I call myself a writer because I write. That sounds pretty simple. Maybe too simple. Because a person does something regularly, they are often called a name that shows that’s what they do. Whether they are good at it or not is sometimes irrelevant. A plumber is called a plumber because he works in plumbing. A singer is called a singer because they sing.
Sometimes we give ourselves titles which we want to be called by, and sometimes others give us titles, some of which we would rather NOT be called by. Sometimes the title or name that others give us has nothing to do with who we are at all, but sometimes a name does perfectly describe who we are and what we do.
I don’t know if I’m a good writer or not. I just know I like writing and I’ve been doing it since before I could actually “write.” I wrote a song with my sister when I was three and she was two. Our grandmother actually put it on paper for us.
I’ve never taken any formal training, but I call myself a writer. It’s not because I’m good at it, but because I do it, and because I’ve been doing it so long. I’ve written a lot of different things over the years. I’ve written songs, poems, short stories, Bible studies, newsletters, love letters, notes of encouragement, and a few song parodies. I’ve been writing a blog for several years now, and I’ve published two books, and I’m now working on my third and fourth ones, so I call myself a writer. Will anyone else ever call me a writer? I don’t know.
The same parallel can be drawn when we call ourselves Christians. So many people have different opinions on what a Christian is. Many people today are called Christians. Many call themselves Christians, but as in my analogy of a writer, just because we call ourselves something doesn’t make it a fact.
In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus said we can tell who is truly following him by the things they do. He said there are people who pretend to follow him who are false teachers trying to lead others astray. We need to be aware that those people exist, and that they are everywhere. People who say they are Christians but don’t believe the Bible, worry me. That’s a red flag. Those who twist the truth of God’s word to make it line up with the world’s ideas make me wonder about them.
My wife has a T-shirt that says, “If You Were Accused Of Being A Christian, Would There Be Enough Evidence To Convict You?” That’s a good question. What is a Christian anyway? The Bible meaning is simple. A Christian is one who FOLLOWS Christ and his teachings. Jesus called his followers, Disciples. The term Christian was given to the disciples of Christ in Antioch about the year 43 A.D. That was about ten years after Jesus died (Acts 11:26).
The teachings of Christ are simple. We can follow them if we trust him and stay in constant communication with him. I call myself a Christian, but do others call me one? More importantly, does Jesus call me one? What about you? Do you call yourself a Christian? Does Jesus call you one? Where’s your heart? That’s what God wants.
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said wherever our treasure is, that’s where our hearts will be. Whatever we cherish is what we focus our attention on. If we give our hearts to Jesus and follow his teachings, then we can truly call ourselves Christians. Then, when others see our fruits, they’ll know that we truly follow the Lord, and they will be drawn to him. Not because we “call” ourselves Christians, but because we are “like Christ.”
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