Is Everyone A Christian??

Who in Oklahoma is not a Christian? Honestly, everybody believes they are.

When I first came into a church, I was engrafted into the Baptist church. Now I have respect for a lot of Baptists, believe me. But I was brought into the church-camp high, shallow praise songs, alter-calling, half-gospel, funny story telling, try and get people emotional, type of Baptist churches. I know a lot of you know what I am talking about.

I came to find out that Christianity was so much more than praying the all too infamous sinner’s prayer and walking an isle and raising my hand (while every head was bowed and every eye was closed). Matthew 7:13, 14 became very real to me, and quite disturbing, I believed myself to be on the broad way headed for nothing more than to find out that Jesus never knew who I was (Matthew 7:23).

Now, looking back I have a growing concern for those from where I came from, who still are in that type of environment. Am I saying they are not Christians? No. They may be, but their environment is a place where they will experience no growth, and become no more knowledgeable of God than when they first began.

On the other hand, I know people from my high school and hometown, who would be so quick to consider themselves Christians, yet they express absolutely no desire to know Christ, the only time they even mention something like that is if they feel it might impress someone or for some reason make them cooler (which of course in the Bible Belt if you aren’t a Christian, you probably aren’t in the “in crowd”). Or perhaps there’s an argument and they might attempt to impress people with their well versed knowledge in the Bible, yet at the same time never fellowshipping with God or praying or reading the Word of God, being completely Pharisaical in their Christianity, only memorizing key verses to defend their bias opinion or to look good on facebook (i.e. Matthew 7:1, John 3:16, Phil 4:13 or Jer 29:11), excusing all context and hermeneutics, and then going out and living their life as if there were no God, as if God cared nothing for their actions.

John MacArthur once said, “Professing Christianity is the fastest growing mission field,” I could not agree more with that statement. Questions I keep asking myself are things like:

How do you witness to a person that is so convinced that they already are a Christian?

Why is it that people wear the name “Christian” or “Saved” like it is some sort of name tag, or a plane ticket to heaven, or fire insurance?

How can you call yourself a Christian, yet in your actions you show you actually hate Christ and you hate his commandments?

The list goes on.

I want nothing more than for my friends, family, and just people on the street, to understand the saving grace and power of Jesus Christ. I want them to understand the joy and peace and comfort in laying all your sins and worries upon the cross. I want them to see God as a holy, just, loving, beautiful and gracious God, to want nothing more than to understand His word, to seek Him with all their heart, soul, and strength, to obey His commandments.

Though, most the time I feel like I am talking to myself, and while it bothers me that most of my friends wouldn’t give a second thought to their salvation, I trust in God to do His will and accomplish His purpose, and I know He will. And because of that truth, I can rest well at night.