What's in a name?

Christian? Christ follwer? Believer? Disciple? Saved? Born again?

All of the above (and more) are terms we might use to refer to someone who has embraced Jesus Christ as their savior, committed their life to Him and seek to obey and serve Him. Even defining it with the immediate preceeding sentence presents problems. The problem is that all the terms above have some baggage attached. Even the secular media is picking up on it.

The earliest Christian/Christ followers/believers/disciples/etc. were called followers of The Way. When Christ came He introduced a 'way' like none before. Those who chose that path were followers of The Way (praying for enemies, offering forgiveness unlimited, the last shall be first, and on and on). Some years later these followers were called "Christians" (little Christs) because they mimicked Christ. Those on the outside could see an obvious Christlikeness about them, they began to call them "little Christ's" as a term of derision. They meant it as anything but a compliment.

The word "christian" today has little resemblance to its origin. Any time I use the word to describe myself I feel compelled to describe what I mean. To say we are a "christian" nation is a great example of how little this word really means any more. We look and act nothing like Christ as a nation today. And many who apply the label "christian" as individuals could hardly be mistaken for Christ ... or even a cheap model of Christ.

Believer? James 2:19 says, "You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder." To 'believe' is not enough if that belief does not lead to a life sold out to Christ that leads to transformation into His likeness.

Born again? Saved? These are terms only understood by those who grew up in church or hang around a church. "Disciple" falls into this category of church-speak as well.

I use the term "christ follower". This term has its short comings as well. Jesus was much more than a model to live by. He was the sacrifice made on our behalf. He was our substitute. I choose this term because the first call Jesus made to the first "disciples" was "Come, follow Me". Those that attend the church I pastor hear me say such things as, "genuine Christ follower" rather than, if you would like to be a "christian". The article in Newsweek referenced above is correct in that the terms we use carry so much baggage.

Then again, maybe that's not a bad thing. As we tell others we are a Christian/Believer/Disciple/Christ Follower/etc. we will need to go into an immediate explanation of what that means. What a great opportunity to share our faith!

All I can say is "just watch"

I first saw this on http://edstetzer.com

You wonder how a neighbor might respond if you shared Christ with them?? Well, listen to the viewpoint of this atheist.

What translates?

I spent the week of March 15 - 21 speaking through a translator. Always an interesting experience. I am grateful for Jocelyn and Gregorio who shared translation responsibilities during my time in Belize.

I was assigned to do our group's devotion time Tuesday morning of the trip. I went to Belize with it all planned, but during the first few days God changed those plans. I was journaling the things I felt could be learned and taken home by all of us (the things that translate) and the things we could not take home (things that would not translate.

These were my thoughts as I shared with the team:

Things that would NOT translate:
1. The heat. It was hot and humid. We flew back to Nashville where the temperatures were in the mid 40's
2. The language. The villages in which we were working spoke Spanish as their primary language.
3. The pace of life. Belizeans simply do life at a different pace. No watches necessary!
4. The advantage of being American. Belizeans would show up sometimes just because the Americans were going to be there. Kids would run to the van before we would get stopped.
5. The value of the US dollar vs. the Belizean dollar. One US dollar equals two Belizean dollars. BUT the price of gas was $5.00 (US) / gallon even with the exchange.

Things that SHOULD or DO translate:
1. We were surrounded by lost people. Just like we are in the US.
2. Sensitivity to lost people. When on a mission trip, it just seems we are more sensitive to the fact the people are lost. We should translate this into our everyday lives in the US.
3. Boldness to share. We (me included) seem to be more bold about sharing our faith with people we don't know in another country. That just should not be the case.
4. Seemingly everyone has a need. It is easy to see the needs in a place of poverty like Belize. So we feel compelled to help. Fact is, everybody is hurting somewhere in their lives even in the US. The difference is, we can mask our needs because of our financial means. But if we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, we will see below the surface and find most people around us would also be open to our ministry here.
5. The Mission. Our mission does not change from foreign soil to the house around the corner. We are called to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We saw at least 15 come to Christ in a week in Belize. This is by my account of hearing the testimonies of those that made the trip. The number could be higher. I fully believe if we were as sensitive to the Holy Spirit, focused on the mission, and bold in sharing our faith, we could see those kind of numbers every week right where we live. The math is really impressive. Twenty four people focused on the mission for 7 days equals 15 (approx.) coming to Christ. What would happen if the 1300 - 1400 that gather every week at ClearView were just as focused and just as bold? Are you looking for the red apples (see post Evangelism Strategy 2)?