Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Francis Chan
Devotional:Which Type Of Christian Are You?
The Bible calls Christians to be weird. There. I said it. The Bible wants you, if you truly consider yourself to be a follower of Christ to be weird. You have to be out of step with the world. In fact, you have to live in your own world if you want to truly walk with Christ.
God calls Christians to be his ‘peculiar’ people. We are to take God’s word and let it take root, grow, and bring forth fruit from our heart. When we let the world and its worries get in the way, they choke the seeds of Truth in us. Similarly, Jesus encourages us to overcome the world just as he did. True Christianity is all about living your life in such a way that it is different from the world at large. Otherwise, if people can’t see the difference between your life and unbelievers’ lives, why even bother to call yourself a Christian? I know this sounds harsh but living in the Light and following the Way is all about making hard choices. Indeed, Jesus Himself said that he brings a sword. The truth may heal but it also divides the world between believers and unbelievers.
You have to ask yourself: Which type of Christian Am I?
Type #1: The Choir Preacher
You hang out mostly with fellow believers. You do your best to try to filter out the rest of the world. You spend your time ‘preaching to the choir.’ As wonderful as listening to and talking to other Christians is, God is calling you out to reach the unbeliever. If you only hang out with fellow believers, you are like the rich man in the parable of Lazarus, keeping the bread of life to yourself and leaving everyone else to settle for crumbs. Get out there and feed the spiritually hungry!
Type #2: The Fruit Inspector
You hang on every word of preachers and other believers. You are looking for any contrast between what they say and what they do. Just as Christ instructed us to judge trees by their fruit, you are so consumed by the process of looking for hypocrisy and the failings of other that you have let the Love leech out of your Christianity. Far from holding people ‘accountable,’ your faultfinding drives people from the church. God doesn’t want us to scatter his sheep.
Type #3: The Worker
You wear the right clothes, say the right things, and do the right things. You want to make the very best impression you can make. You feel that you are the ambassador of Christianity to the world at large so everything ‘has to look right.’ While this is all well and good if they flow from a true inner conversion, you often do things primarily for appearances. True faith produces a changed outer life. This is the Biblical sequence. Conversion must come first. Simply putting on a show is working your way to salvation. Sadly, this is pointless work on your part. The Bible is clear: you are saved by faith ALONE. All the ‘clean living’ and clean act you’re putting up won’t amount to a hill of beans if your heart isn’t converted.
Type #4: The Sinner
You are remorseful that you continue to break Jesus’ heart. However, you take humble comfort in the fact that you are always covered by His grace when you come to him again and again with an open heart. In fact, you have given up on having it your way because you know your way only leads to pain and disappointment. Instead, you let Him take over and whatever love, joy, peace, or anything positive coming from you, you readily credit to Jesus’ takeover of your life. You live life day to day without a worry knowing that you have the most powerful, richest, and most understanding Father in the universe.
So, which type of Christian are you?
