Acts 11: 12-26

Theme: Christianity 101

WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?

Have you noticed how Christians and Christianity are portrayed in the movies ands and Television and in novels? It isn’t often that we are presented with a positive image. The public attacks on traditional Christian faith, in recent days, are almost unprecedented in America. But it does raise the question, what is a Christian?

Some see Christians as one of P.T. Barnum’s deceived suckers. Cable television mogul Ted Turner has said several things about Christians that he has had to apologize for. He has called us weak minded, basically we are idiots in his mind. Once, he criticized fundamentalist Christianity and said Jesus probably would "be sick at his stomach" over the way his ideas have been "twisted," the Atlanta Journal-constitution reported. Turner made his remarks on a Friday evening at a banquet in Orlando, Fla., where he was given an award by the American Humanist Association for his work on behalf of the environment and world peace. Turner said he had a strict Christian upbringing and at one time considered becoming a missionary. "I was saved seven or eight times," the newspaper quoted him as saying. But he said he became disenchanted with Christianity after his sister died, despite his prayers. Turner said the more he strayed from his faith, "the better I felt." Do you think that Ted Turner really understood what Christianity is all about? The ironic thing is, the press has been reporting for over a year that Ted Turner and his wife, Jane Fonda have separated because Ms. Fonda has embraced Evangelical Christianity.

Another view of Christianity that we often seen is the social crusader view. The social crusader is welcomed as long as it reflects the world’s values. About 20 years ago, there was an interview with Jessie Jackson in Christianity Today. The article focused on how Christianity informed his politics. He believed that the Christian faith was about social justice for the poor and the disadvantaged. And when the interviewer asked him about his own conversion, what did Jesus means to him, he refused to answer saying such matters are too personal. I don’t have to tell you the politics of Jessie Jackson or that this week it has been revealed that he has a 2-year-old child out of wedlock. One is left wondering what he means by being a Christian.

The term "Christian" has been redefined with a political meaning. For many, a Christian is determined by their political beliefs. You have to support a lot of left wing causes in our society to be called a Christian. You have to be against the death penalty and for abortion. You have to be against business and for socialism and the involuntary redistribution of wealth, i.e., high taxes on those who work. You have to be pro environment and pro animal rights and pro homosexual rights and then you will be called a good Christian by our society. But, put the adjective "Evangelical" in from of your Christianity, and you will be excoriated and demonized and castigated and hounded until you withdraw from public life. All you have to do is watch what some are doing to John Ashcroft this week to understand. He has been accused of being a racist, bigoted homophob whose Christian faith is aberrant and will lead him to do extreme things. He was treated with disdain by members of the Senate simply because he was an Evangelical Christian!

We hear these things and we are at a loss for words because none of these represent our faith. Is Christianity a political philosophy? Does your right wing or left wing politics really determine if you are a Christian or not? What in the world does it mean to be a Christian?

The Book of Acts tells the story of the spread of our faith. The Christian faith began among the Jewish followers of Jesus. They saw him as the Messiah and it was thought of as a fulfilment of Judaism. But, something strange happened, the movement spread to the gentiles. In fact, God led Peter to preach to the gentiles and then to baptize them as believers. When the leadership back in Jerusalem heard this, they called Peter in to give an accounting. Some thought that Peter had gone too far by taking the Gospel to the gentiles. There were some who believed that to be a Christian you had to first be a Jew.

Peter explained to them that he had a vision in which a sheet was let down from heaven. On the sheet were all sorts of animals that Jews considered unclean and would not eat. A voice told Peter to eat and he refused because he was, after all, a good Jew. But the voice said, "What God has cleansed, no long consider unholy." When He woke up, three gentile men came inquiring about the Christian faith on behalf of a Roman centurion named Cornelius. Cornelius wanted Peter to come and explain Christianity to him. And Peter realized that God had told him in the dream that gentiles were no longer to be regarded as unholy.

So, Peter went to Joppa to meet with Cornelius. Upon arrival, he found a whole house of people waiting for him. So, he preached Jesus to them. He noted Jesus’ character and how he went around doing good. Jesus was put to death. But, God raised him from the dead. The risen Lord appeared to the disciples and ordered them to preach to all people that He has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead and that through His name all who believe in Him receives forgiveness of Sin.

Peter preached a basic evangelism sermon. At the very core of Christianity is the knowledge that we are fallen, sinful creatures and that nothing we can do is acceptable before God. All our good works are as filthy rags before Him. Yet, God in his love for us, became flesh, lived among us and died for us and rose again. And all who have faith in him will be saved!

Even while Peter was still speaking, Pentecost fell upon the Gentiles and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. That is the one true mark of being a Christian, being filled with the Holy Spirt Who produces in us the fruit and works of the Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is to bear witness to Jesus. And the fruit of the Spirit is, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

When they head Peter’s report, the text says that they quieted down and said "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life." Shortly thereafter, persecution began in Jerusalem and many of them left the city. Some went to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch and they were still just preaching only to the Jews. But some men from Cyprus and Cyrene, came to Antioch and began to preach to the gentiles and apparently large numbers of them became Christians. The leaders in Jerusalem quickly dispatched Barnabas to Antioch to see if it was true. He went to Tarsus and found a fellow called Saul and took him with him and what they found was true, Christianity was in full blossom in Antioch. It was in that city that the disciples were first called Christians. The label was apparently given to them by the pagan unbelievers. It means to be a Christlike one. It seems that their experience with Jesus had changed them. Their behavior was like that of Jesus.

What is a Christian? A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. A Christian is a sinner whom God has called out of his spiritual darkness. A Christian is one who understands that Jesus was God in the flesh and that he came to die for our sins. In that death, Jesus became our substitute. He died for the sins that we rightly should have died for. A Christian is one who had accepted what God as done on our behalf by faith. A Christian is one who believes in Jesus as his savior. The evidence of this is that God fills them with the Holy Spirit and they both bear witness to Jesus and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.

Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit seek to be Christlike in their behavior. This is where the confusion comes in. Non Christians cannot understand the radical change that takes place in the human soul that follows Jesus. They will always try to be good on the basis of human effort. They cannot understand the work of God’s grace in our lives.

It is true, Christians are called to good works and we should be famous for them. But, it is also true, that doing good works does not make you a Christian. A real Christian is one who follows Jesus as both the Boss of their life and as the Savior who gives eternal life.

That is the answer to the question, what is a Christian Now, one more question. Are you a Christian?