Matthew 5:14 KJV “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”
The moment you accept Jesus into your life, it is expected that it is a permanent decision to portray Him throughout your lifetime. This is because you become His representative here on earth.
Consider the origin of the name “Christian”. Jesus Christ didn’t name His followers Christians, His followers didn’t give themselves that name. It was other people, outsiders who ascribed that name to the followers of Christ. They did this after they had watched them and observed their lives. The name was actually given as a description of the lifestyle of the followers of Christ. Acts 11:26 KJV says, “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Antioch was even a Gentile city so it would have been very easy for the followers of Christ to just lay low or align themselves with the life of the Gentiles but they didn’t. They chose instead to continue steadfastly in the life that they had been called to, not hiding or adapting to the foreign life. They kept proclaiming Christ.
Such should be the approach of every Christian. Wherever you find yourself let it be obvious that you are a Christian, from the way you act, the words you speak, your reaction to things and people. Let your whole lifestyle actively proclaim Christ. Let there be a marked difference between when you were yet to accept Christ and now that you have. This is because these are very opposite lifestyles. Colossians 3:8-10 KJV says, “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him.” The old man is a life without Christ, where anything and everything was acceptable. The new man is a life with Christ where the only things that are acceptable are the things acceptable to Christ. And so whatever does not glorify Christ, whatever doesn’t please Him, whatever doesn’t show Him to others, becomes immediately unacceptable.
Believe it or not, people watch you. They may not tell you or it may not be obvious to you but it will surprise you the amount of influence your life can have on a person. It can either draw the person to Christ or deter the person from coming to Him. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV says, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” Therefore from the day you gave your life to Christ, you placed God at the steering wheel of your life, you ought not to carry on as you please.
The fact that Christ dwells in you means that when people talk to you, it should be like they are talking to Christ, when people touch you it should be like they are touching Christ. Whoever meets you should feel like he/she has met Christ. Anyone who observes you should be able to easily make the connection that you are a Christian without having to be told. When you describe yourself as a Christian to people, they shouldn’t find it hard to believe. In all your endeavours express He that is in you. By doing that, you constantly glorify Him.
Wherever you go let Jesus be praised. Whether you are alone or in the marketplace or in the office or even within your neighbourhood. Are your friends, colleagues, neighbours and even casual acquaintances, contacting Jesus through you? A part of a song goes thus, “If they’re looking for You Jesus, let them find You in me.” That should be the guiding principle of our lives as Christians. At every time we should be Christ to all that come in contact with us. Our lives should be enough to bring the unsaved to Him, it should be enough to even serve as an encouragement to other Christians. Let all who see us have reason to praise God because our lives testify of Him.
Paul said to the Colossian Christians, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” (Colossians 2:13 KJV. Emphasis added). Christ was the emphasis, Christ was the yardstick, the guiding force, the reason why they should live like that. He even added in verse 17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” If I do this, will God be praised? If I say this, will He be glorified? Do these thoughts glorify God?
There is this question that people now take jokingly, “What will Jesus do?” However, constantly asking ourselves that question as Christians, will go a long way in reminding us of who we actually are—carriers of Christ, and what is expected of us—what God expects of us. Because if we take stock of our lives so far, I’m sure that many of us have led disappointing lives, we only act as Christians in church, before our pastors and in similar settings but outside those settings we become something else, no one would be able to distinguish us from those who are unsaved. It’s like we have different personalities to match each occasion—when in church, act like a Christian; outside church, forget about Christianity.
Decide that from this day, you wouldn’t just be a Christian simply because you identify as one. You would become a Christian because your life and everything about you portrays Christ.
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