Are You A Christian?

This question was asked on my recent visit to Turkey as we boarded the bus headed for Ephesus. The one asking the question was our Turkish guide. My friend and I quickly put our hands up, but some people appeared to hesitate, which prompted the man to ask, "Well, are you, or aren't you?"

I looked around and there were no more hands.

How do you answer this question? If you ever took a vow of Christianity, you would answer 'yes', but what does it really mean to be a Christian? A Christian, quite simply, is a follower of Jesus Christ. Therefore if you are following Him, you would do the things He did.

This morning when I awoke, the first thought that popped into my head was the division that exists in the Christian church here in America. Someone said, "The most segregated time in America is eleven o'clock on Sunday morning." Sad, but true. But we are not just divided on Sunday mornings, we are also divided in our thoughts and attitude toward certain issues. The recent Trayvon Martin debacle is a case in point.

As Christians we can no longer see people and issues through a black lens or a white lens, relegated to this corner or that corner. We must see ourselves as belonging to the elite family of God and therefore what affects one member affects us all. When Jesus walked this earth, He went out of His way to show that racial division is wrong. Read the stories of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10 : 30 - 35) and the woman at the well (John 4 : 4 - 27).

Jesus is coming soon for His church, all the signs point to that, and we need to get ready. What the church needs to be ready is not more buildings or even more money, but for "the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost" (Romans 5 : 5) to so permeate our beings that we cannot help but love everyone the way He loves us. Are you a Christian?

What Does Freedom Mean To You - And the Trayvon Martin Verdict

Like most of the nation, I too am reacting to the verdict in the slaying of Trayvon Martin. As I write this, many protests are taking place in various cities and social media commentary on this matter has just about reached explosive limits. As I tried to piece my thoughts together to write this post, I suddenly remembered two things:

1. Last week's post .  What does freedom mean to you written in commemoration of our nation's independence celebration. And as I think about the way this young man lost his life, I ask myself again, what does freedom mean to us all? Does it mean we are free to go wherever we want, wear whatever we want, do whatever we want? Trayvon Martin's parents and others (including myself) are asking themselves that question tonight.

2. The sermon on the mount. You may be wondering  what this has to do with Trayvon Martin or with freedom. Yesterday I happened to read this masterpiece sermon by our Lord Jesus Christ, famously known as The Sermon on The Mount.  Jesus delivered this over two thousand years ago, and it is still relevant today.  Let's look at some of His words:

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell" (Matthew 5 : 21 - 22).

 

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" ( 38 - 39).

 

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (43 - 45). 

 

And Trayvon Martin's father speaking to the Huffington Post said, "God forbid, if acquittal is handed down, we still put our faith in God, you know, it's out of our hands," he said. "There's nothing we can do and we'll continue to pray. And we'll continue to be the voice of Trayvon whether there's an acquittal (or) whether it's a guilty verdict." Trayvon Martin Hoodie Sunday

 

So right now, that's the attitude we ought to have. The best we can do as a nation is pray for the Martin family, the Zimmerman family, the judge, the jury, our legislators and everyone associated with this case. God, our Comforter, our Righteous Judge, our Jehovah Sharma sees everything and He is still in control. God bless.