Defining Christianity

That was a bit of a break, wasn't it?  Well, I didn't plan on spacing out my posts so far, but, to be honest, I didn't have anything to say.  I guess I'm like Mr. Ed, I won't say anything unless I have something to say.  But I'm glad to be back here again.  And I hope you are too. 

I said from the beginning that this blog would be about the idea of how do we turn ourselves into Christ followers rather than Christians.  I think there is a distinction.  Jesus was pretty clear in the Gospels that taking up your cross and truly following Him is not easy.  And it's not for everyone, apparently.  I can think of at least one example in the Bible of the Rich Man that when he asked and Jesus responded, he walked away dissapointed.  Because he knew he couldn't do it.  So here we are with this dilema.  How do we be like Christ, rather than just calling yourself Christian?  Rather than just being selfish and looking for "fire insurance" as some well-meaning but ignorant people have put it, give ourselves for the glory of Christ Jesus, because he gave himself for us.  For you. For me.  For men, women and kids we don't know, in places we've never been.  Christ did- his life and death exemplified this.  But how do we do this?

I really liked the definition Eric Ludy used in his video about what we are supposed to look like.  I told you that his message comes from, in my opinion, someone who is ordained by God to cry out to us all.  Just like the Prophets of old did.  We are supposed to be different.  Act and look different.  "Odd" and "from another realm" as Mr. Ludy put it in the video in my previous post.  But the problem is, we don't.  And I think we suffer from the same problem that the Rich Man did.  It's too hard.  It's uncomfortable.  And most importantly, it's real.  You can't hide from your own Cross.  That shows not only others who you are, but more importantly, you who you are.  So we walk away just like he did, because we don't want to see it either.

People who are skeptical of Christians have good cause.  If I wasn't completely confident in my Creator and his love for me, for everyone, I would probably be in this camp.  Because too many people calling themselves Christian do too many stupid things that are directly contrary to Christ every day.  We are all sinners, but come on.  People with fish on their cars driving like fools.  People wearing religious stuff, but talking like drunk sailors.  I fall into these, so I am no better.  Yet, it is hard for someone to accept this kind of action from someone who claims to be a Christ follower, but doesn't act like it.  So I can understand why someone would be skeptical.  And in a lot of ways, I agree with them.

It's real easy for us to trap ourselves into our fake lives.  Go to church- everything is great!  Go to work- everything is great!  Go to school- everything is great!  Go to kids activities- everything is great!  That's the cycle we trap ourselves in, the cycle we fool ourselves with.  But the truth is, it's not great at all.  To be blunt, it sucks. 

It's hard to look at yourself- the real you.  But that is what God sees.  He sees everything you despise about yourself, and considers it great joy just to know you.  He loves you that much.  The very parts you hate, He loves.  He loves you just as you are. 

If we are really trying to know Christ, our definition of what that means has to change.  No more hiding behind ourselves.  We really don't have an option.  We are loved in a way we can't understand.  And because of that, we really don't have any grey area to hide behind.  I challenge all of us to be different today.  Take up our real crosses and follow Him.  Because He loved all of us so much, He took up His.