What it means to be a Christian: Introduction

Christian, the word conjures images of conservative, not-so-fun, not-so-risky people who spend the early parts of Sunday in a room with similar people, all of whom sing songs and listening to a guy preaching for a while. Then they leave, cut you off on the road, leave a stingy tip at the restaurant, say rude things and act like they don’t have anything more special than you (except they have a book which they put on the shelf for the Monday through Saturday routine). I am here to say that is not what Christians are. They created this public persona in the world. Inside and out, true Christians are so much more than this! In my experiences, I have been very successful at being the aforementioned “Christian.” I successfully differentiated my spiritual life from the “world” life. I all too often ignored the teachings of Jesus. I spent a long time thinking that I was doing what God wanted me to do. The general meaning of the word Christian is little Christ. People who say they are a Christian and do not portray Jesus (as the Bible portrays Jesus) is merely someone who goes to a church. The mini-Jesus (Christian) will step out of their comfort zone. They will help when needed: Encourage, comfort, feed, cloth, support monetarily, heal. (All of these with the help of the Holy Spirit) Most importantly, a Christian will love strangers as much as they love their friends. Genuine and true love for all humanity is the best way to be Jesus to a world in pain. Author’s note: This is the first in what I hope to be a multiple part series on what Christianity means to me. The writings should challenge the conceived notions of Christianity for both the believer and the non-believer. I hope to avoid using too many clichés and “Chritian-ese” (words used in a Christian setting but not known to non-Christians). This should be a non-denominational writing (what I say should be able to be applied by Catholics and Protestants (of any type) alike). I want what I say to be rooted in the Holy Bible because I believe that it is the lifeline of all Christians. In the subsequent entries, I hope to include a plethora of references. I am human and will make errors, please feel free to point them out.