11:26. These people followed the teachings of Christ and His disciples after Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
Approximately 70 to 80% of the people in the United States claim to be Christian, but the meaning of the term varies widely depending on who uses it. Most of these people can be divided into one of five catagories.
1) 19% say they are COMMITTED CHURCHGOERS, Often these people can be found in Church leadership roles or in some position in Church. They are regular Bible readers and Churchgoers.
20 20% say they are Professing Christians, While they have similar beliefs as the Committed Churchgoers, they are less committed to Church attendance or service. They tend to focus more on a personal relationship with Christ and less on Bible reading or sharing their faith, or service in the Church body.
3) 16% are Liturgical Christians, They say their regular Churchgoers, and they recognize the authority of the Church. They are mostly either Lutheran or Catholic and lean heavily on the traditions of the Church. They are not regular Churchgoers for the most part.
4) 24% Are Private Christians, They are by far the largest group, traditionally also the youngest segment, they have great spiritual interests, but not necessarily within the normal Church context, and they do not regularly come to Church.
5) 21% are Cultural Christians, who are God aware, but do not see Jesus as essential to their salvation. They affirm many things as controlled by God, but refuse to give up their own control to God.
We need to decide which type of Christian we want to be, or if we even want to be a Christian in the way the world sees them. So, my question is, do you want to be a Christian or a Disciple?
A Disciple is defined as a learner, pupil, follower, student, adherent, or apprentice. In John 13: 33-35 Jesus tells us we are to do something even more difficult than dying for God, we are called to LOVE one another. We are supposed to show love to our fellow man weither or not we think they deserve it. We should show love to even the unloveable, as God loved us and sent His son(John3:16) to sacrifice Himself and die so we might live in freedom of spirit. The Bible says in John 3:17 that Christ came not to condemn the world, but so that the (people of the) world might be saved. The Bible tells us in 1Peter 2:7-9 that the Commandments of God are not just for building us up, but also for causing us to stumble.
When you stumble, you suddenly look around you to see what caused you to stumble, and leave the lackidasical manner in which we have been walking along. Suddenly we can see clearly, all the things around us, and anything that may be in our immediate way. We tend to fall short of God's standards, much less our own. The word of God, the Bible, is to be a stumbling block for us to see the world around us more clearly, and through regular study of the Word of God, we will continually see the world through the Saviour's eyes.
We are also called in verse 9 of 1 Peter, to be peculiar people, defined as unusual, different, strange, odd, impractical, someone who acts like no one had ever thought of before. We are to stand out in the company of those around us. We are to cause others to want what we have.No matter how mean they are to us, or how bad they act, we are to show them the Love that we ourselves have received from God.
