i want to be a christian
“It was in Antioch that the disciples were called Christians for the first time.” —Acts 11:26
What does God mean by the name “Christian”? According to Acts of the Apostles, to be a Christian means:
- to believe in Jesus and be converted to the Lord (Acts 11:21),
- to repent and be baptized into Jesus (Acts 2:38; Rm 6:3),
- to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4),
- to remain firm in our “commitment to the Lord” (Acts 11:23),
- to witness for Jesus (Acts 1:8), spread God’s Word (Acts 12:24), and lead others to the Lord (see Acts 11:24),
- to be taught intensively for a year or more about our new life in Christ (Acts 11:26; 2:42; 19:9-10),
- to continue steadfastly in Christian communal life (Acts 2:42),
- to center our lives on the breaking of the bread, that is, the Eucharist (Acts 2:42),
- to devote ourselves to praying together with other Christians (Acts 2:42; 1:14),
- to be submissive to the authority of the Church’s leaders (see Acts 15:2ff), and
- to suffer for love of Jesus (see 1 Pt 4:13).
In Acts of the Apostles, there are many other essential aspects of being a Christian besides those just mentioned. Additionally, there are many other essentials of being a Christian mentioned in other books of the Bible. Being a Christian is a new, radical, deep, free, and abundant way of life. Are you a Christian by God’s standards?
Prayer: Father, I want to be a Christian.
Promise: “My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” —Jn 10:27-28
Praise: “Through His Word, God made all things to exist out of what did not exist and out of what had no previous existence” (Treatise on the Incarnation of the Word, St. Athanasius; cf Heb 11:3).
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