What it means to be a Christian

Perpetua held her wounded friend in her arms, a perfect picture of bravery and joy even in the centre of chaos and blood. Around them the crowd cheered as the two girls stared death in the eye. 

Perpetua came from a wealthy family. Growing up with her brothers in Rome during the height of it’s glory, her future seemed bright and certain. But when she heard the gospel she eagerly gave it all up to follow Christ. 

Even though preaching the gospel was a crime in Rome, Perpetua boldly confessed Christ, knowing it would mean certain imprisonment and possibly death.

Sure enough, the Roman authorities soon came for her arrest. They offered her freedom for a simple sacrifice to Rome. Even her father urged her to renounce her faith for his sake and the sake of her newborn baby. 

But she refused. She would not renounce Christ as Lord. “For,” she claimed “the name that belongs to me is the name of a Christian.” 

As a result, Perpetua was forced to give up her baby, her wealth, her position in society, her future in exchange for a Roman prison. But even prison could not steal the joy she had found in Jesus. Clinging to her Savior she said “the dungeon is to me a palace.” 

When Perpetua and her friend Felicity, who had also been imprisoned for her faith, heard they would face the beasts in the coliseum, they rejoiced to be counted worthy to die for the sake of Christ. 

In the coliseum, with Felicity bleeing in her lap, Perpetua boldly faced the angry bull. And when it suddenly and unexplainably stood still while the crowd roared for blood, she radiated with peace. As gladiators rushed into the arena to answer the people’s cry, Perpetua confidently helped guide her hesitant executioner’s blade into her body. 

 

Whenever I read about Christians whose faith cost them everything, I am left with a deep longing. I long for their boldness and confident hope in Christ. I envy their single eye for the glory of God and passionate love of the gospel. 

And sometimes after reading these stories I become discouraged, because I don’t see anyone living like this today. I can’t find examples of such bold, confidence in God. Such complete trust in Him and glad surrender to His gospel. 

Why is it that we as modern Christian women fail to live the same kind of radiant, world-changing, courageous life as Perpetua? 

It’s easy to excuse ourselves by saying that this kind of Christianity was only possible for previous generations. Or that it’s easier for Christians in China. 

But Jesus never gave any qualifiers for a completely surrendered life. He never said “deny yourself and follow Me unless you live in 21st century North America.” 

Rather, as Leslie Ludy says, our femininity falls so far short of past generations “because we do not understand the reality of who Jesus Christ is meant to be in our lives.” 

In other words, we don’t understand what it means to be a Christian.

What do you mean when you call yourself a Christian? That you read your Bible and go to church? Or that you believe in God? Even demons believe in God and they tremble. (James 2:19) But demons are not saved. So clearly being a Christian is more than just believing in God, reading the Bible and going to church. 

Perpetua was willing to suffer and die because she called herself a Christian. 

Jesus is our life

Leonard Ravenhill said being a Christian means “your life is hid with Christ. You are not your own. You have no time of your own, no money of your own. Christ must become your complete Master.” 

So many of us have believed that we can be Christians without dying to ourselves. That we can just add Jesus into our lives like we would add a plane ticket into our suitcase. Keep everything else that might be helpful along the way, the credit card, makeup bag, swim suit, just add a plane ticket so we can get to Hawaii eventually. 

But Perpetua’s radiant faith in God and sweet friendship with Him didn’t come by adding a “ticket to heaven” or “comforter in her affliction” to her life. Rather it came by letting go of family, friends, future and comfort and embracing Christ. If you want a satisfying, joyful relationship with Christ it will literally mean letting go of all preoccupation with yourself. It will mean getting rid of your comfort, pleasure, dreams and desires, in order to gain His. 

Removing Hinderances

If asked “what things can hinder your relationship with Christ” most of us would probably answer “sin” or “disobedience.”  But It’s not just sin that dampens a vibrant relationship.

Hebrews 12:1 exhorts us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and … run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

If you register for a marathon, there are certain rules you have to abide by. For instance, you can’t take drugs to boost your performance. So let’s say you keep all the rules, you don’t get disqualified for taking drugs unlike some other contestants. And on race day you show up on time! But, wearing your favourite pair of heels (you wanted to look good for pictures). You still make it past the finish line, but you couldn’t run fast, you sprained your ankles, and are completely worn out and miserable by the end. 

We won’t find any rules in the Bible about watching movies or social media, just like we won’t find any rules in the marathon fine print about wearing heels. But some things hinder our ability to pursue Christ and make us worn out and miserable.

A vibrant, joyful relationship with Christ is only possible when we get rid of everything that hinders our walk with Him. 

Take some time to ask the Lord to show you what is keeping your relationship with the Him from growing. 

You might need to get rid of movies or Netflix or delete your social media accounts. Maybe throw our your favourite books, or stop watching YouTube videos. Quit going to the mall every weekend. Be willing to give up your “me” time to help someone in need. Stay home from a party. Let go of your obsession over that guy. Stop listening to secular music. Or any number of other things.

Not because these things are in and of themselves “sin” (although they can be), but because they might be hindering your relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Something Better

We need to remember that we aren’t exchanging joy and excitement for misery and pain. Rather we exchange our pathetic hopes and worthless pursuits for God’s incredible plans and fulfilling pleasures. As Paul says to the Phillipians:

“What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind.” – Phil 3:7-15

Before he became a Christian, Paul had what every Jewish man wanted. A high education with a great career in front of him. The love and respect of his leaders. A blameless record of law keeping. But after meeting Jesus he counted these things as loss, utter rubbish, good for nothing, garbage. 

In contrast, he counted a relationship with Jesus as excellence. A prize worth pursuing.

 

“The Christian life can be explained only in terms of Jesus Christ, and if your life as a Christian can still be explained in terms of you — your personality, your willpower, your gift, your talent, your money, your courage, your scholarship, your dedication, your sacrifice, or you anything — then although you may have the Christian life, you are not yet living it.” – Ian Thomas

In order for us to experience the courageous, joyful, femininity that Pertetua and Felicity knew we must get rid of everything of self so that Christ can be clearly seen in our lives. 

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Next week we will look at how to respond when this kind of life feels impossible. So make sure to come back for that! 

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you!

• What about Perpetua’s testimony resonates with you?
• What do you mean when you say you are a Christian?
• What are your biggest struggles with surrendering your life to Christ?