God is still calling us to a process and a lifestyle of becoming everything He has created us to become, and by grace, He extends mercy to us every single day. Continuing the collection of talks, Believer, Louie Giglio stresses that being a Christian is more about who you are than what you do. To be Christian, we are called to be Christ-like, love God, extend grace, shine light, and champion those in need. When we can be mirrors, reflecting the glory of God, others can see Christ.
Key Takeaway
When we are a Christ followers, we exhibit lives that are Christlike. We are completely in love with our father and he empowers us to extend grace, to shine light, and to generously care. All of this matters because when we associate ourselves with Christ, who we are and what we do helps determine what others think about when they think about Jesus.
What it means to be a Christian:
To wholeheartedly and exclusively trust in the person and claims of Jesus Christ, activating a new birth that results in a lifestyle that mirrors His values, teaching, and ways so that others can see and know Him.
We have to get our heads around exclusive inclusivity. Jesus has opened the way of grace to everyone, but He alone is the way of grace.
For God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His ONE AND ONLY Son, that WHOEVER believes IN HIM shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16
You can study every other faith system and you'll discover that Jesus is the one that stands out. He's the only one making these truth claims and opening the door to the grace way. To believe means to entrust. It's banking your entire life on Jesus.
Christianity isn't a box to check, it's a person you become. You're born again as a son or daughter of God. You'll "be" before it's something that you "do". It's a lifestyle. If you say you're a Christian, then you're going to live like a Christian.
What does it mean to live like a Christian?
1) To be Christlike. The term Christian means "little Christ". It's not saying we are equal to Christ, it means we are born of God. In Acts 11:26, while in Antioch, we see this term first coined. The people of that city were saying that those who believed in Jesus looked Christlike. They built their lives around Christ. Matthew 16:24 says that we come to the end of ourselves and follow Him. See also Galatians 2:20 and 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. It's all of you wanting to be like all of Christ, not bits and pieces.
You can't just only turn over tables, or only accept everyone, or only call out religious authorities, or only be humble and sacrificial, or only fight for the outcast. You can't just pick your favorite attribute of God and model your life after that one thing. Be like all of Him and do it with the same spirit as Him. The "wrong crowd" wanted to be with Him because He offered grace. The Cross is the work He came to accomplish. It may be a stumbling block, but we don't back away from preaching it. 1 Corinthians 1:23 exhorts us to let the Cross be the stumbling block, not us. In other words, don't let people have a hard time coming to Christ because you are annoying and weird. Yes, there is a good weird...like when Jesus walked on water and fed 5,000 people. That's completely different than attributing every weird thing about yourself to the fact that you're a Christian
To be Christlike is to try and get out of the way so that Christ can be in the way so that people can see that He is the Way.
Every day you wake up, your desire is to want to be like Christ. This is a process. You entrust your world and life to Chris: over time you will begin to look like Christ.
2) To be in love with God. Christ was absolutely in love with His Father. They are intimate partners in life. They lived, walked, and moved together. Luke 10:27 says to love God with everything that's inside of you. It would be weird to say that you're a Christian and not love Him or spend time with Him. We pursue God in a relationship.
3) Extend grace. John 1:14 says that Jesus is both grace and truth. No one is preaching to abuse grace and do whatever you want to do. Jesus is truth, but He also offers grace and that is something the world has never seen before. In Luke 15:18-20, the lost son acknowledged that he had sinned and asked his father if he could be a hired servant. Why? Because she grew up in the law and had no concept of grace. That's why when the father ran to him it was so shocking! He was introducing grace and lavished his goodness on the son. God does not give us what we deserve. He gave that to Jesus and gave us what Jesus deserved: grace. Therefore a Christian should lead with grace because we remember where we came from and know we have a long ways to go until God is finished with us. God gives us grace every day. He cares just as much about truth and consequences, but He met us with grace this morning. He tells you the truth, but He meets you with grace.
4) To shine a light. Light only matters if there is darkness. John 3:19 assures us that people love the darkness, and sometimes we do too. We feed our flesh. However, you can walk with God in such a way that the light of God shines through you. You reflect Christ. Our salvation is not a private thing. See Matthew 5:14-16 and Philippians 2:12-16. By grace, God put salvation in us and He will work in us to will and to do the things that fulfill His will. By doing this, we shine like stars. God wants us to be in a relationship with Him so that we are constantly reflecting the face of God. The world doesn't want light until they are stumbling in the darkness and then they become desperate for it. That's when they'll remember seeing light in you.
5) To generously care. To champion those in need. To be the good Samaritan. A Christian stops, cares, sees, bends down, carries, pays, and checks in. A Christian doesn't have to be told to tithe. Are you doing anything personally? Are you investing? A Christian just wants people to know that God sees them, cares for them, and has a purpose and plan for them. God has what you need.
Why does it matter that we get this right? Because most people will find Jesus through you.
Discussion Questions
What is the definition that Louie Giglio gave for what it means to be a Christian?
In review, what does it mean to believe, or entrust, God with our lives?
We are to be Christlike if we are living like a Christian. What does that mean?
Read 1 Corinthians 1:23. How is the Cross a stumbling block for people? If we're not careful, how can we be a stumbling block for others?
Have you ever taken an attribute of God and made your whole life fall in line with that one thing? If we are going to follow Christ, do we get to pick and choose what we like best or are we compelled to follow all of Him? See Galatians 2:20 and 2 Corinthians 5:14-15.
What was the relationship with Jesus and His Father like? What did they share? How are we to live in communion with the Father? See Luke 10:27.
In the parable of the lost son, when the son came to his senses, why did he respond the way he did? Why did the father respond the way he did? How does this inform how we treat others?
The Bible tells us to shine light into a dark world. Have you ever seen that light in others that brought you closer to Christ? Have you ever been the one someone sought out when they were stumbling in darkness?
Christians generously care for people. Are you personally doing anything to meet the needs of others?
Why does it matter that the lives we profess match the Life we confess?
Scripture References
