What is a Christian?

Hi! My name is Nick Cornell and I'm the curate here at All Saints’ Church (that means I’m one of the staff team who helps with the running of the church).

I’m married to Gillian and we have a son Aidan, who’s almost three.

One of the exciting things about my job is that it is all about helping people discover the incredible truth that Jesus is the way to get into a right relationship with God. My job is all about helping people grow in the Christian faith.

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But what is a Christian?

I personally discovered the answer about 15 years ago!

People are often surprised that I've not always been a Christian; I grew up in a non-Christian family and became a Christian when I was 15. I found out through some Christian friends how amazing Jesus was and the promises that he made to all who believe in him. I heard for the first time that Jesus promised that anyone who trusts in him and his death on the cross could be forgiven for living their life without God. That was something that literally changed the whole direction of my life.

And this truth has changed the lives of millions and millions of people throughout history.

Jesus has always been at the very heart of the Christian faith. The Book of Acts (an early record of the history of the church in the Bible) tells us about what first happened when people started to become Christians some 2,000 years ago.

People didn't really know what to make of these new followers of Jesus. In fact, the early Christians didn't call themselves Christians; they preferred to call themselves “followers of the way.” People who weren’t Christians noticed that the early Christians kept on talking about Jesus and so nicknamed them “Christian” (or literally “little Christ”) because they kept talking all about Jesus.

So why did the early Christians call themselves “followers of the way”?

We see in the Bible that Jesus told his followers that he was the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Jesus was saying that he was the truth that would lead people to find a meaningful relationship with God and life with him.

And because the early Christians had experienced that reality that Jesus was indeed the way to know God fully, they chose to call themselves followers of the way - but for those on the outside the name “Christian” seemed to make best sense of what made these people tick. And that name has stuck ever since!

If you would like to know more about why millions and millions of people have chosen to have Jesus as the centre of their lives, there are a number of things you might want to do:

Why not visit some websites?

www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/ - a short presentation about what Christians believe.

www.everystudent.com – a great site answering a number of questions about Christianity.

Why not join a short course that investigates the Christian faith?

We regularly run courses for people seeking to find out about the Christian faith. They are very relaxed and a time to meet others and ask questions you might have. If that’s of interest, send me an email – nscornell@gmail.com or ring the church office – 01323 732 823.

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