It is much
the same for the term Christian. To
be called a Christian today does not nearly have the meaning that it did
originally. Much as the term American
has ceased to be synonymous with the principles of the founders, to be called a
Christian today also does not
necessarily mean that one agrees with what Christ and the early apostles
taught. It is in fact, even more difficult to give a realistic contemporary
definition to the term Christian than
it does to the term American.
However, at
its core and true to its origins, what it means to be a Christian must be one
who follows Christ. This in fact, is exactly the sentiment of the first Christians.
They actually did not even at first call themselves Christians, but instead
described themselves as followers of “the Way,” probably having some reference
to the words of Jesus when he said “I am the way, the truth and the life, no
one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6). The Way was actually quite a descriptive term for them, since the
teaching of the early church centered on the way of God (Acts 18:26).
I’m a Christian Cheesehead
When the
term Christian began to be used, it seems
not to be one that the early believers chose for themselves. It was one that
apparently was given to them by the people in the city of Antioch (Acts 11:26).
I read in a couple of different sources that the people of Antioch were
especially fond of giving nicknames to people. They gave nicknames to their kings. The term
Christian may have at first even had somewhat of a derogatory connotation, but
the early Christians of that day instead took it for themselves and even took
pride in it.
In this
regard, it is much like our Wisconsin affection for of calling ourselves
“cheeseheads.”
This is a name that was bestowed upon us by those horrible Chicago Bears fans, although this was not the first usage of the word. However, the Chicago fans had a football team could not figure out a way to beat our Green Bay Packers, so instead the fans decided to call us names.
This is a name that was bestowed upon us by those horrible Chicago Bears fans, although this was not the first usage of the word. However, the Chicago fans had a football team could not figure out a way to beat our Green Bay Packers, so instead the fans decided to call us names.
“Those
Wisconsin people are just a bunch of cheeseheads!” I suppose that they thought
that this was clever because of our fondness for producing and especially for
eating cheese.
But instead
of being insulted by this name, we took ownership of it. After all, it is true
that we all love cheese! Cheese-shaped hats begin appearing at Packer games.
When we Wisconsinites are in another state and are introducing ourselves to
someone, at times instead of saying that we are from Wisconsin, we might say,
“I’m a cheesehead” (You may not want to try this in another country though,
they might misunderstand).
I think it
may have been much like that for the early Christians. The name was not one
that they chose for themselves, but it really was quite descriptive of them. They
took ownership of the name. It meant “belonging to Christ,” or “followers of
Christ.”
To Be a Follower
It is this
last definition that I would like to discuss at this time, because a Christian
certainly should be, above all else, a follower of Christ. This is much more
than someone who considers himself a Christian almost by default, simply since
he doesn’t see himself as being anything else exactly. This he feels is
especially true because if he were to go to a church sometime, it probably
would be a Christian church.
Speaking of
going to a church, one may think that a Christian might be one who follows a certain
set of church doctrines. But even this is not necessarily true, for there are
doctrines in many churches that are known as Christian churches but have
teachings that are not what Christ taught.
Instead of
these things, a Christian is one who follows Christ – that’s it. He or she is
one who studies the life of Christ and seeks to learn to view life as did
Christ. A Christian patterns his or her life according to the teachings and the
example of Christ. That is what Jesus told us to do. He said, “Take my yoke
upon you and learn from me” (Matthew 11:29).
The apostle
John tells us, “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus
did” (1 John 2:6 NLT).
The early
apostles were Christians in the true meaning of the term. They were Christians
before the meaning began to be corrupted by outside influences of acceptability,
and before men tried to make the teachings of Jesus more palatable to the
sensitivities of the times and the caprices of culture. Because these first
disciples were personally chosen by Jesus and commissioned by him to carry on
his work, I, at least, am comfortable in also believing their words.
Not a Part-Time Position
One thing
that many today who may call themselves Christians do not realize is that
becoming a follower of Christ is not a part-time occupation. It is not
something that happens on Sunday mornings only, or even in a daily five-minute
Bible reading before you head off to work. Becoming a follower of Christ is a
complete commitment of your entire energy.
Jesus one
time told his disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny
himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:25 NAS).
