THE PORTRAIT OF A REAL CHRISTIAN

The Portrait of a Real Christian
Steve Wagers
ACTS 11:22-26

INTRODUCTION:

The story is told of a pastor who tended to major on the negative, 'thou shat-not', of the Christian life. On one occasion, he took the morning service in a little country church, and after the service he went home for dinner, with a member of that congregation, who was a farmer. After dinner, the farmer said to the pastor, "I would like for you to come and meet my donkey." Not wishing to offend the man, the pastor agreed, but asked why he wanted him to see his donkey. The farmer replied, "Because my donkey is a Christian." The pastor, somewhat taken back, and surprised, replied, "Don't be ridiculous, no donkey can be a Christian!" The wise old farmer looked intently at the pastor, and said, "Well, according to your sermon this morning he can. Why, my donkey doesn't drink, swear, smoke, or work on Sunday, so according to your sermon, it must be a Christian!" 1

If I were ask you today to describe, define, and depict a Christian, what would your answer be? As one would well suspect, in the day which we live, there are varying opinions as to what a Christian is, and how one is defined.

A recent survey conducted by George Barna, revealed our country's perception of Christianity. It showed that:

--60% of Americans claim to be religious
--67% claim to be born again
--41% say they are committed Christians
--44% say they are moderately committed
-27% say they are always mindful of Christ
--25% say they are sometimes mindful
--17% say they are never mindful of Christ 2

I'm reminded of a story I recently read about a rich couple on vacation in Florida. On the first day, the husband dashed into the ocean, nearly drowned, and was dragged ashore by two lifeguards. One of the lifeguards turned to the man's wife, and said, "I think we should give him artificial respiration." The scared wife snapped back, and said, "How dare you give my husb ...

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