Spiritual Practices

What Does It Mean To Be A Christian?

The definition of a christian in the western part of the world has changed so much over history. In the present day, being a christian doesn’t mean a whole lot. Often times when people say they are a “christian” they mean they believe in the exsistence of the God of the bible and yet often times that doesn’t include Jesus! Such a long ways off from what we see the early christians of the bible identifying as.

In the bible we see in Acts 9:2, 19:9, and 24:14 that the early believers called christianity “the way”. Why would they call it this? I think they called it this because christianity (as jesus started it) wasn’t a set of beliefs or even a religion! It was a way of life. It was an invitation to surrender all that you are and all that you have to the Lordship of Jesus the Messiah, and to follow him, making your life into a living sacrifice that is pleasing to God (Romans 12:1)

Followers Of Jesus

To combat this current definition I simply don’t use it. Rather than having to constantly rewrite people’s preconceived notions about who I am the moment I say I’m a christian I say I am not a christian, I am a follower of Jesus. What does that mean? I love John Mark Comber’s definition.

What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?

1. Be with Jesus

The fundamental role of a follower of Jesus is to live in alignment with His teachings. This raises the question: How do we actually do that? The truth is, there is no flawless blueprint or set of rules to follow. Instead, we turn to the Bible as our ultimate authority and guide. Jesus demonstrated a variety of spiritual practices and disciplines for us to model. Here are nine practices highlighted by Practicing the Way, an organization dedicated to training people in spiritual formation through these rhythms.

The Practices:

1. Sabbath

2. Prayer

3. Fasting

4. Solitude

5. Generosity

6. Scripture

7. Community

8. Service

9. Witness