I am a Christian

I AM A CHRISTIAN.



I say this about myself all of the time. I gave my heart to the Lord 9 years ago and enjoy a wonderful relationship with my God. But I was thinking today. . . what does that me to OTHER people?


You see, I live in the Bible Belt. I have never in my entire life met someone who doesn’t know who Jesus Christ IS. So I did a little internet search to see what the WORLD thinks a Christian is. So I went to the worldly leader in information, Wikipedia. I will be honest and tell you this is not my favorite site. But for the purposes of my quest today, I wanted to go there.


A Christian (pronounced /ˈkrɪstʃən/ is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who they believe is the Messiah (the Christ in Greek-derived terminology) prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the son of God.[1][2] Most Christians believe in the doctrine of the Trinity ("tri-unity"), a description of God as Father, as Son, and as Holy Spirit.


Really? An Abrahamic, monotheistic religion? You have GOT to be kidding me!!


So they go on to quote a study conducted by Christianity Today.


• 19 percent of American Christians are described by the researchers as Active Christians. They believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ, attend church regularly, are Bible readers, invest in personal faith development through their church, believe they are obligated to share their faith with others, and accept leadership positions in their church.


• 20 percent are referred to as Professing Christians. They also are committed to "accepting Christ as Savior and Lord" as the key to being a Christian, but focus more on personal relationships with God and Jesus than on church, Bible reading or evangelizing.


• 16 percent fall into a category named Liturgical Christians. They are predominantly Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, or Orthodox. They are regular churchgoers, have a high level of spiritual activity and recognize the authority of the church.


• 24 percent are considered Private Christians. They own a Bible but don't tend to read it. Only about one-third attend church at all. They believe in God and in doing good things, but not necessarily within a church context. This was the largest and youngest segment. Almost none are church leaders.


• 21 percent in the research are called Cultural Christians. These do not view Jesus as essential to salvation. They exhibit little outward religious behavior or attitudes. They favor a universality theology that sees many ways to God. Yet, they clearly consider themselves to be Christians.


So, under these definitions, what am I? I guess I would be called an “Active Christian.” Yeah, that sounds good.


But what does that MEAN? WHO am I? WHAT am I? What is my LIFE like?


Oh, I desperately hope that everyone who knows me KNOWS that I am a Christian. It is such a part of my life; I can’t imagine someone not knowing that about me. But do I need one of those Jesus fish things on my car to let everyone know? Oh, I hope not.


You see, I want people to look at me and just KNOW. I want them to look at how I lead my life and by the things I do and the things I say that I love my Jesus. Yes, they can see me at church every Sunday. Yes, they can see that the pages of my Bible are well used and filled with notes and that my favorite verses are underlined. But can they tell by my HEART that I am a Christian, by how I love others? (John 13:5)


I pray that they do.


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