How to Spot a Real Christian

Daily Thoughts and Encouragement for 1/26/2015

How to spot a REAL Christian 

Clearing the air for the non-believer

If I had a dollar for how many times I have come across pure hate being spewed on the internet or in person from people who identified themselves somewhere in the conversation as a Christian, I would have ended world hunger. The amount of times that Christians have turned someone away from faith or given them a bad taste about it is unrelenting and endless. It sickens me- I won't be quiet about it or roll over or ignore it any longer. 

Let me say first that I am not the judge of "whos who" in the Christian world. Only God is the judge of that. But I will say that over the years there is a clear difference between those who have embraced their Christianity and thrive in it- to the people who are luke-warm or are Christians in name only. If you are on the outside looking in, let me say this: There are no prerequisites to becoming a Christian. The important thing to understand about Christianity is that we meet people where they are in their lives. If someone is a jerk, then has some warm feelings and accepts Jesus, he can start calling himself a Christian. It doesn't mean he won't still be a jerk. He'll have to work on that. Growing spiritually is exactly that. Growing. It's a process that takes time. 

Secondly, take notice of the Disciple. In my mind, there are some levels in Christianity. Like earning a black belt. There are Christians, who believe, and there are disciples. If you want to talk to someone about the faith, talk to a disciple. Those are the people who speak with love instead of judgement. The people that work the trenches. The people who work as missionaries. The ones whose lives seem "different". Start with those people. If you are judging the faith on some joker on a youtube comment, you are misleading yourself. 

I did some research and found this interesting article on "Authentic Christianity" at http://www.jesus.org/following-jesus/discipleship/what-makes-for-an-authentic-christian.html. I am not the writer but I can agree with what it says: 

Let's take a look at five earmarks of authentic Christianity, taken from 1 John.

First, an authentic Christian confesses Jesus Christ as Lord (1 John 4:15). Christianity must begin with a verbal acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life. The Bible says that even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). True Christians should be able to say that Jesus Christ is their Lord.

Second, if you are a true Christian, you will be unhappy or miserable when you're sinning (1 John 3:9). This doesn't mean you will never sin if you are a Christian (1 John 1:8). But there is a difference between recognizing that we will fail in some way, shape, or form in the future and going on a willful, continual track of sin. If you really are a child of God, you will have a sense of discomfort when you sin, because you know in your heart of hearts that what you are doing is wrong.

Third, an authentic Christian enjoys fellowship with other believers (1 John 5:1). A true Christian will want to be around other Christians. Those who isolate themselves from other believers do so at their own peril, because the Bible tells us that it is important to get together, encourage one another, and correct one another (Hebrews 10:24-25). After all, why should God go to your house if you won't go to His? A lot of us want all of the fringe benefits of Christianity without applying ourselves.

Fourth, an authentic Christian obeys the commands of Jesus Christ. If you are a true believer, then you will obey the commands of Jesus Christ (1 John 5:3). I will not deny that the Bible is filled with so-called rules, but their purpose is not to make our lives miserable. Rather, they protect us from potential harm. The person who blatantly and continually breaks the commandments of God simply does not know Him.

Finally, an authentic Christian loves and obeys the Word of God (1 John 2:5). You cannot effectively live the Christian life without a love for, and obedience to, God's Word. All true disciples of Jesus Christ will be students of Scripture and will walk according to its teaching. This is vital to authentic Christian living, because the Bible is indeed the very textbook of life (2 Timothy 3:16). Yet so many believers will not read the Bible. They don't realize that success or failure in the Christian life depends on how much of the Bible they get into their hearts and minds on a regular basis. We have to do it.

Taken from "Authentic Christianity" (used by permission).

To wrap it up- Christianity is real. Christianity can be an incredible, life-altering journey. The kind of Christianity that was born at the time of Jesus is alive and well- you just need to discover it for yourself. God Bless and enjoy your day! 

-Alan