Follower of Christ

I was recently thinking about my answer to a question that gets asked quite frequently: Who are you? The first answer would be to tell them my name, or mention that I’m a customer or worker or something. But what other answers would better fit the question and motivate the person asking to evaluate who they are? How about: A sinner saved by Grace, or follower of Christ, or Christian.

I like to answer by saying that I am a follower of Christ. It means a little more than Christian, now that the people of our country seem to think that they must be a Christian simply because they are an American. Being a follower of Christ means that you humble yourself and submit to the one we call Christ (Jesus of course).

But let me throw this wrench in the works: if someone asked a co-worker of mine to describe who I am in their own words, would they take the simple answer or has my life been enough of an impact on them to award the answer of “He’s a follower of Christ”? What does it take for our testimony to become concrete in the minds of the people we share our lives with? I think that for someone to recognize you as a follower of Christ, they must first be told that you are such. Next, they have to have some validation - prove to them that you do really follow Christ. And finally, your testimony must have enough impact on their life that they would want to support your claim of being a follower of Christ.

I want to be a follower of Christ, not by the simple definition, but through the testimony of my life being poured out to my peers. I hope this challenges you the way it has challenged me. “Go and make disciples of all the nations,” and start where you are today.