How To ID A Real Christian
“And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Acts 11:26
The most concise and clearest definition of a Christian is “a follower of Jesus Christ”. The latest statistic that I have seen regarding the number of folks in America who claim to be a Christian is 83 per cent. It is not difficult to believe that a huge percentage of Americans would claim to be Christians, but what I really want to know is what percent of the 83 percent really do follow Christ and have made Him first place in their lives?
Today’s verse is about a man named Barnabas, a true follower of Jesus. It is believed that he was an early convert to Christ. What were some of the characteristics that he displayed which would make folks take notice that he was sincere in his faith? First of all, he was a generous man. Soon after believing in Jesus, he sold some land that he owned and brought the proceeds to the disciples to support the spread of the gospel (Acts 4:36-37). He desired that others would partake in the joy that he had found in serving Christ, which not only displayed his generosity, but also his love and care for others. He encouraged others in their walk with the Lord, stressing the importance of commitment, for he, too, was committed to follow and serve Christ the rest of his life (Acts 11:23).
Barnabas was a good man full of the Holy Spirit, and his faith was unwavering (Acts 11:24). The fact that he was a “good” man did not mean that he was attempting to earn God’s favor by doing good deeds. He was good because he desired to represent his Savior well to a lost world. Real Christians do what’s right because it’s the right thing to do. We are given the Holy Spirit when we repent and receive Christ, and He guides us throughout life helping us to avoid the devil’s schemes which could hurt our testimony. The Holy Spirit is also given to us as a helper, comforter, and a peacemaker. He is our assurance that God has accepted us as His children because His Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we belong to Christ (Romans 8:16).
A real Christian has an unwavering faith in the promise of God that He will always be with us no matter what happens in life. Christians aren’t perfect, but we are forgiven. Christians also put others’ needs ahead of their own, willing to lend a hand whenever necessary. Jesus said to “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Another mark of a real Christian is that they have a desire to worship with other believers on a regular basis. Corporate worship strengthens believers, and it also glorifies God. After all, God’s Word says to “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25). What is spending a few hours in church each week with likeminded folks singing praises to God and hearing the man of God proclaim, “thus saith the Lord”, compared to Jesus’ sacrifice that He made for all of us? Psalms 116:12 states: “What shall I render unto the LORD for all His benefits toward me?” There is nothing that we can do to equal the sacrifice of Jesus Christ or to repay Him except be faithful, love, and serve Him. He did the hard part; we have the easy part.
Of course these characteristics are only some of the ways to recognize a true believer in Christ, a Christian. If someone who knew you well read the above paragraphs while standing before you, would they say, “Yep, sounds like you” or would they have trouble giving you an honest answer?