By Lillian Kwon , Christian Post Reporter
April 3, 2012|6:36 pm
What does it mean to be "Christian?" Given that
the term is not even clearly defined in the Bible and draws a myriad of
definitions from Christians themselves, influential pastor Andy Stanley is
challenging believers to embrace a different, and more convicting, identity:
disciple.
"Are we disciples? Or are we just 'Christians?' Stanley
asked thousands at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga. "Don't
settle for 'Christian.'"
Stanley just concluded his four-week "Christian"
series this past weekend, exhorting attendees to fulfill the role that Jesus so
clearly laid out for his followers: to love like he did.
While Jesus' instructions were clear, many believers are
found hiding behind "Christianity," he noted. To some, "Christian" means someone
who prayed the prayer or a person who was baptized; others say it's not what
you believe but how you behave; and then there are those who define Christians
as "judgmental, homophobic moralists who think they are the only ones
going to heaven," Stanley listed.
"One of the reasons that you can't get five people to
define 'Christian' the same way ... is because 'Christian' is not defined in
the New Testament," the megachurch pastor clarified. The term is only mentioned three times in the
Bible and it was a derogatory label created for Jesus' followers by outsiders. "Christians
didn't call themselves Christians. They called themselves something far more
terrifying, ... far more defined, ... far more convicting than
'Christian,'" Stanley pointed out. They
called themselves disciples. And that's
a word that's hard to dodge or misdefine, the pastor noted.
Disciples follow the command to "love one another"
as Jesus loved them, Stanley stressed, citing the book of John. Jesus said,
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another."
"If we had gotten this one teaching of Jesus right, our
world ... would be a different and better place," Stanley said.
"We can all be Christians," he noted. But to love
each other the way Jesus loved people, that places believers in a much smaller
category. Challenging believers to show
a generous love to those around them, Stanley said, "How cool would it be
to do a big rebranding campaign?"
But don't expect to try to change someone by loving them, he
cautioned. "This isn't a means to an end. This isn't 'I'm going to fix
you.' It's 'this is what it means to follow Jesus.' "This is better than 'Christian.'"
Stanley took it a step further and exhorted those who follow
Jesus to be the salt and light of the world. "Live your life in such a way that when people see your
good deeds," they ask themselves "who is that generous?"
The North Point pastor challenged those who think, "I
don't want to be the light of the world. I just want to be a Christian and go
to heaven when I die. Leave me alone."
That is not what Jesus taught, he stressed. "Jesus said I want your good deeds to be
so extraordinary that people begin to connect the dots between your lifestyle
and your Father in heaven," he preached.
"Some of you are just happy to be going to heaven
[because] you're a Christian ... Jesus said 'I never called you 'Christian.'
I'm telling you who you are. You're salt and you're light. "Don't settle for 'Christian.'"
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