TotD: Christian

I don't know if you have ever talked to me about Christianity but I will seldom say I'm a Christian. In my conversations with Christians that identify themselves such I will also say I am a Christian because I know you understand what that means, what that really means. However, if you have snooped about on my Facebook or Twitter (and I'm sure more of you have than will admit) or even my ask.fm, you will see I don't call myself a Christian. On Facebook I say Jesus is the most important person in my life and my religious views are Jesus is Lord. On Twitter and ask.fm I have 'Follower of Jesus.'

I was thinking about the word Christian over the past couple of days and thinking about why I don't use it.
Have you ever thought about what Christian means? The word comes from a mix of Greek and Latin, the Greek being Christ and the Latin being belonging to or part of.
So when you use the word it is like saying you are part of Christ. Which is very much what we learn as Christians, that we are to be 'Christlike' in our behaviour, thoughts, actions etc.

I heard it said once that Christian means being a little Christ in our situations. I don't remember where I heard or read that but it is a scary notion.
I remember thinking at the time that calling myself a Christian means I am claiming to be like Jesus. That's a lofty ideal that one can be like Jesus. It sounds very proud to say you are Christ-like doesn't it.
So for that and the confusion over what a Christian is I go with the safer term of 'follower of Jesus.'

Follower of Jesus is not truly what I am, or am called to be though. As Christians, we (people) are not meant to merely follow Jesus we are meant to bring Him into our lives. We are to see the world as He would see it and interact in the way He would interact with it. Does this sell God short?

Some of you know my thoughts on what some people call the Evangelical heresy: this is thinking only of conversion as the Great Commission when in reality Jesus says makes disciples not converts and says make disciples not go and preach. Perhaps this is the same thing...?

We have come to think of ourselves as merely people fumbling and failing in attempts to follow Jesus and do the things we think He would do were He in our situation and because our definition of what it means to be Christian has become diluted.

We are not just followers, or at least we shouldn't be. We should be bringers of Jesus. Christ-carriers (like a disease of love, sorry that was too Christian cheesy even for me). You see what I mean though? The Bible says that the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in us. He does not dwell in the world at large but in those who have called on the name of the Lord and are saved. That means we are in a unique position to bring Him places (often He tells us where to go but we still decide to or not).

I have wondered before about how it could change the way we act in private if we were aware constantly of God's presence. Now I wonder how much would it change the world if we were constantly aware of God's presence in our lives? How much more impact would it have if Christians lived like 'little-Christs' everywhere they went?

Take this as a challenge. Stop living in the fear of your failure and start living in the truth that God lives in you if you are saved. Start living in His power and be aware of His presence. Don't fear your failures and the ugly things in your life either; Jesus didn't.
The first Gospel's first chapter's third verse mentions Tamar (the daughter-in-law of Judah who gave birth to his twins) and the seventh verse mentions Uriah (the first husband of Bathsheba, the person King David had an affair with, got pregnant and then killed her first husband and married her; eventually they had King Solomon.) Jesus didn't hide the questionable things in His past, or the past of His family, they are right there in book 1 chapter 1.

Live like Jesus would live in your unique situation. It's a hefty challenge but one that will yield a life of harvest.