What is a Christian? In the simplest form, the name ascribed to a person Christian means to be Christ-like. In other words it means that who Jesus was and what He did and what He said as well as how He was in and out of church or in and out of public eye served as the standard or model or template for His followers (then through today). And so for those who were called a Christian means that it was something that is different or set apart from who and how someone was before.
The first time the word Christian was used to talk about a person or people is found in Acts 11:26, “And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch”. The church in Antioch or we could say the Antioch Christians served invaluably for the sake of the Gospel. It was in this church that it grew rapidly with their acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This was the origin for the term Christian. This church sent Barnabas and Saul/Paul as missionaries on their first missionary journey; so they were evangelistic and took the Lord’s commission seriously to share Jesus with others. Sadly some churches turn to leaders or inward for direction but this church sought the Lord’s guidance and were open to the Holy Spirit’s direction when commissioning Barnabas and Saul. A need rose up in Jerusalem and the distance and people-group didn’t matter, they rose up to meet the need financially and materially. Although discipleship did not originate in Antioch, it certainly was a powerful center for discipleship training. And how this began or grew more powerfully was when Barnabas—the Brother or Son of Encouragement—was sent to pastor/pioneer that work.
I want to focus on that last characteristic trait and a melding of these other traits of service and sincerity of their relationship with Jesus and one another because often and in general when we—in modern times—call or refer someone or someone says that they are a Christian, there are outward and obvious signs that defines. They talk about Jesus; they carry a Bible; they quote scripture; they seem prudish. And often when Christians are portrayed on television or in movies, either they are brainwashed zealots blindly following a man who speaks suave words to create a following to empower the leader—usually financially—or is militaristic (stocking of arms), or is very legalistic with fingers pointing to a sinning world that all are going to hell with no saving hope; OR Christians are viewed as spiritual until a singular vice—sexual sin, drugs, alcohol, etc.—and the next thing we know the shiny armor of Christianity has a chink or tarnish. In short, Christians are hypocrites. And to hide or counteract the focus on a person—albeit modern Christianity is focused on celebrity of the pastor or music ministry—buildings or edifices are erected to show the majesty, faith, and provision of God.
And outside of Jesus, when we search for authentic or real Christians found in the Bible, immediately two names rise to the surface: Peter and Paul. A word deposited into my Spirit early this morning comes from Philippians 3:12-14 (the following emphasis added). Paul pushes his instruction and attention that suffering—not to be wrongly viewed and confused and abused for the gospel of suffering—isn’t bad because it is in those times that the flesh and self-preservation are at odds with the Spirit of God. And so Paul continues in midstride, “Now that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Many a preacher have taken apart those few verses and have done masterful sermons, even exclusively on the focus of particular verses in those three verses, to challenge men to go all out for Jesus. And that is true. Often viewed as a sports, athletic, or track term we view those three verses and especially verse 14 in that context. Again, true and right and applicable. But what the Spirit honed my attention was on “I do not count myself to have apprehended”. The word apprehended is a compound Greek word (G2596) kata and (G2983) lambano which means to take eagerly, to seize, possess, to apprehend, attain, come upon, comprehend, obtain, etc. These definitions are a passionate or a strong action meaning that it is effort, it is fire, it is giving it your all without any reservation. It was William Borden who wrote and lived the life, “No reserve, no retreat, and no regrets”. And there are a host of missionaries who I’ve written about as well as others whom are well known and who have said and done great things for Jesus. And praise be unto Jesus for their invaluable service as well praise be unto Jesus for the one or many who came to Jesus through the work/ministry of the many missionaries and preachers over the millennia who’ve dutifully served even to their last breath in the lane that was given to them to run and they all ran to the end. And a number of them whom I personally know who have or currently are serving in this way, including special friends of mine.
But often the Christian—whether by ourselves or viewed by the world—appear to be ones who have it all together. That either the Christian life is problem free, hidden lives, or strange people. But, to everyone, a Christian has arrived. Or in another word Christians are the final product or process. Even while sharing Jesus with others, we attempt to convince the world that our life so much better. And truthfully, our hope and goal is to be with Jesus in heaven forever and ever. But Paul—famed Paul who wrote much of the New Testament—went on many journeys, preached to countless, won countless for/to Jesus, miracles, etc. etc. etc. said, “I do not count myself to have apprehended”. He realized that he is still on that journey called Salvation that is still taking him places and through things—literally, figuratively, and spiritually—and that there is still ground to cover.
I opened with a photo of a simple structure which held a number of Christians—men, women, and children—who didn’t have projectors, smoke, lights, digital sound boards and Bluetooth speakers, lapel microphones, and $1000 suits. The pastor didn’t pull up in a Bentley with a congregation arriving in their cars that cost as much as a modest house does. It was a simple preacher who preached the simple truth of Jesus to simple people who lived out Jesus in a simple way. Right before I began to write this, another photo caught my attention. It was this photo.
Who is the Christian in the photo? It could be said all three of us and that would be true. But, in sincerity, to use Paul’s words of not having apprehended, I would like to focus on one individual: my grandpa. At 91 or 92 years of age in that photo, that was the last time—the following day—he would attend a family reunion and see those family members alive. And there we were locked onto his words. He didn’t preach the Gospel as a pastor or missionary. And it could be relatively easily argued that Christianity was more real in his life as a child and in the last few years of his life than ever evident at other times in his life. But there in that moment caught by a photo, was a man who sat in a chair who shared and whatever he could do he served. He attended Bible studies and services when he could at the nursing home. He could at that age still sing and recall church songs he sang as a child. He was an honest man who expected honesty from others except those in the following category (and a quote he said to me more than once), “figures never lie and liars never figure”. And despite me knowing what his church building looked like inside and out when he was a child learning about Jesus, I’m certain he would have felt at home even in a simple structure shown above (he may have even helped build a similar structure when he worked construction).
Authentic Christianity, as those in Antioch, as examples of Barnabas and Saul (and a host of others), those who attended in that shed, and those at that meal that day in the nursing home loved Jesus, loved others, and knew that there was still more to learn and grow to long for in their journey in/of Jesus Christ. May we all step into that journey for authentic Christianity.