Who is a true Christian?

Many people in the world have found themselves being called Christians, but when asked why they are called Christians they cannot give an answer. I have met many people in this ministry when i ask them why they are called Christian their answers have been different: I am baptized in the church, i attend the church services every Sunday, I participate in church activities, I wedded in the church and so many more answers. It is good to understand something before you start using it or being called together with. To understand who is a Christian we need to know how this name came to existence. We are going to know this by answering a few questions: i) who is a Christian? ii) How does one become a Christian? iii) What is required of a Christian?
Christians were first called by the people who were not Christians at Antioch. (Acts11:26). These people had been known earlier during the time of Christ as disciples, the follower of Christ. They were also being called children of God, the name that had come from the old people who God had called ‘my chosen nation’ and my precious people (Deuteronomy 7:6). Peter also used this name in his letter as God’s special possession (1Peter 2:9). The name is also connected to Christ Himself.
A Christian is an adherent of Christ; one committed to Christ; a follower of Christ. From Christian existence, we realize that Christians are God’s people, His own special possession who are to proclaim the praises of the God who called them. They are called His own possession to be committed in proclaiming the praise of Hm. When you become committed to do something you are agreeing to terms and conditions. When you become committed to somebody, you do what that person does and what he/she likes. Jesus said I do what my father tells me to do (John 5:19), I say what my father tells me to say everything rotates on God (John 12:49) , I do nothing of my own initiative (John 8:28). From these definition we find that for you to be a Christian you must be committed to follow Christ and walk the way He walked, speak the language spoke and do everything the way He did. He said to his disciple “whoever believes in me will do the works that I have done and even more (John 14:12).
How does one become a Christian? One becomes a Christian by believing in Christ that He is the son of God who came to save the world of sinners and accepting him in his/her life. The bible says “as many received Him he gave them power to become the children of God (John 1:12-13). You are called a child of your father because your blood is your father’s blood even if he denies that you are not his child, the blood will prove whose child you belong. I believe this is also one reason why Jesus had to shade the blood to redeem us and by doing that He was making us children of God. Paul says we are co heirs with Christ meaning we are children from the same family with Him and He is our first born (Romans 8:17). It is by believing that Christ was sent in this world so that through Him we may be called children of God and learn to live like the way He lived.

What is required of a Christian then? After knowing who a Christian is and how one can become a Christian, then we can answer the third question, what is required of you as a Christian?. Just as I have said a Christian is a child of God, then what a child does in the home is what is required of a Christ. Jesus in his teachings to the disciples about the Lord’s Prayer said when you pray like this our Father in heaven….. (Matt 6:9-13). This tells us that when you become a Christian you have become a child in the kingdom that has a loving Father and a caring one. I have read some of the books written by different writers addressing this issue of Father when they look at what their fathers did to them they just don’t want to hear this name again. The devil has drawn the name father with very bad picture which many children do not want to hear such name again. But I want to tell you our heavenly father is not like some of the fathers we see here in this world, He is caring and a loving father whom cannot even be compared to any good biological father of this world. Prophet Isaiah gave one of his characteristic of our heavenly father that He is a Father who cannot leave His children (Isaiah 49:15-17).
Personally I have seen all the two kinds of fathers in my life. My biological father is the kind of the father the devil has drawn in the minds of many children in the world, the hurting father. My father did not want to know how I was living; the devil made sure that everything my dad could do to me it was to hurt me. I have grown up hating my father until I came to know that God did it for good that I may be able to know my heavenly Father. All that I missed from my biological father I have found it to my heavenly Father. I did not get clothes from my dad since I was in primary, my heavenly Father provides me with imported clothes, I did not study in any boarding school when I was with my dad my heavenly Father in my advanced level of education took me to boarding school. I did not receive any pocket money from my dad my heavenly father in that boarding school where he took me gave me pocket money weekly. I was not taken to university by my dad my heavenly Father took me to “good” universities. My dad spoke always negative words about me my heavenly father spoke encouraging words to me. Oh! He is the Father you need only to accept his son’s call and be one in his family you will never regret he says i will wipe all your tears, and will heal all your wounds (Jr 30: 17 &31:16).
Now knowing that we have a Father, let me go back to my question what is required of a Christian? You are a child in the kingdom of God and the LORD almighty is your Father who owns silver and gold (Hggai 2:8),for every animals of the forest are His and the cattle and sheep are His (Psalm 50:10). Now, what are the characteristics of a little child and how does he live? He lives by faith, and his chief characteristic is thoughtlessness. His life is one long trust from year to year. He trusts his parents, he trusts his caretakers, he trusts his teachers, and he even trusts people often who are utterly unworthy of trust, because of the confidingness of his nature. And his trust is abundantly answered. He provides nothing for himself, and yet everything is provided. He takes no thought for the morrow, and forms no plans, and yet all his life is planned out for him, and he finds his paths made ready, opening out to him as he comes to them day by day, and hour by hour. He goes in and out of his father’s house with an unspeakable ease and abandonment, enjoying all the good things it contains, without having spent a penny in procuring them. Pestilence may walk through the streets of his city, but he regards it not. Famine and fire and war may rage around him, but under his father’s tender care he abides in utter unconcern and perfect rest. He lives in the present moment, and receives his life without question as it comes to him day by day from his father’s hands.
Let the ways of childish confidence and freedom from care, which so please you and win your hearts in your own little ones, teach you what should be your ways with God; and leaving yourselves in His hands, learn to be literally “careful for nothing”; and you shall find it to be a fact that “the peace of God which passed all understanding shall keep (as in a garrison) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Notice the word “nothing” in the above passage, as covering all possible grounds for anxiety, both inward and outward. It would show a great want of right feeling not to be anxious about such things as these. You become a Christian by putting all your cares unto the LORD and allow him to be your Father nothing you are to do by yourself.
Who is a real Christian? First, a real Christian has to be born into the family of God. Second, a true Christian should walk in the way of Christ’s life. Jesus said there are two roads: the broad road leads to destruction, and the narrow road leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13, see also Deuteronomy 30:19; Jeremiah 21:8). The narrow road leads to a clear conscience and liberation from habits that destroy us. We do not have to walk under clouds of guilt real or imagined. When you have found Jesus Christ and have been forgiven for your sins, you have absolute peace with God. You know that your sins were dealt with on the cross and taken away. You are free to live a new life of moral cleanliness this does not mean perfection, but it does mean walking in the light and desiring to be pure. Third, the true Christian has eternal life. Such a promise comes into its fullness when we die, but we can enjoy it now, here on earth. Eternal life lives in our hearts, convincing us that we need never feel alone or empty. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). You can have the assurance of eternal life because Christ lives in your heart. John Calvin called this the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.
At this point, let us look at some things that do not guarantee a person to be a Christian. Being born in living in a wealthy country, living a decent life, thinking positively, going to church, giving to charity, taking the sacraments, praying none of these is a guarantee. Not even believing in God makes a person a Christian many people of other religions believe in God.
Just like the child needs food to grow the Christian need spiritual food to grow. A child lives by faith in his parents a Christian will live by faith in God. This faith come not by doing anything, you cannot be given by anybody, you cannot receive it by prayer, only by hearing and hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17).
You are there are you have read these massage and you have realized that you have been a religious person but not a Christian. You have opportunity to become a child of God receive him today and you will become a child in the kingdom. Why do all you have been doing in your church and miss eternal life. Eternal life is for the children of God, these are the only one whom Christ has prepared the mansion for be one it costs you nothing. (Isaiah 55:1-3)