Foundational Characteristics

WNBS Recap
April 18, 2007

See if you can guess who is represented by these characteristics. The answers will be at the bottom of the blog:

1. Knows how to handle leather. Carries a big stick. Play in the grass and dirt all summer. Hopes they have a job in October. Favorite snack is a mouthful of sunflower seeds.

2. Goes to every house in town on a weekly basis. Would be happy to have a poor sense of smell. Sometimes finds an unexpected treasure. Most people prepare for his arrival the night before he comes.

3. Lives life a mile high. Prefers his peanuts in a small bag. All his work clothes have stripes. Whe he speaks, everyone listens.

4. Knows not ot put all of his eggs in one basket. A typical morning involves a "squeeze & pull". Is a plant manager. Favorite color is "John Deere Green".

5. Is always setting a trap. Lives an up, down, and side to side existence. Everyone answers to him. Hates small numbers. Heads out for at least a 300 hour cruise.

Characteristics are what define people. If you want to be recognized as a part of a particular group, you need to have the characteristics of that group. It is not different with Christianity. There are certain characteristics that should be associated with Christians, and certain characteristics that should not. The problem we run in to is that many times, the characteristics the world sees in Christian lives are no different from the characteristics in their own lives. Christian relationships often look just like worldly relationships. A Christian's attitudes are no different from worldly attitudes. A Christian's actions reflect worldly attitudes. And a Christian's speech often has nothing of Christ in it.

How do you want to be defined as a Christian? Do you want to be defined as someone who is religious but no different from the rest of us? Do you want to be defined as someone who is all talk and no action? Do you want to be defined as hypocritical, ignorant, or deceived? How can we change our world's perspective of the characteristics of Christianity?

The change starts with our relationships. We most often do our imitating of God (or anti-imitating of God) within our relationships. The world will see our characteristics in our husband/wife, parent/child, employer/employee relationships and in our friendships. Jesus reminds us in John 13:34-35 that people will know we are his disciples by our love for each other and the characteristics of our relationships. For the world to correctly define Christianity, our relationships must look different from the world.

The change continues in our attitudes and actions. Proverbs 4:23 tells us that our attitudes (heart) define our actions (flowing forth of life). If we have attitudes of pride, greed, anger, revenge and lust, then our actions are going to follow. True characteristics of Chrstianity, however, are counter-cultural. For the world to correctly define Christianity, our attitudes and actions must be counter-cultural.

Finally, there must be change through our speech. When Peter denied Christ (Matthew 26:69-75) he was confronted and exposed as a follower of Christ by the way that he talked. Are we to take this to mean that his accent gave him away, or something deeper than that. I believe it was more than his accent that gave him away, but his actual speech...what he said. Why? Because look how he responds to the accusation. He changes his speech to cursing. Our speech, if it is full of salt and light, will be obviously different to the world. For the world to correctly define Christianity, they must hear it in our speech.

What would people think if I told them you were a Jesus Freak? Would they say, "no way! He acts just like us!" Would they think, "whatever, he leaves us alone. We don't care what he is as long as it doesn't change who he is." Or, would they say, "Of course. There's obviously something different about them. So that's what it is!"

Our characteristics define who we are and who we belong to. Are you defining Christianity properly by your relationships, attitudes, actions, and speech?

Here are the answers!
1. Baseball player
2. Garbage man
3. Pilot
4. Farmer
5. Crab Boat Captain