To Be or Not to be
To Be or Not to be...That is the Question
Intro
The title of my message today is “To be or not to be...that is the question.”
(have some fun with it-sip some coffee…”it’s interesting… I know...so profound)
This is my question for today, and I believe it is the question of this generation of Americans.
...to be or not to be a Christian. This is the question people ask as they watch and interact with the Christians around them It’s not an easy question to answer, though. There are all kids of ideas about what that really means, and it can be confusing to someone who might be asking whether or not Christianity is something worth their time
Perspectives of Muslims
Let’s begin with an extreme example by considering how the Muslim world views a typical Christian. They tend to associate Christians with drug and alcohol abuse, pornography, divorce, rape...all the things we all know are wrong with the world. Since they consider America to be a Christian nation, they associate Christians with everything wrong about America.
Now as I said, this is an extreme example. This is the perspective of a group of people who have some fundamental disagreements with Christianity, and they are going to look for the bad things...but that opinion is out there and is available to anyone asking questions about Christians.
Perspectives of non-Christians in America
You can also consider what non-Christians in America see when they consider what a Christian is. More and more younger Americans have a negative impression of Christians. They think that Christians are angry, judgmental & oppressive. They think that a Christian is someone with an ultra-conservative political agenda that are out to force everyone else to behave and think in a certain way.
Some non-Christians see no difference between Christians and anyone else Just like the Muslims, they see Christians who have no problem getting drunk, using drugs, lying, cheating stealing...you name it...they do it all the time. The only difference is that these Christians tend to think they are somehow better than other people.
Now these opinions are based on some bad or confusing experiences with people who call themselves Christians...that may not be real common, but they do happen. People do all kinds of things in the name of Christ. People protest and condemn others in the name of Christ. People have murdered in the name of Christ I’ve even been hearing lately that among teenage Christians certain sexual behaviors are being promoted as OK outside of marriage...it’s Christian.
These experiences leave people wondering...is that what a Christian is? It’s confusing
Perspectives within Christianity
The picture doesn’t get any clearer when you talk to Christians. Some people say that what makes them Christian is that they go to church each week. Or for some...they go at least twice a year, at Christmas and Easter. MANY... people who NEVER attend a worship service also consider themselves to be Christians. A survey done just last year showed that 62% of Americans who do not attend church consider themselves to be Christian. Most of the Americans who sleep late on Sunday are Christians! Huh!
They are Christian because they believe in God and feel their faith is important in their lives. They might attend a church service if there is a crisis in their life or a close friend invites them.
Some call themselves Christians because they’ve been confirmed, or baptized, or they attended a youth group, or they grew up in a church and still associate themselves with that type of church.
Some people-including those who don’t attend worship-feel that being a Christian means that at some point in their life they made a personal commitment to Jesus and they acknowledge him as the Son of God who sacrificed himself for us all.
“Active” Christians
Even those who are actively involved in churches are divided on what it means to be a Christian. Some say that it is our devotion to God and being a “good person” that makes them a Christian. Some say that it is baptism, others say it is faith in Jesus.
In fact, I think we all know there are all kinds of divisions among “Christians” because of different ideas and traditions.
It reminds me of the pre-marital counseling survey my wife and I had to fill out. There was a question about your religion. I was raised Catholic, Wendy was raised Baptist. We knew we were raised in different traditions, but we had the same faith., so I wrote in “Christian”. As I recall, the pastor wasn’t too thrilled with my answer, but, you know, I felt we are Christian before we are anything else. We were going to be united on where we went to church together. That’s what was important!
When people as k me about True North, they want to know, “are you Lutheran, Catholic, Baptist...are you Evangelical, Charismatic...non-denominational?” These are the important distinctions, and you quite know what people are looking for. Are they interested or are they looking for an opportunity to say, ‘you’re wrong’!
I always want to let people know that we’re not just some rouge church group out here on our own-aka “CULT”. We work under an authority and have accountability...but otherwise, I just want to say, “we’re Christian”
In fact Willie and I were discussing this last week. We do pray and trust that God will bring a lot of people around who want to be a part of what we are doing here-who want to help fulfill the mission God has given us, but if we were to look back on all this hundreds of years from now, we hope there won’t be a group of people who call themselves “True Northians” or “Wildenbergians” or even “Grimmites” imagine what that would look like: (image: lots of people with hair like Willie) We just want to help people become Christians...whatever that really means.
That was the same goal of people like Martin Luther during the Christian Reformation. He didn’t intend to create the “Lutheran” church. He and others like him just wanted to the Christian church to get back to the basics...of what Christianity really is. That’s our goal and the goal of many other churches showing up today throughout America.
So as you can see, there is a lot of confusion today about what it really means to be a Christian. I’m even often tempted to avoid using the word Christian to describe myself, because what does that really mean? For the same reason, you may notice that I tend to avoid calling myself a “pastor” I am fine with people saying I am the pastor here...I am the leader of this church, my job is to guide this church in what we are called to do...but is that a “pastor””? People have a lot of different ideas about what that means, and in fact, biblically, it’s more of a spiritual gift than a job...but that’s a topic for another discussion!
