I've been wanting to share about this for quiet some time but as my mind always roams around randomly at the most unpredictable time, I end up forgetting what I want to share or how I'm going to share it. So here's my two cents about being Christian.
I am so sick and tired of being asked, 'What kind of Christian are you?' To me that is one of the most ridiculous question ever. You might think, 'Hey, they just want to know the name of the Church you're going.' But I beg to differ. Most people who ask me don't feel satisfied with my answer, which is a simple name of my church (CLC). After answering that I'm almost always met with confused eyes and wondering faces asking, 'What kind of Christian is that?'
And when I said, 'You know, just Christian.' And they'll be like, 'Ahh, you're a Protestant.' Well I don't mind being called that. What I mind is the fact that some people are more concern about my type of Christianity rather than my being a Christian. Why?
I do understand that some churches can be identified and categorized based on their anointing and focus. I also acknowledge that some churches grow so big that the name of their church becomes a new sect. And I also understand that different sects will somehow agree to disagree. What I don't understand is the need to let people know their church is the best or the most righteous. It pains me to see that some particular Christians tried to 'steal' other church's members to gain more members in their own church.
Like what Jesus said in Mark 2, He was to call sinners and not the righteous to repentance. We are here as Jesus's disciples to win over souls, not confronting each other.
Another thing that bothers me is the way some members of a church despise other members of a church.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 tells us about all kinds of spiritual gifts and how they're being different but comes from the same Spirit and the same Lord. And I think that is what happening to all the churches in this world. They receive different anointings, they perform varied miracles, they focus on specific spiritual gifts, but it doesn't mean they're from a different God, they're pieces that when gathered become a whole body of Christ.
I'm longing to see people stop focusing on their differences and start looking at the bigger picture of Christianity, the main point of having a calll to follow Christ, and that is love in Christ.
It doesn't matter what church you're going to, or if your spiritual gift is not the same to other churches. It doesn't matter if you're focusing on grace, or on speaking in tongue, or in prayer. What matters is Jesus Himself. His words of wisdom. Whether your church is according to bible.
We need to focus on doing our best for Christ and stop trying to get a good mark for our own spiritual report book. We should have look at other's strength and weakness and combined them with our own to create a better discipleship, a better church and be a better Christian instead of creating yet a new sect.
Being a Christian is not just about having a religion after all. It is a lifestyle, a personal relationship between you and God. It's not about being the most righteous. It's about love and compassion and forgiveness and repentance and acceptance of Jesus and a continuous life-changing process to be more like Him.
So next time you were asked or ask this kind of question from or to someone, think about this first. Are you being a Christ follower? Or have your focus shifted away to something more worldly such as thinking you belong to the best kind of a certain Christian sect?
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