How will they Know We are Christians (if We don't Know)?

Beware of Christians, an independent film surrounding the orthopraxy of Christian living, discusses what it means to live out the teachings of the Bible and how believers struggle to be set apart, truly practicing their faith, and allowing Christianity to make a difference in human lives.

Beware of Christians, inspired this post, but the approach herein is from a different perspective. However, I am asking a question the film implies. How will they know we are Christians? Whoever they are, they probably don’t know we are Christians or they know because we call them sinners.

  

We, all professing Christians, do not see Christ and scripture within the same lens. We are a mixed breed and the best (or worst) of sinners. We are liberals, legalists, complacent, conservative, spiritual, fundamentalist, moderate, and/or religious. We are not the same, but we share the same God and the same label.

Apart from a mixture of differing theological views, Christians are redeemed from their sinner state through the work of the cross event (Jesus’ death and resurrection). Whether they focus on sin or grace, Christians, like the rest of the world, are people and the Son of God died for people (Christians, sinners, non-believers, everyone) as God’s gift to the world.

Are we, as Christians, aware that we are the ones responsible for our own disrespect? Christians who are anti-sins have driven people to disregard what we say about God. Christians who are pro-grace have spent so much time “being all things to all people” that we are forgetting to see if it’s made a difference to the rest of the world.

Will we start loving each other in a way that lets the world know who the God of the cross is and why Christ’s redemption is relevant to all humanity?

The world knows who Christians are and that is why they don’t know Christ.

How will they know we are Christians, is the wrong question. Instead, I ask, knowing that I am equally responsible, how will we (the world) know Christ? We will know because the cross event has redeemed the world through God's love.

 

The Cross of Life: Rip You Wide Open (Luke 9:1-27)

One day Jesus told the disciples to go out proclaiming the good news of God and to take nothing with them. Frankly, if you’ve ever done something like this you know it’s scary and makes you feel a bit crazy. Who knows if that’s exactly what the disciples were thinking, as they were going off to heal people, but it makes sense to this light traveler. Yet, “Sometimes risking everything is the only choice you have” (The Air I Breathe, “Pleasure”). Though, I debate what that means.

Unfortunately, when we risk everything – even if you’re a disciple doing God’s work – we don’t always do the right thing. When the disciples came back from their journey they just wanted to chill out with good ol’ JC and send the people away from their presence. The disciples, like we often do, missed the point. If Jesus didn’t want the villagers to turn his disciples away on their journey, why would he want the reverse to happen when the townspeople just wanted to be a part of the story? In truth, the story of Luke 9:1-27 is a lot like life; it’s risky, it’s messy, sometimes we miss the point, it’s not always a matter of choice, and it reminds us that we are broken creatures. Not to worry, “’Cause all my favorite people are broken. Believe me, I should know” (Over the Rhine). Like the disciples, I’ve taken risks because those risks felt like my only choice and, in the process, I didn’t and don’t always get the full picture.

After all this traveling and feeding thousands of people business, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” When they eventually replied with the word, “Messiah,” Jesus says, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” Recently, I’ve been thinking that life, itself, is the cross we carry every day. We don’t always get to say, “Can I think it over?” We can’t always change how it works out; in fact, “Sometimes the things you can't change end up changing you.” And we don’t walk away unscathed because, “scars are the road map to the soul” (Air I Breathe). Most of all, life is our daily cross to carry because we join Christ in the crucifixion. Thankfully, by the grace of God, we join Christ in resurrection. Nevertheless, life, like a cross can be heavy and we need grace – I need grace.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.  

 – Niebuhr