Have
you ever been labeled by
someone? Are you a liberal or a
conservative? Are you a republican
or a democrat? Are you pro-life or
pro-choice? Are you a vegetarian or
a pescatarian? Are you a morning
person or a night person? Are you a
redneck or a preppie? We all have
been labeled by people at some time
or another. Christ has labeled us
as well.
Some people loved being labeled. I
think it is in some sense a measure
of belonging. We all want to belong
to something that is bigger than
ourselves. Other people hate being
labeled. They want to be their own
person. It seems weightier to be
original. If you are a follower of
Christ, you should come to terms
with the fact that you have been
labeled. In Acts 11:26, the
disciples were first labeled as
Christians. A Christian is simply a
follower of Christ. Today the label
has garnered quite a bit of baggage.
Many followers of Christ are moving
away from the term "Christian". But
in the original usage a follower of
Christ is a Christian.
Jesus did not call His followers
Christians. He actually had another
label for them. He told His
followers that they were “salt of
the earth” and “light to the world.”
This was a two-fold description of
true Christianity. Anyone who
follows Christ should be a
preservative of God’s kingdom on
earth while illuminating that
kingdom in the world. We need to
keep the world from rotting while
blasting the darkness with light. I
think Jesus had in mind that we
would live with grace and truth
everyday. If we do this then He
says that we are “salt and light.”
That’s the kind of label that fits
the followers of Christ.
Grace and Truth to You,
Chris