Christian or Curious

About 32% of the people in the world call themselves Christians, which is about 2.2 billion. I have no idea how many of those truly walk with Christ – God does, of course – but it seems that if there were more than 2 billion dedicated Christ-followers in the world, some of our problems wouldn’t exist.

Right?

What’s the issue?

Part of the answer is obvious – there’s a difference between what we call ourselves and what we actually are.

There’s a difference between checking a box on a questionnaire and living out the implications of faith.

Perhaps you’ve heard this distinction before: some people know about Christ, and some people know Christ.

Which group are you in?

Notice Paul’s emphasis here: “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death” (Philippians 3:7-10).

That I may know him.

That’s what it means to be a Christian, and I believe that’s what so often frustrated Jesus.

Often in his ministry the crowds around him swelled. He would perform a miracle – feed a hungry crowd, heal a blind man, raise someone from the dead – and the numbers would go up.

They were curious, intrigued, often amazed.

But not committed.

Inevitably he would stop and face them and say something like this: “If you’re not willing to die with me… if you’re not willing to commit everything to me, you can’t follow me.”

There’s a difference between being in the “Jesus crowd” and being a Jesus-follower.

So again: why the disconnect between the hundreds of millions in the world who claim Christ and all of the sinful stuff that’s going on?

It’s obvious that some of the 32% don’t really know Christ.

But as always, our concern is a little closer to home.

Do you know him? Are you following him or just interested in him?

Does he just intrigue you or does He lead you?

There’s a huge difference.