What does it mean to call yourself a Christian?

America used to be called a Christian nation. It seems today most of our leaders are ashamed of that label. Records show that a mere three percent of all of central Europe professes to be Christian. Still, some other nations don't even rank Christians. In fact, more and more nations are outlawing the faith. I'll admit, Christianity has never been a popular religion of the world, even though it does the most to promote individual freedom for all man. I know a lot of people disagree with that statement, even some Christians. So, with the ever increasing rise of hatered for Christians in this world, I ask,"Just what is a Christian, anyway".

Since I am a Christian, I enjoy talking with other like-minded people. So, when I ask someone if they are a Christian, I get a variety of answers from "yes" to "I think so". Some people think it means they believe in God. Others think it's a word that represents those who are generally good. So, do you call yourself a Christian? If so, do you know why?

The title "Christian" was first used at Antioch in Syria to describe those who believed in Jesus as the Christ. Frankly, the Syrians were mocking these people because they were always talking about Jesus, the Christ. The most important thing to these people was Christ! They got a revelation of truth and felt the urgency to tell everyone what they had learned.

First we'll break the word down to it's basic meaning and then we'll decide if we still want to label ourselves as a Christian. Christ means "the anointed one and his anointing". The "ian" means "of or from", like American, European, or Syrian. Jesus is the Christ. He is the anointed one of God filled with God's Anointing, the Holy Spirit of God. So, to be a Christian literally means you are "of" Jesus, the anointed one and His Anointing. A true Christian has accepted Jesus as their Lord and personal savior; not Jesus, the great philosopher or even the profit. No, it's Jesus, the son of God, whom God raised from the dead; the purchaser of our complete salvation.

You see, being a Christian is not something you do. Many people have failed miserably trying to "be" a Christian. Being a Christian is something you become. Speaking personally, I was raised Baptist and I accepted Jesus as my savior when I was ten years old. For the next fifteen years I worked as hard as I knew how to live a "Christian life". I read the Bible. I studied it daily. I prayed constantly. It was all quite fatigueing. But when I was twenty five, I took the next vital step in being a Christian, I received the Holy Ghost. Now, I finally had the Anointed One and His Anointing. I highly recommend getting them both at the same time and save yourself a lot of heartache. Jesus promised his deciples just before he rose into the heavens that they should wait for the Greater One to follow his departure. He said then they would receive power when the Holy Spirit shall come upon them to become his witnesses. That's exactly what happened to me. When I allowed the Holy Spirit to come into me, I had the power to be a Christian. It wasn't hard any more. From that moment till now, God's Spirit has been my advisor and best friend. There will always be times when you won't know what to do, but if you will listen, God's Spirit will always show you the way.

It is my desire that every person who calls himself a Christian would truly become one. If from reading this, you realize you may not be a Christian by definition, it's not too late. Even though it saddens my heart to know everyone will not accept Christ in their lives, I rejoice to know there are others who are hungry and ready for the truth. This article is for you. Grab hold and don't let go! Know who you are in Christ and don't let anyone take that away from you. For those who know you belong to Christ, take comfort knowing God will never leave you alone and you are precious. You have meaning. You have a purpose.

Finally, I want to give a bit of advise to everyone who has accepted God's salvation. Look up the definition of the word "salvation". Do a Biblical study of the Hebrew and Greek words meaning salvation. There are many bible dictionaries available. I use the Strong's Concordance. Several concordances are available on the internet for your convenience. You may be surprised to learn there's much more to being saved than a ticket to Heaven.

I believe one of the most important things anyone can know is our purpose here on this earth. I also believe every child of God has their own special purpose. Each one of us are put here to run the race and achieve our goals. Do you know your goal? There are as many goals as there are Christians. I'm developing a website for a specific group of people who know there is a calling on their lives to write songs for the Glory of God. Whether you write a new song every week, or have that one special song God gave years ago, but now believe God wants you to share it with the world, this could be the place for you. The purpose of this site is to be a gathering place for Christian song writers to share ideas and materials. Here you can showcase your work for those people searching for new and creative Christian music, or the Christian singer looking for new material for their next CD. The Place is Prodigal Rain.com We're new and we're still developing into our name. Our goal is to be a living example of the definition of the pouring out of God's Spirit on His Church. It's not for everybody, but if your heart's desire is to give God Glory through song, I encourage you to check us out. Keep an eye on us, because we are going Places!

www.prodigalrain.com