I was preaching at a funeral service recently, and one friendly man came up to me after the service and said (with a little bit of tongue in cheek) "I'm almost a Christian." Perhaps his comment resulted from my attempts to persuade those in the audience who were still alive, to turn and accept Jesus Christ for as the one true hope for eternal salvation.
Is it necessary to be a Christian? The word Christian only appears three times in the New Testament: The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:26b NIV) The book of Acts begins with the disciples of Christ waiting in Jerusalem for God to empower the apostles for the great task of taking the Gospel message to all people in the world. The message was first preached in Jerusalem to an audience made up primarily of Jewish people. Peter boldly persuaded them about Christ from their own scriptures. In addition, he told them very plainly that they had crucified their own Messiah. He said; "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36) Some of these Jews were convinced by his preaching, and sincerely desired to know what to do to be saved. Peter answered them that they must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Their obedience to this command of Christ will assure them of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The church of Christians began this way. All those people who believed in Christ, repented of their sins, and accepted baptism, were saved and added to the body of Christ. (Acts 2:41,47) After the beginning of the church in Jerusalem, the followers of Christ came under heavy persecution, and left Jerusalem in large numbers, and went all over that part of the world proclaiming their faith in Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. (Christ). The individual members of the church were called Christians, and this name has survived as the best possible word for those who willingly follow Jesus Christ as Lord.
Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" (Acts 26:28 NIV) The apostle Paul was being persecuted because of his powerful teaching regarding the truthfulness that Jesus is the Christ. He wanted to preach the Gospel in Rome, so he used his right as a Roman citizen and appealed his case to Caesar. It was from a prison in Rome that God inspired him to write many of his now famous epistles for the church then and today. He appeared to King Agrippa who was a grandson of Herod the Great. Paul told Herod Agrippa the story of his dramatic conversion to Christ. Agrippa must have been deeply moved by Paul's powerful testimony, but it appears from the text that he only almost became a Christian.
However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. (1 Peter 4:16 NIV) The apostle Peter is writing to the early church and encouraging them to be strong and faithful to their confession even under persecution. They were persecuted because they were known as Christians. It is even the same way in some dictatorial countries today. I recently have been corresponding with some Christians in a small church in Uganda. One man who now serves as their preacher told how his father was dragged from the church and severely beaten in front of the church. The evil dictator Idi Amin wanted to crush the Christian faith.
Why be a Christian? You can be sure that you are an heir to a home in Heaven which is under preparation by Christ Jesus for all those who faithfully obey Him as Lord. If I do not want to be known as a Christian, it most likely means that I am receiving more satisfaction and hope from this material world.
Why not repent of your sins today, and boldly confess that you believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Obey Christ in baptism and wear the name of Christian with the hope of being with all the saved of every generation in Heaven. There is absolutely no better life on this earth than the life of a Christian. All spiritual blessings are in Christ. If you are outside of Christ you are missing all these wonderful blessings. You are invited to attend the services of the Church of Christ at the corner of 3rd and E Streets. Write me with any questions or comments David Binkley, Sr., P.O. Box 186, Cedar Key, FL 32625 or E-mail at dgbinkley@aol.com. You may also request to receive the daily WORD OF THE DAY by e-mail. Check out our web site at http://www.cedarkeychurchofchrist.com. | 