"Christian" vs. "Christ-follower"

I'm treading onto thin ice here - I know it - but I think it's a great conversation to have.

There has been a lot of talk - especially in the Western world - about the "Christian." The fact is many in the US would probably label themselves a Christian, but it's more by default than by their relationship with God. What I mean is people go through the religious lists and settle on Christian. The tought process is something like - well, I'm not Muslim, I'm not Mormon, I'm not Hindu, I'm not Jewish,... so, I must be a Christian.

Another way North Americans tend to look at this is by saying, well I live in a "Christian nation," so I must be a Christian.

A third way is to say well my whole family is Christian - so I am, too.

I can understand this way of thinking, but it's not really accurate. I don't make this observation to be critical, but simply to point out that the label of Christian has become very watered down - especially in our culture.

In an effort for clarity, many have begun using the title Christ-follower. It's a way of saying that I'm making the effort to live the way Christ teaches us to live in the Bible. It recognizes that this does not just happen by default, but takes intentional effort.

Now, this can go too far as well. Sometimes we can become so - well...judgmental - that we begin to feel the need to do some crazy things to prove to others that we are Christians.

The bottom line is it's not about all of our outward actions or labels as much is it is about our hearts and how we feel toward God. Do we acknowledge Him in our lives to the point of being willing to live for Him in everyday ordinary ways. Or is it a show. Or do we just do whatever we want and not really give God a second thought.

I know some may not see the humor in this video link, but I decided to share it anyway. I would also suggest you read all of the comments on this video. The best way is to click on the "View all 44 comments" (additional comments are not enabled)toward the bottom of the page after the comments that appear on the screen. This view shows them in the order posted and which ones are replying to previous posts. Here's the link...

I'm a Christ Follower

Living for Christ - from the inside out.