How Does the World Know We are Christian?

Two men from the United States were riding a train in Great Britain. Riding in the compartment with them was a very distinguished looking gentleman. One of the Americans whispered to the other, “I think that is the Archbishop of Canterbury.” The other said, “I don’t think so.” So the first man approached the gentleman and asked, “Sir, would you mind telling us, are you the Archbishop of Canterbury?”

The man said to the American, “You mind your own blanket-blank business! What the blankety-blank difference does it make to you, you blankety-blank Yank?”

So the first American turned to the other and said, “He won’t say whether he is the Archbishop or not.”

I would hope they would know that the Archbishop of Canterbury would not address them with a string of curse words. However, that little story started me thinking, “How does one identify a Christian?”

I suppose we could wear a big plastic sign around our necks…”I am a Christian.” Or maybe we should cover our cars with Christian bumper stickers, or hang large crosses around our necks. Perhaps we should all carry a huge Bible, the size of an unabridged dictionary. But would that really do the trick?

I was disturbed a few years ago at the findings of the Barna Research Group who conducted a poll of people who do not consider themselves to be Christian. They were asked to provide their impressions of 11 different groups ranging from military officers to prostitutes. One of the statistics that hit me hard was that only 44% of those surveyed had a favorable impression of the clergy. Even more disturbing, only 22% had a favorable impression of Evangelical Christians.

This should be a matter of concern for us because somebody is missing the mark in their witness for Christ.

So, how should the world identify a true follower of Jesus?

Jesus gave us a very simple way that people will know that we are Christians. It is by the love we demonstrate to others. “A new command I give to you: Love one another….By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Love is more than just a warm, fuzzy feeling. Love is tangibly caring for someone other than yourself. And so, it seems that the Christian faith is more than just a set of beliefs about Christ. It is being actively engaged in establishing the kind of world that Jesus envisioned—the Kingdom of God—a kingdom of love.

What have you done lately to show someone that you truly love them?

Tim Hobbs, Pastor