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Each Wednesday two ladies eat at McDonald's before evening services. This Wednesday one complained angrily about a third who at every perceived shortcoming or offense, snaps at her to "Be a Christian!"
Without discussing judgementalism, living in a critical spirit, etc., it must be said that what the woman chides for is impossible. You can't "be" a Christian. A Christian is either something you are or aren't, but not really something you can be.
This is a subtle but important point. If you are to be a Christian, if you are to have any victory or growth at all, you must grasp this point. Christianity isn't one set of behaviors you adopt and another you reject. Christianity is not from the outside in, but from the inside out; not a set of "do's and don'ts," but the laws of God progressively, step-by-step, precept upon precept, written on our hearts by Christ Jesus through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, which then show themselves forth as an expression of who we have become and are becoming.
Caught the difference yet?
Look, you can pretend to love cheeseburgers, but it's a put-on that will sooner or later be evident, a pretense that will eventually fail. However, you can also, as an expression of what is inside of you, crave and hunger after cheeseburgers, eat them all the time, savor them, extol their virtues to one and all, be known as The Cheeseburger Guy. That's the difference between being a Christian (something you are) and trying to "be a Christian" (something you are affecting). True Christianity is an expression of the former. Any changes in your behavior are an effect of God working in your life, evidence of the changes taking place within you, not something you put on because you think you should but don't actually feel.
Most insidious in this woman's chiding is that it ignores we are all at different points in our lives. It ignores that God works individually within us. God's not going down some set spiritual check list working the same thing in the same order in each of us. We all have different rough edges. Even those needing work in the same areas, have varying degrees of what needs worked on. We are individuals and God works on, in, and with us individually. God handles what needs handled as it needs handled and in just the right way to have it handled. What works to great effect with one person can be an extreme detriment to another. If you get in there with your ideas of what the person should be doing or working on, you can actually get in God's way, you can undermine what God is trying to do in the person, and, through your self-righteous, condemning spirit, you can drive the person from God and Christianity all together.
That's a tragedy. Many people are driven from the church by stupidities such as these. They stay with God, but leave fellowship. The problem is, we progress faster in fellowship. God does use people to help refine us, but it is God's guiding and working, not those other people's opinions and personal efforts. We need to be around others for encouragement, support, and example. When we are driven off on our own, our progress slows or stops completely.
If you're one of those chastising others over their current walk you are in error. Stop it, and go fall on your face before God. If you're being abused in this manner by some hopefully well meaning saint, don't let their chastisement drive you from the body. Remember, "the chastisement of our peace is upon Him." Jesus is taking the chastisement for you, so hold on. Stay in fellowship, even if that ultimately means finding a new fellowship. Hopefully it won't come to that. Certainly if God planted you in a certain ministry, don't leave unless God tells you to go. At the least consider avoiding just the offending party. Meanwhile go to God with the problem and ask Him to either resolve it or give you guidance on how to handle it.
And if there is a specific conviction rather than a general dictate to "be a Christian" consider asking God about it. It may actually be something needing attention, either now or later. God will let you know and tell you how to handle it.
(Romans 10:9, John 3:17, John 5:24, John 1:12)
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