Redeeming the Name

I talked last night to a friend on my hall who professes to hate Christians. I decided to press this and see why. He told me he saw everyone who goes by that name as hypocritical and judgmental. He said it was Christians who mainly made fun of him growing up because he was different. This hurt me because to me Christians are supposed to love unconditionally. He did admit that there were a few who were different and did not make fun of him. My point for sharing this is that we have to be conscious that before anything else, our identity is in Christ. We are known as Christians, we are known as a group who is at least professing to take this seriously and actually try and live out Christ. I don't think that we should change our names to "followers of Christ" because that doesn't solve the problem. Especially at a place like ACU where many are nominally Christians but inwardly do not allow God in, we need to be different. We need to be the salt not just to the earth but to the church, the light not just to the world but to the people who claim God. This summer we also need to remember that we bear the name of Christ, a privilege and a burden. Please begin to make it your mission to redeem the name that you stand for. Please remember that your words and actions speak for all of us. And please go out of your way to express love, especially to the "least of these" or those that may have in any way have been hurt by "Christians".

Our image is in our actions and our actions are tied to our name. Our name is that we live out love and sacrifice. This is the name that we must redeem. Our mission is not only to the people in darkness but to those who are on the threshold of the light and also the ones hurt by the light.

"These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." Is. 29:13

"Love your neighbor as yourself." Lev. 19:18