What is a Christian?
In a few funeral preparation talks, I have people who have described their lost loved ones in these terms
“He didn’t believe in God
He didn’t go to Church
But he was a good Christian”
That isn’t a very useful definition of what is a Christian
So what is a Christian?
In Acts 11:26 we read:
“…and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” (NASB)
Story: A few years ago I went on a week’s summer course at my old Theological College, Wycliffe Hall in Oxford.
The Sunday (08-07-2012) I was down in Oxford, I went to the church I used to attend when I was in Oxford - St Aldates.
As I walked in, I looked at the bookrack and saw Simon
Ponsonby’s new book “Loving Mercy”
I decided not to buy it - as I was sure would never read it. After all I have so many books on my bookshelf that I have not read that this would simply join them
As I went into Church, who would I run into - but Simon himself.
“ Have you got a copy of my new book?” he said “ It’s free for clergy”
“No” I replied and he vanished off to get me a copy.
He gave it to me at the end of the service – I thanked him - and I thought no more about it.
During the service I was triggered to think about a discussion that I had recently had with one of my churchwardens who had asked “What is a Christian?”
As the new Curate preached, it suddenly dawned on me - and although he didn’t say it
A Christian is someone in WHOM GOD DWELLS
God lives in me – and you - if you are a born again Christian.
Have you ever thought of that?
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT dwells in you
No other religion claims that God comes to live in them
And suddenly, in the middle of that sermon, my mind went back to part of our reading from John 20 this morning where Jesus said to his disciples:
“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
So there you have it
It is when we receive the Holy Spirit that we receive Jesus’ peace.
The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, said something similar when he said, speaking on behalf of God:
“I will give you a new heart and will put a new Spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will pour my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ez 36:26-27)
When the Spirit of God – The Holy Spirit - comes to live within us he changes us – he gives us a new heart
As St Paul put it : The Old has passed away, behold the new has come (2 Cor 5:17)
When we encounter God, He wants to change us
In our Gospel reading this morning when Jesus encountered his fearful disciples – he spoke words of peace to them – and they were changed from fearful to OVERJOYED.
When Jesus encountered Thomas he changed from being a sceptic to being a believer
Encountering God will change us if we allow him to do so.
As an old preacher, Alun Morris once put it:
The HOLY SPIRIT is a gentleman,
He does not force himself on us.
Story: I’d like to leave you with a story from Simon Ponsonby’s book - Loving Mercy, because it really spoke to me of how the Holy Spirit can radically change us if we will allow him to do so.
Simon tells the story of Judson Cornwall, an American Pentecostal preacher who, after the war, was invited to speak at a renewal conference in Germany.
But Cornwall had a deep seated grudge against the Germans and simply threw the invitation into the bin.
Remarkably, when his wife emptied the bin, she spotted the invitation, pressed it out and put it on his desk again.
It haunted him for days as he shuffled around it.
Finally the Spirit won and he reluctantly agreed to go.
Arriving in Germany he was not relieved of his dis-ease and the Conference centre turned out to be in the former headquarters of the SS, Hitler’s elite guard, which aroused all sorts of images and old hatreds in him.
He spent two days before the conference praying and fasting and preparing – and avoiding the Germans.
On the first night of the Conference he went down to speak and took umbrage at his translator, a somewhat stereotypical Aryan Ueberfrau – giant, buxom, blonde hair in a bun.
He spat out his sermon, so it was no surprise that it was badly delivered, badly received and died a death.
He returned to his room and decided to go back to America the next day.
Full of humiliation and emotion he cried himself to sleep.
In the night, he awoke to demons screaming in his mind; “You don’t belong here! You have no authority here! Go home!
Experienced in spiritual warfare, Cornwall recognised the attack and figured it had to do with the demonic history of the SS in the building, and immediately rebuked the demons in Jesus’ name.
Three times the demonic voices woke him; three times he rebuked them.
After the third time he got up and asked God what was happening and why his prayers weren’t sufficient and the demons kept returning.
The Lord spoke immediately: “The demons are tormenting you because you really don’t have any authority here. You have no authority here because you don’t love these people. Your authority to minister is related to your love for those to whom you minister. Now you can go on hating these people, pack up and go home tomorrow or you can let me love them through you.”
Cornwall acknowleged his deep racism and prejudice.
Too embarrassed to go home, he confessed his sin and asked God to love through him the Germans who he loathed.
He knew he needed a miracle of grace.
Immediately he was overwhelmed by the Spirit of God and filled with Christ’s love for the Germans.
Having spent two days avoiding the Germans and refusing to eat with them, he could not wait for breakfast.
He rushed downstairs to the queue for the breakfast and greeted and hugged everyone in the food line.
When he got to his translator he gave her a big kiss and hugged her.
Immediately she pulled back and barked: “You hate us”
“No, no”, he replied “That was yesterday, today I love you”
Judson Cornwall preached that morning and the power of God was on his words.
At the end of the sermon there was a huge line of people wanting to speak with him personally, something he usually avoided, but he sensed God wanted him to be attentive to the people individually.
One by one, people came and thanked him for helping them to forgive the Americans, whether because they had lost loved ones in combat against them or in the bombing raids.
Cornwall saw pain and resentment cut both ways…but the obedience to the Spirit of Christ heals historic hurts and unites us in the love of God” (p.22-24 Loving Mercy : Simon Ponsonby)
If we allow God, he will constantly challenge and change us.
The choice is ours
