Are you what you claim to be?

If I stood in my garage and said I was a car, would I be one? The obvious answer is "no." If a person stands in the church and says he is a Christian, does that mean he is one? Again, "no." Claiming to be and actually being are two different things.

I regularly hear people who attend churches say they are Christians, but their lifestyle and/or habits suggest otherwise. If a group of people gathers in a sanctuary on a Sunday morning, does that make them a church? A church (ekklesia) is a called out assembly as well as the redeemed of all ages, set apart unto God, and following Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. So, again I ask, if a group of people gather in sanctuary and "say" they are a church, does that make them one? The answer is "no."

Following this line of thinking would cause us to make the deduction that every Sunday, churches are filled with people who call themselves Christians, but they are not. Billy Graham once said, "The American church is the greatest mission field in all the world." Listen to the words of Matt 7:21-23 NIV, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"

As we begin this New Year, I challenge those who claim to know Christ to evaluate your walk and see if it bears witness to your claim. The Bible says in 1 John 2:44, "The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." An honest evaluation could save your life -- for eternity!