Are You an Every Day Christian?

If America’s Christians in the past years had followed Christ, we would still be a Christian country now. However, if we as Christians are NOW following Christ then we would be becoming a more Christian country. At the end of 2019 the Pew Research Center published a paper titled “In U.S. Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace.” American adults were asked to describe their “Religious Identity.” The data showed that in the previous 10 years to 2019 there was a decline of 12%, down to 65% in total, with those describing themselves as Christian. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who described their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” stood (2019) at 26%, up from 17% in 2009. The downward trend has been steady, and other sources are putting the percentage of people in America calling themselves Christians today at around 50%. We all know that calling yourself a Christian is not the same as acting as a Christian and being a follower of Christ.

How is it that the Apostles, Disciples and followers of Christ reached out to ordinary people in their day and in a few short years changed the world? This was something that the Jewish religious leaders of their day could not do. After Jesus ascended to heaven the growth of belief in God continued for hundreds of years. I believe it was due to the person-to-person interactions between believers and their family, friends, acquaintances and strangers. It is not a church service, money given to a charity, work projects being done, etc. that lead people to God. All those things are important for our own personal growth, but there is another more important aspect for us. That is your contact with other people who may not be believers. Our ability to reach others to change the world goes only as far as how our interactions with others are perceived and received by them. Our good “God” actions build our reputations, and we then can become blessed with the gifts of the Spirit to help us connect with others. By themselves alone church, money and works do not build up the body of Christian believers. It is by individuals listening, empathizing, understanding, helping and praying that will bring others to not only know of Christ but eventually to become fellow Disciples of Christ. The personal attention that you give to someone is more valuable to their spirit than the physical help you may give (Mt. 5:14-16, Acts 8:26-39).

Our mission from Christ is to reach others where they are (Acts 10:42). You may ask “What if I fail?”, or you may have already tried and failed. Reflecting on our failures is only good for telling us why we failed, but then we must go forward again. Continuing to reflect on our failures takes us down the road toward complete failure. Don’t give up, you have not failed (Mk 9:28-29). If God has prompted you to do this, then it is as much for your growth and salvation as it is for the other person. God sets His own timetable and methods.

There is a difference in being a Christian in name and a Christian by your actions. The Disciple Group asks that you consider wearing your Christianity every day beyond the church and into the world in which you live. Think about your actions and how they compare to those of Jesus and all His beloved followers through the ages, not only your actions in church but when you are relaxing, when you are shopping, when you are about to have a disagreement or any other time in the course of your normal day this next week.

If you are encouraged and moved by any of the articles from the Disciple group, please consider joining us as we reach out to try and help each other to be every day Christians. We would like other mature Christians to have the help and support from our group that they need to reach others. Feel free to talk to Pastor Gary or call the church office to get in touch with us.