Christianity: Define Christian (Jesus Christ, reject, Earth, crucified, Kingdom)

[true blood]

A true christian is cognizant of a great reality. They simply believe that they are what the Word says they are; They believe they have what the Word of God says they have; They believe they will be what the Word of God says they will be. And they believe that they have the power that the Word of God says they have even though they are an earthen vessel. The critical factor is that the excellency of the power in them is not of themselves, but of God. Their excellency is of God and He is within them through Christ.

[dan]

I think anyone who takes the name of Christ upon himself deserves to be called Christian. Whether or not he's doing the Lord a service by that representation has nothing to do with a label. Christianity as a whole has more bugs to work out than we can know, but it maintains its title. A true follower of Christ really doesn't worry about titles at all. A true follower of Christ has the Spirit of the Lord as his guide and prefers to act according to the will of God before anything else. I know there are true followers of Christ in almost every Christian sect, so I think doctrine shoudln't be taken into account. I believe there is only one church with the correct authority and the correct interpretation of things, but I don't think that church has a monopoly on righteousness. Anyone can have the Spirit of the Lord in there life, Jewish, Christian Muslim or whatever. It's not about church membership, it's about loving God for the right reasons.

[kyzar]

I agree with wilieha (on the first post page), it is not enough for someone to simply 'believe' in Jesus/God/Holy Spirit (Not going into the trinity), but also to follow Jesus' example and teachings trying to do His will...
Afterall I believe that the war in Iraq exist/ed/s but I don't neccesarily agree or go along with it...

Personally it is essential to accept Jesus as your personaly Saviour, ask for forgiveness of your sins, and thus try to, with all your will, do His will...

[Xzist]

Christian- christ like

[Doc]

CHRISTian! As being one myself. For me it is to follow Jesus's laws and teachings to the best of my abilities! I do not get caught up in the titles and technicalities! I hope as I grow to be an adult, I too can bear my cross and follow Jesus!

[huajiro]

Christians should be people who believe in "Jesus" and try to emulate him in every way possible. Many Christians are in fact people, who worship money and don't realize how much this is their true motivation (example Matthew Chapter 19)

019:021
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

So Christians believe that they will have riches in Heaven, but why wait?, let's have them now, even though it goes on to specify:
019:023
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Why do the leaders of Christian Churches always drive nice cars, own nice homes, etc?

[Scott1]

Originally Posted by huajiro

Why do the leaders of Christian Churches always drive nice cars, own nice homes, etc?

If you would really like to discuss this, I suggest starting a new thread.

This thread is about what defines a Christian.... not about the wealth of some Christian leaders.

Thanks,
Scott

[huajiro]

Originally Posted by SOGFPP

If you would really like to discuss this, I suggest starting a new thread.

This thread is about what defines a Christian.... not about the wealth of some Christian leaders.

Thanks,
Scott

Done :

Why do the leaders of Christian Churches always drive nice cars, own nice homes, etc?

[Dadball]

This is what I say every Sunday at Church. This defines who we are, and what we believe. There is more dogma, traditiona and ritual that goes into our Denomination, but this to us is fundemental.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell. (Let's not get into this on this thread)

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

[may]

"Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons [wicked spirit creatures] in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness."(matthew 7; 21-23)

Acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord is essential in true worship. But something would be missing in the worship of many of those claiming to be Jesus’ disciples. He said that some would perform "powerful works," such as supposed miraculous healings. However, they would fail to do what Jesus said is vital. They would not be "doing the will of [his] Father." If we want to please God, we must learn what the will of the Father is and then do it.