What is a Christian?
Plenty of books have been written about this one! One of the most mind-blowing explanations can be found in John’s gospel, which is an amazing eye-witness account of Jesus’ life that talks about what it means to follow him. More recent attempts include Tom Wright’s Simply Christian and the classic by Narnia author, C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
Ask even a few people and you’re bound to get at least some of these responses:
I’m pretty sure you can be a Christian without being baptised (take a look at this moment in Luke's gospel for instance) – although it’s a really important thing for a follower of Jesus to do – and you can certainly be one without going to church (though you’ll probably find you want to, if you are a Christian).
I’m glad to say that Christians haven’t cornered the market in hypocrisy (though it’s undoubtedly an occupational hazard) and if you have to be born in a Christian country to be one – well, what about Jesus’ first disciples (and a few billion others)?
No, I’d say that to be a Christian means that you’re eager to know God better and you believe that Jesus is the unique Son of God – a Saviour who, by his death and resurrection, has rescued us from sin and death and enabled us to enter into a new relationship with God the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Here at Melton Vineyard, we believe that those following Jesus are likely to want to do a number of things:
We’re not especially religious (though we love God), we don’t try to hype things up (though we are passionate about faith) and we believe that ‘church’ is about how we live all through the week, not just what happens on Sundays or in church meetings. If that sounds good to you, why not come along?
Ask even a few people and you’re bound to get at least some of these responses:
- Being a Christian means being a good person
- A Christian is someone who’s been baptised
- Christians are people who go to church
- Christians are hypocrites!
- You’re a Christian if you were born in a Christian country
- I don’t believe Christians are the only good people around.
I’m pretty sure you can be a Christian without being baptised (take a look at this moment in Luke's gospel for instance) – although it’s a really important thing for a follower of Jesus to do – and you can certainly be one without going to church (though you’ll probably find you want to, if you are a Christian).
I’m glad to say that Christians haven’t cornered the market in hypocrisy (though it’s undoubtedly an occupational hazard) and if you have to be born in a Christian country to be one – well, what about Jesus’ first disciples (and a few billion others)?
No, I’d say that to be a Christian means that you’re eager to know God better and you believe that Jesus is the unique Son of God – a Saviour who, by his death and resurrection, has rescued us from sin and death and enabled us to enter into a new relationship with God the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Here at Melton Vineyard, we believe that those following Jesus are likely to want to do a number of things:
- get to know Jesus better, though prayer and worship
- become more familiar with the story of Jesus, as well as the bigger story of the Bible
- experience God’s power and blessing
- share experiences and stories together
- encourage, help and support one another
- pray for each other, for families and friends, and for the wider world
- serve the wider community in a variety of ways
We’re not especially religious (though we love God), we don’t try to hype things up (though we are passionate about faith) and we believe that ‘church’ is about how we live all through the week, not just what happens on Sundays or in church meetings. If that sounds good to you, why not come along?