Thought for Today
Acts 11:26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called "Christians."
Acts 26:28 Agrippa said to Paul, "Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?"
1 Peter 4:16 Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name.
“Christian Name applied originally in Antioch to followers of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26) and now used to designate those who believe in Jesus Christ and seek to live in the ways he taught.” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, pg. 47)
What does it mean to identify oneself as a Christian? Is it just a convenient tag to attach to one’s self-description, a designation to indicate that we set aside 1hour each week to nap in a sanctuary? Luke noted that the term was first used in Antioch to designate followers of Jesus. Are there geographic connotations to the term? “Antioch was a city located in northern Syria at the site of modern Antakya, Turkey . . . Antioch may have been inhabited by over 500,000 inhabitants at its peak, making the city the third largest in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria.” (en.wikipedia.org) Since there are approximately 2.38 billion Christians worldwide today (Copilot Search), being a Christian does not seem to designate any particular geographic locale.
Does being a Christian mean you regularly attend worship services at a church, temple or cathedral identified as Christian? If so, what does the word ‘regularly’ mean? Is frequency of participation in corporate worship one of the factors authenticating one as a Christian? Is it the only factor? Can one truly be a Christian and never set foot inside a Christian church?
I do believe that asking ourselves questions about our faith, individually and corporately, is a component part of what it means to be a Christian. Self-reflection and self-evaluation are necessary for growth. This morning, my mind is a bit aswirl with questions related to faith. That’s a good thing!
There are certain verses in the Bible which I repeatedly cite, read and upon which I regularly reflect. I’ve lost count of how often I have read and cited John 3:16-17, Luke 10:27, Ephesians 2:8, and James 2:18-20. When I assisted the chaplains in Houston’s Methodist Hospital, I often was asked to read Romans 8:35-39. These verses are pivotal for me in defining what it means for me to identify myself as a Christian.
As I read this morning’s devotional in These Days, I was struck by the sentence, “Praise the Lord for the transitions that weave through our lives at God’s pleasure.” The word ‘transitions’ immediately caught my attention. I believe being a Christian is defined by transitions. Transitions from what we were before our personal epiphany, our personal encounter with Christ, to what we become after that encounter.
I believe Christian epiphanies are individual and are unique to each Christian. Some are dramatic, even radical, such as Paul’s Road-to-Damascus experience. Some diehard New Englanders might describe that event as Paul’s ‘bangin’ a uie.’ Paul’s transition was a 1800 turnaround. Paul transitioned from being a persecutor of Christians to ultimately being a prominent Christian missionary.
Other epiphanies are more gradual and less dramatic. I did not have a Road-to-Damascus experience. I was raised in a Christian family, my childhood steeped in regular worship. But there have been numerous occurrences, transitions, that have made me much more conscious of my faith, deepened my faith and brought me more fully into truly being a Christian.
For all of us who identify as Christian, our Christianity is less a destination than it is a journey. A journey from what we were to what we can and will become as followers of Christ. Like Peter, we too can say, ”Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’" Like James, we too must say, “James 2:18 I by my works will show you my faith.” Christians are saved by our faith; our faith brings about transitions in our lives.
Encounter Jesus, enjoy the journey, trust God,
Pastor Ray