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U Might Not B A Christian

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dazdncunfuzed05: hey! so i saw u had jesus in ur name. r u a christian?

mjesuse4ever: yup

dazdncunfuzed05: k, i'm so mixed up about what a Christian is! if i ask seven different people, i get seven different answers and nobody can back it up from the Bible can u help?

mjesuse4ever: I think I might be able to help...I know there's a ton of people who are really confused about this whole "Christian" thing just like I was until I decided to put some serious effort into finding out what the truth was...so u want me to tell u what I found out?

dazdncunfuzed05: plz! it's drivin me crazy!

mjesuse4ever: k...Let me start by letting u know what a Christian IS NOT so u can better understand what a Christian IS...

dazdncunfuzed05: k

mjesuse4ever: 1st off being born in America or a Christian home does not make u a Christian any more than being born in a garage makes u a car...location don't matta!

mjesuse4ever: 2nd being religious or going to church or Mass doesn't make someone a Christian...there were people when Jesus was around that thought they were right with God because they were religious...but He told them that if they were relying on their churchy behavior to follow God, they would "die in their sins" (John 8:23)...

dazdncunfuzed05: k, brb...gotta beat my brother

dazdncunfuzed05: back...k, keep goin

mjesuse4ever: k, so here's where it starts to get a little more tricky...u also need to know that believing in God doesn't make a person a Christian...here's what the brother of Jesus wrote in the Bible: Do u still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror! (James 2:19)...i'm sure u'd agree that demons aren't Christians, right?

dazdncunfuzed05: course not

mjesuse4ever: k, so now get ready for the really surprising part...there are people who think they are Christians because they went forward, raised their hand, or even prayed a prayer...but they are not...none of those things makes a person a Christian...in fact, praying pious prophetic prayers and manufacturing mesmerizing miracles doesn't even make a person a Christian! Check out what Jesus said...

mjesuse4ever: On judgment day many will tell me, "Lord, Lord, we prophesied in ur name and cast out demons in ur name and performed many miracles in ur name." But I will reply, "I never knew u. Go away; the things u did were unauthorized." (Matthew 7:22-23)

mjesuse4ever: How is this sounding so far?

dazdncunfuzed05: so far it's been helpful and a little surprising. u've cleared up a lot of misconceptions i've had about what makes a person a Christian, but i'm still confused. if believing in God, going to church, praying a prayer, and even doing miracles doesn't get u to heaven, how could anyone make it?

mjesuse4ever: crazy huh? if it were up to us to become Christians on our own, no one would ever make it...let me explain this by first telling u the true meaning of "Christian"...

mjesuse4ever: The word "Christian" literally means "little Christ" and was invented almost 2000 years ago by a group of people who didn't like Christians or what they stood for..."The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch" (Acts 11:26)

mjesuse4ever: the city of Antioch was famous for its humor, especially at making up good nicknames...they made fun of Jesus' followers because they found it amusing that they would want to be like Jesus...imagine someone who talked about Him all the time, forgave others, and showed unconditional love...after a while this would make others feel guilty, so instead of responding appropriately to the guilt and turning to God, they turned to sarcasm instead and said things like "oh, u think u're just a little Christ, don't u?"

mjesuse4ever: I'm sure at first those words stung, but after a while the Christians figured out that part of what they were saying was true...a Christian truly is a "little Christ"...not that we think we are God, but that because we have a personal relationship with Jesus, we want to think and feel and be exactly like the Him...we strive to be "little Christs" out of the love we have for Him and the gratitude for him dying on the Cross and coming back from the dead...

dazdncunfuzed05: wow! i never heard that story, but it totally makes sense! k, so if that's what a Christian is, how do i become one

mjesuse4ever: that's the best part...becoming a Christian is both the hardest and easiest thing in the universe...the hard part is that to "become" a Christian by urself, u have to be perfect...if u commit one sin, u lose perfection, right? So u can see why that is so hard, in fact I think impossible if u ask me...

dazdncunfuzed05: forget that then. i've done stuff enough to know i'm not perfect. dang it! k, thanks for ur help

mjesuse4ever: Wait! I'm not finished yet!

mjesuse4ever: there was only one Man who ever lived who was perfect, and that was Jesus Christ, which leads me to the easy part...to become a Christian all u have to do is place ur faith and trust in Jesus' death and resurrection as ur only hope of salvation...when u do that, Jesus comes to live inside u to give u the power to be a "little Jesus"...this is what separates Christianity from ALL other religions...every other religion or belief system requires that u behave a certain way to reach heaven, nirvana, whatever...Christianity requires that u believe a certain truth because all the behaving was already done by Jesus...in other words, all religions in the world can be defined by DO...except Christianity, which is defined by DONE...

mjesuse4ever: so if u want to become a Christian, simply put ur faith and trust in Jesus Christ's death on the Cross and resurrection from the dead as ur only hope of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9)...the moment u do this, the Bible tells us that u are turned from "darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God' (Acts 26:18)...there is a party in heaven because u have taken the gospel journey and have truly become a Christian!

dazdncunfuzed05: thx! it totally makes sense and I believe it!

Head: What you need to know about this truth

A Christian is not defined by being born in America, going to church, believing in God, going forward/raising your hand/praying a prayer, or even performing miracles. A Christian is defined as someone who has placed his/her faith and trust in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection as his/her only hope of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

Think about it...if you are a Christian, you have been given the title of "little Christ!" This should make us feel both honored and motivated - honored in the sense that that we bear the name of the God of the entire universe, so our self-image should be based on that. Too many times we try to feel good about ourselves through our accomplishments and/or relationships, but as a Christian your worth and value should be greatly impacted by the fact that you represent Jesus! As well, you should feel highly motivated to be a "little Christ" in all that you think, say, and do. Not in the sense that you are better than others (because you aren't) or have all the answers (because you don't), but in the sense of realizing that every choice you make reflects negatively or positively on Jesus. You really are the only Jesus some people will ever see!

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

So now that you realize that you bear a huge responsibility as a Christian, it's time to go beyond a WWJD bracelet and a fad, to living up to your name! Commit yourself today to thinking through what Jesus would do in every area of your life. For example:

• Jesus didn't look down on people - do you?
• Jesus didn't talk about people behind their backs - do you?
• Jesus was constantly in touch with His Father through prayer and Bible study - are you?
• Jesus relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to live His life - do you?
• Jesus looked for every possibility to tell people how to receive eternal life - do you?
• I know that I'm challenged to make some changes as a "little Christ" - are you?