I am a __________

Please complete the following statement by choosing one word which best describes you. I am a __________. This may seem to be a somewhat daunting task. There are so many possibilities. A few related categories to consider include: gender, age, family role, occupation, hobby, national citizenship. Within these various areas, possible answers may be: male / female, adult / child, mother / father, teacher / student / farmer / salesman / nurse / programmer, gardener / fisherman / reader, American / Filipino. Naturally, many of you may also select one of the numerous possibilities not mentioned above.

There are many words you could choose to make this a true statement. Some possible answers are also extremely valuable to our families and communities. However, there is another particular word that I hope best describes each of us - Christian. I am a Christian. This is a very simple statement, and yet it speaks volumes. We are first Christians and build our lives upon this conviction and lifestyle. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33). “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above …” (Colossians 3:1).

There are many things in life that are important, but only one ranks first. As we complete the statement I am a __________ , there are several answers we (including God) would all agree are important. Which is of primary importance? I am a Christian. You may wonder why I am attempting to make a distinction between that which is important and what is of primary importance. There is a danger facing religious groups in America today. There is a danger facing churches of Christ in America today. There is a danger facing each of us today. The danger I am referring to is that God is important to many people, but not primary. According to a May 2004 Gallup Poll, about 80% of Americans surveyed identified themselves as Christians, 55% responded that religion was very important to them, with 28% attending church at least once a week. An additional 29% responded that religion was fairly important to them, with 14% attending almost every week. It is interesting to note that in both of these comparisons (55% to 28% and 29% to 14%), virtually twice as many stated their belief in the importance of religion than showed it by attending a service.

These statistics present a snapshot of religion in America and serve to support the earlier statement that God is important to many people, but not primary. When analyzing results from an earlier study, pollster George Gallup, Jr. described religion in the United States as ‘a mile long and an inch deep.’ This portrays a sense of a connection with God, but one which is very shallow with no real conviction or commitment. A comparison may be drawn to the wise and foolish men from Matthew 7:24-27. In this instance the wise man built his house upon a good foundation, while the foolish one built upon the sand. In a similar sense, only a foolish man would build a house a mile long and an inch high. A wise man could take the same amount of building material and build a shelter 10 ft. by 10 ft. and 8 ft. tall. Which one offers protection when the rains descend and the winds blow? So it is in a spiritual sense. It matters not how long faith is, if it is only an inch deep, it is of no value.

We now move from a national to a personal level. It is not just others who face this spiritual temptation, but you and I do as well. It is safe to say that God is important to each person reading this article. However, it takes more soul-searching to determine if He is of primary importance to each of us. What does God think of this? Would He be pleased and satisfied if He is important enough to rank somewhere in your top ten, but not necessarily first? What about our own personal faith? Is the Lord pleased with anything that resembles faith, or is He looking for depth and growing convictions of faith? “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37-38).

We return to the main focus of this article - I am a Christian. There are many things that are important to each of us, but they are not primary. The primary role from which we view ourselves determines the perspective we have of life. If your role at work is primary to you, your view of church and family will unfold from there. If your position within the family is your primary role, your perspective of everything else in life will revolve around that. I am happy to be an American, but that is not of primary importance to me. You may desire to be a great husband, but may your desire to live and serve as a Christian be even greater. Being a mother may mean a great deal to you, but please remember that being a Christian is an even greater role. Truly living and increasing as a Christian will produce the right perspective and growth in the family, at school, on the job, and other areas of our lives. May it be true that the best word to describe you is Christian. I am a Christian!!!

The Gospel Message April 2006

by Kevin Ferguson