A Christyle Community

For centuries, people have been defining Christianity and what it means to be a Christian. Today in our very secular culture, a lot of people describe church members as hypocritical, dishonest, arrogant, manipulative, and irrelevant. Many of us grieve over those descriptions, knowing that they are descriptions of our sins but not of our identity. So many times, when church members attempt to define themselves, they do so in terms of a particular program, denomination, type of baptism, or style of music. But Jesus describes us (Christians) simply as people who would follow Him. That statement is found in all of the Gospels; He just asks us to follow Him. Peter explained it in 1 Peter 2:21: “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

In our struggle to be Christian, the best definition is in our behavior – what we do. James said it very clearly as he reminded us that faith without works is dead (2:20). Our real identity is what we do. Jesus described what we do very clearly in the Great Commandments found in Luke 10 – we are to love God with our heart, soul, mind, and body and love our neighbors as ourselves. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that if we don’t have love, we have nothing. It’s just doesn’t count – all of our membership, baptisms, and church activities don’t count unless we do what Jesus taught.

Today, many people are rethinking what it is to be a Christian. One of Dan Kimball’s books is a great resource on this – They Like Jesus But Not the Church. It’s time for us to create communities of people who are committed to behaving in the way that Jesus taught. I have called that a “Christyle Community” – a community of people, imperfect but trying their best, to live a life that follows the teachings of Jesus. Certainly, belief, commitment, and other parts of the church’s life are important, but behavior is the true test.

In Tulsa, we created a community like this; all of us want to follow in the steps of Jesus. It’s called “The Christyle Community.” We meet on Thursday nights at 7:00. Everyone is welcome. For more information, click here. 

How Do You Share the Faith?

Today in the secular culture in which Americans find themselves, sharing the faith becomes a significant issue. Most Christians are not excited about sharing the faith – being an evangelist, witnessing. We have seen this practice of evangelism done with guilt, arrogance, manipulation, and so much inappropriate behavior that we realize that it doesn’t work; it turns people off to Christ rather than on to Christ. So how do you share the faith? At the Great Commission at the end of His ministry, Jesus tells us to go unto all the world, share, and teach. So how do we do this?

I have struggled with that question throughout all of my ministry. I have tried many things, and the answer I have come up with is best expressed through the word TELL:

T – stands for the truth of Jesus Christ in our lives

E – reminds us that we must explain a lot of things about our faith

L – stands for living it; we show our genuineness through living out Christ’s teachings

L – reminds us to lead by encouraging, inviting, teaching, guiding, helping

Many of the actions associated with evangelism in the past are a part of leading after we are sure of the truth in our own lives, are willing and capable of explaining and living it fully. Then the leading is easy, natural, and powerful.

I have written about this by the name TELL. If you would like to order a copy, please click here for more information. I am doing conferences on evangelism; if you would like more information on these, click here.

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