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About a month ago, I went to see my grandpa at the VA Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Seeing my grandpa is always very entertaining. He speaks his mind and he’s one of the toughest men I’ve ever met. He fought in Vietnam and has three Purple Hearts to prove it.
When I visited him last month, for the first time ever he began to open up about the war we lost in Vietnam. When he was explaining what he saw and what he did, I was amazed. I thought of the courage and bravery that it took to be injured and go right back out onto the battlefield.
At the end of his stories, he gave me his Vietnam Veteran hat. Not thinking much of it, I put the hat on display in my car. However, a couple weeks ago, I was confronted by a man. He said, “If you didn’t fight in Vietnam, you can’t have a hat that says 'Vietnam Veteran.' You should get a hat that says ‘My grandpa was a Vietnam veteran.’”
It made 100% sense — I shouldn't even allude to the idea of me fighting in Vietnam. For one, I wasn’t alive then. And for two, I would have rather gone to jail than fought for this country at that time.
Because of what the soldiers went through in Vietnam, most people will take it personally if you portray yourself as a Vietnam veteran if you aren’t one. The interesting thing about coming to Christ, however, is that we portray ourselves as Christians in America without actually going through anything that the Christians both in the Bible, and in other parts of the world, go through.
It says in the Bible that the disciples were happy to go to prison and to suffer on behalf of the name of Jesus Christ.
"41 So they went out from the presence of the council (Sanhedrin), rejoicing that they were being counted worthy [dignified by the indignity] to suffer shame and be exposed to disgrace for [the sake of] His name." - Acts 5:41 AMPC
The people of the first church were happy to give all of their possessions, sell their homes and lay everything at the feet of the apostles.
"32 Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one of them claimed that anything which he possessed was [exclusively] his own, but everything they had was in common and for the use of all." - Acts 4:32 AMPC
There was one man that was sad because of what Jesus asked him to give up to become a disciple. And that man walked away not being a Christian.
"21 Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is, have that spiritual maturity which accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me]. 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad (grieved and in much distress), for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you, it will be difficult for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 19:21 AMPC
But today, in America, that same man could be the pastor of a church. How disrespectful is this?
What I’ve realized is that we should not be so quick to call ourselves Christians when people are dying, going to prison, and getting tortured for the name of Jesus all over the world.
"36 Others had to suffer the trial of mocking and scourging and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated—38 [Men] of whom the world was not worthy—roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth. 39 And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfilment of what was promised," - Hebrews 11:36-39 AMPC
Question of the Day: Considering your devotion to Christ and what you’re willing to give up, is it blasphemous to call yourself a Christian?