The term "Christian" is used so loosely today that many have lost sight of what it really is. I will be using scripture references from Acts 9 for the remainder of this post and will simply mention the verse I am referring to. In verse 26 it states, "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." Just this very statement denotes that the people had noticed that these disciples did more than just follow Christ, they actively pursued others to get them to follow. Some very important keys to what a true Christian is are contained here for us to glean from. In verse 26 we see two of these keys: first, they assembled together with the church (other believers), second, they taught all the people who were assembled together. In verse 20 we see that they, "spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus." This was one of the first groups of people that started to reach out to other people groups other than the (verse 19) "Jews". They practiced what we call today "missions", understanding that Christ died to save all people that would believe. They preached only the Lord Jesus for salvation and did not attempt to get people to trust or turn to anyone else other than the Lord, nor to put any other thing in the place of the Lord. We see this also in the result of what they taught, verse 21, "And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord." Also notice in verse 23, "that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord." To sum it all up again about what a real "Christian" is:
1. They regularly assemble together with other believers.
2. They assemble for more than just socializing, they assemble to learn and to help others learn about Christ and His ways for our life.
3. They don't limit Christ's salvation and blessings to any limited group of people.
4. They actively pursue others to believe in Christ.
5. They attempt to persuade the lost (non-believers, unsaved) to turn (repent) and to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and nothing, absolutely nothing else for the salvation of their soul.
There is a certain heritage we are privileged to uphold when we are called "Christian". Let us not forget it
1. They regularly assemble together with other believers.
2. They assemble for more than just socializing, they assemble to learn and to help others learn about Christ and His ways for our life.
3. They don't limit Christ's salvation and blessings to any limited group of people.
4. They actively pursue others to believe in Christ.
5. They attempt to persuade the lost (non-believers, unsaved) to turn (repent) and to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and nothing, absolutely nothing else for the salvation of their soul.
There is a certain heritage we are privileged to uphold when we are called "Christian". Let us not forget it
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