Becoming a Christian
When I was growing up here in England, if you weren’t a Muslim, Jew or an atheist, then it was assumed that you were a Christian. If you weren’t Roman Catholic you were automatically considered to be CofE (Church of England) unless stated otherwise! The truth is, no one is automatically a Christian. Nationality, parentage or attendance of a Christian church doesn’t qualify someone to be called a Christian.
Listening attentively
One becomes a Christian when a) God gives us an opportunity to hear enough about Jesus to realise that he is both inviting and summoning us to be his followers and b) we accept his call. For many, what they hear will go in one ear and out of the other but some others will want to know more. These men and women will have many questions. Some may raise questions of objection in order that they might hold back from commitment. Others will seek answers in order to overcome honest doubt. Having questions and wanting to know more is good so long as we don’t end up for ever wanting to know about Christianity but never stepping into it personally.
Jesus tells would-be followers to count the cost of becoming a Christian, not in order to dissuade them but so that they understand from the start that being a disciple of Jesus is no light thing. It certainly isn’t an insurance policy against the sufferings and evils that affect all of us.
Faith in Jesus is valued in heaven
When we first entrust ourselves to Jesus, we are expressing our belief that he is someone special, someone uniquely appointed by God. We can be confident that our faith is valued in heaven above, to the extent that Jesus assures us, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’
Yes, the Spirit of both God and Jesus come to live within the heart of the Christian. From this point on, the Christian can anticipate receiving answers to questions he hadn’t even thought to ask!
We are now in the autumn term of education and many Christian churches are currently offering midweek courses about exploring Christianity. Why not see about finding one?