WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?
There are many people running around this world claiming to be Christians, but in actuality they are really not.
Going to church does not make you a Christian just like going to Dunkin Donughts does not make you a donught.
There are certain things that have to come into play that actually make a person a Christian.
What is interesting in
Many people today
claim to be Christians and as a matter of fact, a recent survey showed:
We have a problem: A lot of people think they believe in God. A lot of people think they know God, but that doesn’t necessarily make them Christian. In fact, many of the people today who claim to be Christians are actually not.
Many people do not even know what major holidays
signify. For example, (1) Christmas-
Jesus’ birthday (2) Palm Sunday- Jesus rode into
In the Bible, the Apostle Paul writes, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you-unless of course you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Are you really a Christian?
If you have really come into a relationship with Jesus Christ there will be evidence that you are a follower of Jesus. If you were arrested tonight for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? If the police interviewed your friends, neighbors, parents, your fellow students, etc. would there be enough evidence for them to prove that you were a follower of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes people get offended when you ask them if they are a Christian. Why? Because they probably aren’t. They say, “Hey man, stop judging me.” But Jesus said, “By there fruits you will know them.”
Are you really a Christian? Just because you go to church doesn’t mean you are a Christian. Likewise, just carrying a skateboard does not make you a skater. You have to actually get out there and skate to call yourself a skater. Likewise, in order to be a Christian you need to follow Jesus Christ. There will be evidence in your life if you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ.
All other religions say, “do this” and maybe you will go to Heaven. But the Bible says in Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
When you say a sinner’s prayer and ask Jesus to come into your heart there will be a response. Considering this, in the Bible, in 2 Corinthians 5:17, it states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Things you can do and
not necessarily be a Christian:
1. Try and live a good life
2. Believe that Jesus is the son of God
3. Be baptized
4. See change in your lifestyle
5. Go to church
6. Obey the 10 commandments
You can do all of that and not necessarily be a Christian. However, if you were a Christian you “should” do all of those things. Considering this, the outward change is often without the inward. But the inward change is never without the outward.
1. A
person may pray but not necessarily be a Christian. Most people pray when they are in
trouble. But that doesn’t necessarily
mean that they have a relationship with God.
I bet people are always praying when they get pulled over by the police. In the Bible, Jonah was called by God to
preach in the city of
2. God says people draw near Him with their lips but their hearts are far from Him. Also, when there is sin in your life, God does not listen to your prayers.
3. What about when someone makes fun of you or hassles you… are you still going to profess to be a Christian then? Are you truly a follower of Jesus?
4. You
can live a good life, be religious, and keep the 10 commandments but still not
be a Christian. E.g. rich young
ruler. Jesus said give everything you
have to the poor and come follow me.
E.g. Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord.
Whenever you see a movie about Jesus, you always know who Judas is
because he is always wearing a black robe and all of the other disciples are
wearing white robes. But back then; you
would never know who Judas was because he appeared to be a follower of
Jesus. However, in the
Real conversion: Acts 26
1. Have your eyes open spiritually… 2 Corinthians 4- Satan has blinded the eyes of unbelievers
2. Turn from darkness to light (God will not force you to have faith in Him. He makes the offer, but we need to accept His invitation. We need to repent of our sin. A lot of people say, “I love Jesus,” but then they go out and do all the wrong things. I am not saying that as a Christian you are never going to screw up, but if you are continuing to sin all the time, then something is wrong)
3. Turn from the power of Satan and yield to God (some of us are afraid to give our life over to God because we don’t know that God’s plan for us is better then our plans for ourselves. E.g. About 4 years ago, I fell in love with this girl at church and I asked her to be my girlfriend, but she denied my offer. I was so upset. I said, “God, what’s wrong with you. Don’t you understand that this is the girl of my dreams? Don’t you understand that this is the girl I need?” But then later in life, I realized that there was this other girl whom I love so much more. In other words, God knew that I would find this other girl so he did not need to give me the initial girl that “I thought” was best for me. Considering this, do not be afraid to commit an “unknown” future to a “known” God.)
4. As a result you will receive the forgiveness of sin (have you received that yet? A lot of people pray the sinner’s prayer but they don’t know if they have been forgiven yet. Have you repented of your sin? Have you asked Jesus to be your savior and your Lord? Have you put your complete trust in Him alone for your salvation? Most people don’t understand what being a follower of Jesus implies. God says, “Their sin’s and iniquities I will remember no more.” You are forgiven and justified when you become a follower of Jesus. Imagine having a million dollar debt and having Bill Gates pay it off for you. Likewise, you have an eternal debt, but Jesus has already paid for you.)
There is nothing that I can say to convince you to become a follower of Jesus Christ, but at the same time, I can say that there is power in the Word of God.
How well do you know God? Do you want to know God more? Does the gospel of Jesus Christ make sense to you? Do you want to become a follower of Jesus? Are you really a Christian?
1 John
1. 4:15- Did you confess Jesus Christ as Lord
2. 3:9- Are you unhappy or miserable when you are sinning? Anybody born of God will not habitually sin.
3. 5:1- Do you enjoy fellowship with other believers. If you are a true believer in Christ, you will have an active function in the church (body of believers). If you are born of God then you are going to love His children (body of believers). There is no room for prejudice against another person if you are a follower of Christ.
4. Do you love and obey the word of God?
Are you really a Christian? Do you pass God’s test? Are you really a follower of Jesus? Have you ever put total and complete faith in Jesus Christ? Have you ever repented of your sins?
To become a
Christian:
1. Realize you’re a sinner
2. Believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin
3. Repent of your sin.
4. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and savior
5. Then, make a “public” stand for Jesus Christ. Jesus says that anybody who denies Him as their Lord and Savior will not receive life into heaven because He too will deny you before God. However, if you publicly profess Jesus as your Lord and Savior then He will accept you before God.