i am a c. . .i am a c-h. . .

christian. the term is used with such flippancy today that it is almost nullifying. frankly, i have heard it so much, that when someone tells me that they are a christian, i think no more of it than if they were to tell me that they were say, a republican. the terms are almost synonymous in nature. both today have come to refer to ideologies and political stances, as opposed to the true meaning of the word "christian".

the term christian was first used during the early days of Christianity, while it was still considered a sect of judaism. in the book of Acts, we see that the disciples were first called "Christians" at antioch. at the time, the term was derogatory in the eyes of the public. they were in essence, mocking the disciples. the term Christ, was recognized to mean "saviour" to the people of the day, and by calling them "christians", they were calling them "little Christs". however, this was the ultimate compliment. the disciples were acting enough like Christ that they were being compared to Him. today, we could hardly compare to those heroes of the early church. yet, everyone who says that they believe that God exists are now labeled "christians." i have a tremendous problem with this. first, let us look at the aspects of those early christians that qualified them as earning the label "christian". they were known as those who hung out with Christ. they lived lives of sacrifice, forsaking all, including their freedom and safety, to spread the gospel. they performed miracles. all of these are mirror images of the example Christ set for them. it was only natural for them to be compared to the Saviour Himself.

now, let us look at those today who would so boldly dare to even place themselves in the same category as those early disciples and call themselves "christian". how many self-labeled "christians" today can honestly say that they "hang out" with Christ everyday? many don't even crack open their Bible once a week, let alone every day. and as for prayer, saying grace before meals is a stretch, and is the closest they get to communicating with Christ. how many of them even know what the word sacrifice means, much less practice it? for many, even opening their mouth at work to share the gospel with a co-worker is not an option out of fear of rejection or embarrassment. and finally, other than the charlatans such as benny hinn who claim to perform miracles, i do not see any of those persons who refer to themselves as "christian" claiming to perform miracles.

what can we take from this? one, none of us deserves the title "little Christ." it is said that the thing a person speaks the loudest against is the vice they are the most susceptible to. i cannot deny this. i am one of those who does not deserve the title of "christian". i tend to refer to myself as a "Christ-follower", but even that is a stretch sometimes. i echo the sentiment of the apostle paul, when he said that he "does the things which he does not want to do, and does not do the things he should do." in thomas a' kempis' imitatio a Christi, he discusses how we are to be like those early disciples, imitating Christ to the point that others cannot help but comparing us to our Saviour. this is the ultimate goal for a true follower of Christ: to become like the Saviour, to be molded in the likeness of Christ. this is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a true Christ-follower. however, we must not get in the way and sacrifice ourselves, our lives, and our pride in order to be moldable. if we go on claiming a status that we have not yet achieved, we see no need in working toward that status.

and second, in order to imitate Christ, we must be a student of Christ. He tells us in Matthew to take His yoke upon us and learn of Him. one cannot learn from someone with whom they do not spend countless hours observing, studying, and talking. i have been teaching my son gavin, to play golf. it was amazing to see how i could show him how to hold his club, how to swing it, and where to hit the ball, yet it wasn't until he stepped back and watched me swing, that he actually figured it out and hit the ball surprisingly well! it must be the same way with Christ. we must both learn of Him, as well as spend time with Him, to truly start imitating Him, and therefore begin working toward the title of "little Christ."

do you live up to the title you are claiming?