"What makes a Christian different from anyone else?"
One must first define what it is to be a "Christian"
Lace trimmed bobby sox,spit 'n polished, blacker than black leather shoes,
a starched gathered skirt a flight layers of cloud like crinoline, spotless white
gloves, topped off with a seasonably appropriate hat and... voila... there
I stood, a Christian girl of the 60's...ready for church.
I would have said, without a doubt, I was a Christian since I had been
christened as an infant, attended bible school as a teen, sang in the
choir and knew the Lord's prayer by heart.
My Uncle Bob had emphatically said, "Don't go talkin' about that
religion. It's a personal thing and not to be discussed.PERIOD!"
God was to be saved for church, weddings, funerals ,exam time and...
catastrophies like a teenager's broken heart or a pimple outbreak on
prom night. Perhaps just acknowledging John 3 :16- For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten son so whom so ever beleives in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life ,is testimony sufficient enough.
The dictionary simply says a Christian is one who follows Jesus Christ.
We all know He healed the sick, clensed the lepper, raised the dead and
walked on water so if the dictionary definition is correct...there is a
whole lot less Christians around than we think.
For the sake of this essay, however, I feel there is more to being a
Christian than simply acknowleging John 3:16. It's at that pivitol, life
changing point when a person calls unto God, sincerely repents for their
life of sin or rebellious living, surrenders their entire being to Him and
invites Jesus into their heart then they become a Christian. This is what
is called being born again.
Now to answer the main question: What makes a Christian different
from anyone else? let's examine the various signs of Christian living.
Firstly, there is the fruit of the spirit,Galatians 5:22-23, these
attributes are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness and temperance. There are agnostics and in fact athiests
that exibit many of these characterists.
So what about the gifts of the Holy Spirit? These are: words of wisdom,
words of knowledge, faith, healing, miracle working, prophesy, discernment
of spirits, speaking in tongues, interpreting of tongues. Again, these are
not found only in Christians.
Satan is a liar and copies much sometimes even appearing as "light".
Magic is something Christians are advised to avoid simply so others cannot
accuse a Christian of magic instead of miracle working.
To understand the answer to the later question we will breifly go
back in history to a prisoner of war camp in Japan, WW2. Apparently,
the Japaneese gathered many POW's aboard a submarine telling them the
war was over and they were being returned to their various home
countries. Down below the ocean the abused soldiers were jubulent
as they talked about returning home to their loved ones and tasting
freedom once again.
After some time the submarine resurfaced and the prisoners came up amidst
much excitement and cheering. Time breifly stood still then there was a
collective gasp as the prisoners realized they had been tricked.
The submarine had stayed all this time in Japaneese waters. Hope dashed,
many of the prisoners died instantly as the Japaneese soldiers taunted
and laughed at them.
Here one sees how important hope is and it is HOPE that makes a Christian
different from anyone else. 2 Corinthians 4:16 says it perfectly:
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away our
inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary
affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all
comparison"
In His service,
A.J. Lo