Christians are a dime a dozen...

Christian. A label that sometimes feels more like a curse than a blessing. The name Christian conjures up a variety of images and ideas among the minds of believers and unbelievers alike. Some good. Some are not so good, unfortunately. In my 14 years of walking with God, I’ve existed in an uncomfortably nebulous space. What does it mean to be a Christian anyway? If you introduce yourself to someone as a Christian, it can put them in a mindset to make up a lot of potentially negative assumptions about you. It's an interaction that can be off-putting depending on whether or not the other person's experience of a Christian was negative or positive. I want to be known for my relationship with Jesus, but as a “Christian,” this gets complicated.

I once heard a pastor say, "Christians are a dime a dozen." It's a statement that conveys the sentiment, Christians are cheap and plentiful. But, is that a good thing?  Within the context of what that pastor was saying, it was most definitely not a good thing. Plentiful sounds good, but cheap? Not so much.

In my journey and experience, I've found that the statement is true. Beyond being true, it is an indictment of the shameful behavior of many professing Christians. Many people go by the name Christian, and live lives counter to the life Jesus calls us to. For some, “Christian” is a box we check off on questionnaires because it’s what we were told we were, and so we’ve just stuck with it without any real grasp on what it means. Essentially, a cheap imitation. There is no relationship with Jesus. No transformation. No change in character. No fruit of the Spirit. For others, “Christian” is an identity gained through a radical encounter with Jesus. There is personal growth from a relationship formed with the God of the universe, and the individual is progressing towards maturity in Christ. And still, there are others whose encounter with Jesus comes quietly into their lives. They slowly and steadily take on the nature of Christ as He transforms them from the inside out.

While there must be an understanding that we as Christians are works in progress, unchristlike behavior is sometimes purely done out of ignorance or at least with a self-awareness that desires to change. There are others, however, "Christians" that continue to choose violence with their unchristlike actions. They borrow the name of Christ because it sounds good, and they continue on with their evil deeds, leaving a trail of carnage in their wake. They are the wolves in sheep's clothing. They are the ones who enter the sheepfold and mar the image of Christ. At least, marred in the minds and hearts of the hurt and offended parties. To make things worse, how often have Christ's followers tolerated and covered for the wolves rather than thrown them out of the sheepfold?

Paul had some strong words for people in the church who continued to practice their sin boldly and willfully in the church. 1 Cor 5:1-12 NIV

There is a responsibility and weight to bear the name Christian. The unfortunate reality is that many claim the name without understanding its origins and its connection to a perfect man who lived, died, and rose again over 2000 years ago. It would be unfair to expect a person who does not profess Christ to extend grace for the foibles of an immature Christian or a “Christian” masquerading as a Christ follower. It is, after all, not the framework from which an unbeliever chooses to exist. But how many times do we expect maturity from others while ignoring our immaturity? 

The first mention of the name Christian being associated with followers of Jesus is in the book of Acts. It was during a time when the disciples were growing in community with other believers who were Gentiles. "...So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." Acts 11:26 NIV

What is interesting about the name Christian is that it wasn’t a name that believers of Jesus called themselves. Some believe that the name was originally meant to be an insult to followers of Jesus. Others believe it was a way to distinguish followers of Jesus who came from both the Jewish and Gentile communities. The word Christian reflected a community of both Jewish believers and Gentile believers joined together under the banner of "Followers of Jesus". In those circumstances, why not embrace being called a Christian? It means that many people from all walks of life can live and do life together, right? We can demonstrate a unity that is only possible because of Jesus just like the disciples, right?

How often do we find the opposite of unity among our brothers and sisters? How often do we find the same tendencies towards disunity with gossip, strife and backbiting among Christian communities? How often do we find that same energy flowing out of the church into our unbelieving communities?

12 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”[a] 19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:12-19 NIV

Sounds kinda good, right? Well, if we are living according to Jesus’ ways, then ya, it is good. But what about the times when our suffering as a “Christian” comes more from our immaturity rather than from actually extending and modeling Christ-like behavior? How many times have we seen reported in the news, Christians being unchristlike to people who are not of the faith and to communities that are living in ways that are outside of the framework of God? How many times are we suffering according to verse 15 rather than according to the sufferings of Jesus Christ?  Are those the times we should be celebrated and unashamed because we are bearing the name of Christian in those circumstances? Is it right that we should glory in our sufferings when we are modeling unchristlike behavior to people who don’t know and have not experienced the love of God?

In our immaturity, we can be the biggest jerks sometimes. We celebrate the fact that we are being “persecuted” and “suffering for Christ's sake,” but the truth is, we’ve left the Grace of God in the church. More often than not, Christians, the dime a dozen Christians, bear the name absent of a relationship with Christ. They bear the name absolutely, without the grace of Christ and the fruit of His Spirit. We act more like cheap imitations rather than authentic, blood-bought children of God. 

It’s sad to me that the name Christian is profaned and for all the wrong reasons. We are to model the love of Jesus. We are to model His ways. He lived to show us how to live. He died to show us how to die in our flesh. He rose to show us the power of his resurrection and of the gift of his Spirit to bring transformation and change. Our flesh suffering for his sake is the goal. For his sake is the qualifier. It is what replaces cheap imitation, dime-a-dozen Christians, for the precious children of God-Christians, Jesus sacrificed his life for.

I'm not looking to be defined by Christian culture and all the external things that we do (or don't do) that make people think we are Christians. My relationship with Jesus defines me. Wanting to follow Him for the rest of my life and honor Him with my choices gives me purpose. Realizing that in my flaws and imperfections, His grace covers me. Understanding that He doesn't call me to be perfect, but to be moving towards his mark in my daily walk. It is the life of freedom he calls us to.

We as Christians are held to different standards, and those standards are not to be lived out without the framework of Grace. When we try to live without the grace of God, we become like the Pharisees and Sadducees, puffed up with the pride of our self-effort while we condemn others who don’t meet the mark.

I want to be known as a follower of Jesus, not a Christian. Even though it is the religious name tag that I fall under. I want people to experience me in a way that they can walk away thinking from a place of positive wonder, “there is something different about her.” That is the kind of Christian that I truly aspire to be. Some will encounter me in that way, and I’ll suffer because even though they are seeing something different, they may not readily accept it. It’s what happens when seeds land on stony ground.

Understand this, some seeds are designed to produce fruit in stony ground. When the suffering of Christ is described through the prophetic words of Isaiah in chapter 50:6-7 NLT, it is Christ’s obedience to the Father in the face of the hardened hearts of Israel that he demonstrates what it looks like when seeds pierce stony ground.

 6 I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.

That is the kind of Christian I want to be. Let me not look like the world with the label “Christian” and deceive people because I have no spiritual fruit growing in my life. Let me not be the kind of Christian who withers in the unkind terrain of a world hardened against the things of God. Let me be the kind of Christian, depositing seeds among the stony hearts and minds of people who don’t believe. Let me be the kind of Christian who reaches out to those on the fringes of society and welcomes them in with loving arms. Let me be the kind of Christian who spreads his love and grace so that people can experience Christ for themselves.

If I'm going to be a Christian, then let me not be a dime-a-dozen kind of Christian. If I am going to be a Christian, let me be a little version of Christ type of Christian. Not little because there is only a little bit of Christ in me, but because I am small compared to his grandeur. If I am going to be a Christian, then let me be small like a seed because in His hands I can be the instrument He uses to crack stony ground with the true message of the gospel when I go where he sends me. Let me be that kind of Christian.