Does the word evangelical still maintain the original meaning?
President of the American Pastors Network, Sam Rohrer shares what it means to follow Christ in word and deed.
If Evangelical has been twisted to mean something other than a genuine believer, what should we call ourselves?
“I personally like to say just what Scripture says, in the beginning back in the New Testament times. The followers of Jesus Christ were called Christians because they were a Christ-followers.”
In today’s world, an evangelical is someone who simply claims to be a Christian. However, there are more aspects to being a Christ-follower than just saying you are a Christian.
“Being a Christian and living that out means not just how one talks but how one walks. You cannot separate one from the other.”
So often, when we evangelize we stop at just proclaiming the good news. However, that’s not the whole story.
“The good news of salvation does not stop at the good news and having somebody even agree in their head or heart the truthfulness of the good news. It must progress through discipleship.”
The Great Commission commands Christians to not only spread the Gospel, but also make disciples when the Gospel has taken root.
“That means understanding our walk as a reflection of what our conversional talk was all about. It means understanding what it means to be salt and light in whatever kind of culture we’re placed, it does mean being able to articulate Biblical principles and apply them to any issue.”
Sometimes, it seems like Christians don’t have much of an influence in politics and social issues. According to Sam, this is because Christians aren’t acting like Christians.
“We’ve got to execute our walk consistent with Biblical truth, and the failure to do that is why I think there is such a diversion and diversity between those who say I believe in the good news, but don’t necessarily know what the good news means when you actually walk it out in life.”
