What would they call us?

If you are a sports fan, you may have noticed a few of the more over the top fans at a sporting event. Fans who are so different from a typical person you might encounter on the street, that even without saying a word, you know who they are rooting for. Duke University has fans who camp for days in advance to get tickets to a game. Keep in mind that the college basketball season is played in the winter time. Even in Durham, NC camping in January is a little out of the question for most rational people. Many of these fans will go even further by painting their whole bodies blue and white, just to show their allegiance.  These people have been called “The Cameron Crazies,” after the venue that hosts the Duke basketball games.

If someone looked at your everyday life what would they call you? Would your life be different enough for others to know where your allegiences were? Would they call you pretty much, “just any old average person?
As Christians, we are called to be salt and light to a world in dire need of salvation.

Isn’t it interesting that in Acts 1, at the end of verse 26, it says, “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” What I find interesting is the simple thought that the Christian’s didn’t name themselves.  But rather, they were called(or named) “Christians” by those watching their lives. I wonder if it would be the same today. Could someone look at your life or look at my life and name me a Christian?  A humbling question for sure. (Chris Tomlin, Forward to the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan.)

Those who were the first to be called Christians were not merely different or quirky. But like the Cameron Crazies, the differences pointed to a source. Their lives looked like people who followed Christ, hence the name “Christian.” What would the world call you or me? Humbling indeed.