What do we say
So my goal today is to define what WE mean when we say Christian. I want to give a biblical answer. I’m not out to condemn or put down anything anyone else might think. I understand that there are all kinds of ideas and philosophies out there, readily available to anyone, about who God is , who Jesus is.; whether they really exist or not. Whether we were planted here by aliens or evolved from microbes over billions of years. Our goal is not to argue against those things. We’ve all got a free will to decide what to think, and I know from experience that I cant just say, “Hey this is true ...you’d better believe it!”
I will say, though, that when it comes to me and my family...and my church, I take my stand on the bible. The leaders and founders of this church have found that there is no greater blessing in life than to submit ourselves to what God reveals to Himself and out relationship to Him through the bible...His Word.
So I’ve been laying this all out for a while, and leaving you all hanging...What does it mean to be a Christian? The best way for me to visualize it, is to that being a Christian is be on a journey.
The Journey Begins
Who knows where the journey really begins...it’s different for everyone. Maybe you see something different about a friend who has turned to Jesus, or some crisis causes you to run to God, or somebody just says something that makes you think and begin to explore...Somehow, something brings you to the point of discovering who Jesus said he was and what He did for us. You take on faith that it’s true. You admit your shortcomings and failures and accept God’s forgiveness through Jesus.
Some will say that this is the defining event that makes you a Christian. You are now saved...you're in, you’re on the team! There’s this classic graphic that shows a cross spanning two cliffs. The idea is that Jesus is the bridge to God...you cross the bridge and you’ve made it!
Certainly there’s something important that happens in the moment when you make that decision to accept who Jesus said he was. This is what that bible tells us:
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you’ve been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works so that no one can boast”
John 1:12-Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
-Clearly becoming a Christian is an act of faith, and our faith enables us to become children of God. There is a change that happens in that moment, but that’s really just the beginning of the journey. Really being a Christian...goes way beyond that moment.
More than mere belief
It’s similar to the way I look at my educational background. I have earned a Ph.D. and can therefore call myself Dr. Wildenberg...I’ve done what it takes to gain that title...and to be honest, I enjoy it sometimes to know that I am doctor Wildenberg. Now are certain pieces of my training that I still use today.. I still like to research things, I still use some of my reasoning skills and speaking skills, but for the most part, I don’t do what I was really trained to do as a Ph..D. scientist. I don’t carry out human genetics experiments in my basement...although it’s fun pretend that I do sometimes :) So, I generally don’t go around telling people that I am Doctor Wildenberg. I’m not the person that title suggests I am. Who we are is not defined by titles that we use to describe ourselves. Who we are is defined by what we do...how we live our lives.
In the same way, Jesus himself said that simply believing in Him does not really make a person a follower of His….which is what a Christian is called to be….a follower of Christ.
Listen to what he had to say: Luke 6:46: Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say? Those who call Jesus Lord...those who say they believe in Him, should do what he says...we should do what we can t live our lives the way He says we should
The apostle John wrote more on this idea in 1 John 2:3-6: We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him, “ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him . This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
There is a difference between knowing about Jesus and really KNOWING Him. To really know Him is to do what He did and live as He did.
According to the bible, to be what we call a Christian...what ancient people called followers of “the Way”...is to live as Jesus did. His life is the standard for us to follower. Now we all know that none of us meets that standard, and we all fall short John addresses this, too just before the passage I just read. In 1 John 2:1 he writes “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”. Jesus...the one who lived the perfect life, speaks in defense of those who trust in Him and accept the sacrifice He made for us. The point is, though, that we keep on trying and growing.
This is where the idea of being on a journey comes from. You begin to make your life more “Christ-like”, more like Jesus’, once you make that decision to follow Him, and you spend the rest of your life moving closer to Him.
You might be asking what Jesus’ life looked like. There are two major things I want to bring out about the way he lived. The first is that He knew God. He knew what God’s word said...he studied the scriptures and talked about them with other people. He also spent time alone praying and talking to God. The second thing He did was to submit himself to God and God’s word.
John 8:28-29 reports that Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son on Man, you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one how sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.
This is the challenge for us...and the challenge I want to give you today if you consider yourself a Christian. Get to know God...read and study His word. Get around other Christians ..talk with them, learn with them and encourage one another. Then as you learn what God really says ...you learn what He expects from us, and the blessing that come for following Him...I don’t even have time today to get into all that He promises those who followe Him...but as you learn these things...work toward applying those things to your life.
When you do these things,...continue to learn and to deepen your dependence on God, following the example Jesus set, you will discover freedom from things that have held you back in life. You’ll see God’s love and blessings in our life, and you’ll find yourself drawing closer to what we here call “True North”.-the life that Jesus live. The life of complete faith and dependence on God, no matter what...the life fille with the presence and power of God’s Holy Spiritm and life filled to overflowing with God’s love….this is what it means to be a Christian, and the question for each us is...to be or not to be...the choice is yoursl.
