-The IT Factor-

“…It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.” Acts 11:26b NLT

Everyone from record producers, magazine editors, image consultants, T.V. & movie producers, to photographers are looking for someone with that illusive ‘it’ factor. No one is really sure of what the ‘it’ is, but they know ‘it’ when they see ‘it’. You know, star quality.

There was a recent commercial for eBay about the new ‘it’. The series of commercials was showing about how you can move or buy the new ‘it’ on eBay. And that’s what people pretty much do: look for the new ‘it’.

When we were kids we played games of tag. You remember, when tagged you were ‘it’. You then chased the others to tag another potential ‘it’. As a kid a phrase floated around our school: “What it is?” I’m not sure exactly what that meant, but if you were cool or ‘had it’ you said it.

A jaded world, when faced with something dubious, has a saying: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” I’ve said it & you probably have to! Unfortunately, that’s about the reaction of many regarding Christianity. If someone claims to be a Christian (and according to most stats & test groups a majority of Americans make the claim), we want to know is it so? With 200 different ‘Christian’ denominational groups in the U.S.* that’s a lot of differences in beliefs & practices.

So, what does ‘IT’ look like? By ‘IT’ I mean a Christian. Sadly, you can get almost as many answers as the people you ask. In the average church in America, I’m afraid we’ve come a long way from the description of the practices & principles of believers found in the first century. I don’t mean whether they used pianos, guitars, and microphones, ‘modern translations’ of the bible or the wardrobe change. I’m talking how did they act & react to the world around them?

I’ve attended & participated in several workshops & conferences lately. In stats presented in them and in reading I’ve seen some alarming trends & practices. From what I hear, observe & read, we are indeed a far cry from the first ‘Christian’ believers in both practice & belief. Please understand, I’m not advocating we all move to Guyana & drink Kool-Aid laced with cyanide. I’m not ‘Chicken Little’ ranting about the sky falling. But, I am alarmed.

Are YOU a Christian? Pretty pointed. The world, by in large, categorize people as “Christian”, “Jewish”, “Muslim”, or “Other”. Where do you fall? Many might claim ‘Christian’ simply because they have an affinity for a Christian church. Afraid it’s a tad more than that. As one author said, “If Jesus were to ask, “Who do you say I am,” the question He famously asked His disciple Peter, He would be disappointed by some of the answers He’d receive from contemporary Americans.”*

Yep, this is a great deal more pointed & forthright than I usually get. I’m not trying to stir any denominational debate with anyone. I simply want to pose the questions to you (and myself) “What does a Christian look like?” and “Am I truly a Christian?”

In life & ministry I’ve heard a great many preachers & religious leaders spouting definitions of what a true Christian is & and should be. Some of those were right on the money & some where so much hot air. I’ve sometimes spouted heady, high-minded ideas of the same.

Just in case you don’t know, when the believers were first called ‘Christians’ in the city of Antioch, it was not meant as a compliment. But, frankly, they could have not received a better moniker. People were calling them ‘little Christs,’ as they identified & resembled Jesus.

"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are My disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."
John 13:34-35 The Message

I couldn’t give you a simpler, clearer picture of what a Christian truly looks like than what Jesus said in the above passage in John. It simply boils down to the love we show one another. Other passages speak of the love God has for the world, but I’ll save that for another day. The church I attend & serve in has the purpose statement: ‘We’re Building Relationships- Loving God, Loving the Church, and Loving the World.’ I want to hope I live up to that, but I’m afraid I often fall short of that mark.

It is my heart’s desire, & purpose on campus, to show the love of Jesus to you. I don’t claim to know all the answers but I know THE Answer: Jesus. I don’t have everything figured out, but I have a bible as instruction book. Please feel free to call on me & I’ll pray with and for you and ask you to return the favor. Below you see multiple ways to reach me.

*George Barna Group 2009

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