Notice that
Jesus did not say these words to a crowd of people who were weighing both sides
of an issue and considering whether or not they should become followers of
Christ. He said it to his disciples. These were those who had already in some
sense committed themselves to Jesus, and who had already made great sacrifices
in their personal lives.
Let’s Begin
Having this
initial commitment of course is fundamental. This phrase is today much overused,
but Jesus put it in terms of being “born again.” This is the initial commitment
that we must make in order to be a follower of Jesus. Without this commitment,
not only can we not be a follower of Christ, but we can never see the kingdom
of God (John 3:3).
But the
reason that this phrase is overused in these days is because very many
Christians think that this is the end goal of our Christian lives. That is all
that they can talk about. “Are you born again?” “You must be born again.” “I am
a born again believer.”
All of this
is very good, but it is far from the goal of the Christian life. Birth is
always essential for life, of course, but it is not the entire magnitude of
life. What would you think of a parent who thought that the full extent of his
or her parental responsibilities had been fulfilled once their infant had been
born? Unfortunately, we do have some parents like that in our society, which is
why we have children who are unprepared to handle the challenges of life.
It is much
the same in the Christian life. If we think that once we are born again, there
are no further stages in our development, we will be unprepared to face the
challenges of living the Christian life. Our growth will be anemic and we will
fail in many ways.
Knowing Jesus
If we are to
be followers of Jesus, then it must go almost without saying that we look to
his life as a pattern for ours. He is our example.
We have just
completed the time in our year when we observe and celebrate the birth of
Christ. At Easter we will observe his crucifixion. These are the only two
things about Jesus that most people know. They may know a few of the sayings of
Jesus – “Blessed are the peacemakers.” They may know that he healed some
people. But little else. Most people have never taken the time to study the
life of Jesus. Even Christian people have not. Even those who claim to be
“followers of Christ.” It all seems a little strange to me.
It is for
this reason that I mentioned the early name that the Christians took for
themselves. “Followers of the Way.” A follower of Jesus Christ must study his
life to the best of his or her ability to understand the ways of God and the
way that Jesus lived. I understand that there are some difficulties in doing
this. Jesus never wrote a book. He did not leave us a written dissertation.
There is a huge gap in the record of his life between the time that he was a
child and when he again suddenly appeared on the scene as an adult.
Nevertheless,
we do have four verifiable eye witness accounts of the life of Jesus during the
years of his ministry. This was the time when he expounded his teachings and
explained his perspective on life. And we do have one verifiable account from the early childhood of Jesus. Not very
much, I know.
It Requires Growth
And yet, I
think that most people miss even a single and most important lesson from the
early life of Jesus. It is in the gospel of Luke where we read of Jesus when he
was still just an infant. Luke says of him, “The Child continued to grow and
become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
Then later
in the same chapter of Luke, when Jesus was twelve years old, this is said of
him: “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God
and men” (Luke 2:40, 52).
Even with
Jesus, who was God, when he was on earth, his life and his understanding
required growth. He of course needed to grow physically, but I am speaking more
to the fact that he increased in wisdom. He was not born fully mature. How is
it that we should expect anything different about ourselves?
One of our
sons, when he was a little boy, developed a serious health condition. When he
was about four or five years old, his growth stopped, and he began to lose
weight. Doctors could not at first explain why, or what we needed to do about
it. The situation worried Vivian and I greatly. Thankfully, the issue was
eventually resolved and he is now a big and strong young man. However, during
the time, it was the fact that he was not growing that worried us. A four year
old boy should not be losing weight.
When a small
child or an infant is not growing, we know that something is seriously wrong in
their life. Again comparing this physical condition with the spiritual, why is
it then that we do not find a lack of growth unusual in the life of a
Christian? Many think that once they are born into the Christian life, there is
nothing left to be done.
This is not
the example that we have from the One that we seek to emulate in our own lives.
Jesus went through a process of growth and continually increased in wisdom.
2017
Today is the
very first day of the year 2017. It is the point of the year when many people
make an assessment of their lives, see if they have failed in some way during
the previous year, and resolve to do better in the New Year. Perhaps it is a
good time to make an assessment of your spiritual growth.
Perhaps you
have identified yourself as a Christian for many years, but have never really
been a follower. Your growth has stopped. In 2017, you can begin again to
follow the life of Christ. Pattern your life after his.
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