Six Different Types of "Christians" (Blurb)

Often enough in our small group setting I have made a comment akin to, "I believe all types of 'Christians' are purposeful.  The last time I said it, I was 'nudged' to write a blog about this thought 'idea'. 

I am not normally a list person, but .. here it goes anyway:

The Super Christian : 

This person you may just meet on the side of the road.. maybe with a sign, or a tract... but one thing is for certain - they want to tell you about Jesus.  Now - do not get this confused with "The Christian Jerk" .. though.. they can fill those qualifications at times as well.  

The Bad :

     We want to enjoy ourselves while out.. away from our 'work' - we would rather not have to explain to someone that we are saved by the grace of God and accept the love and sacrifice of Christ.  Wouldn't it be nice if we really did have the Godly marks like in the Left Behind books.. no more 'guessing' who is saved.. and what not.. 

The Good : 

     This person's job.. is just to be there, because most of us do not even hear much of what they say.. we filter it out.  We just see them there and do a 'Christian checklist' on ourselves... checking within if we feel good about our standing as an ambassador of Christ.  Have we done enough.. are we suppose to join this person to be right about our faith or am I good with what I am already doing?  We may find it irritating to go through this, but really.. we should be doing it as much as possible anyway.. to be sure we are doing as God called us.. instead of going our own way.

The Sorta Christian : 

This person would be considered a 'slacker' .. they may go to church.. every once and a while .. or even every week, but no matter what is taught - their lives either change a little.. or not at all.. 

The Bad :

     They lack conviction in many ways.  They could be a very great and noble person, but without a good root in a group of believers, with good accountability failure is much more likely to occur.

The Good : 

     They make us feel better about ourselves.  When there is someone that we can 'place' underneath ourselves in the 'believer in God' race bracket .. we feel like super Christians. (Not that this is actually the right thing.. or the right way to go about this.. we do it anyway)

The Christian Debater : 

This person is never looking for an answer - they are always looking to 'discuss' an issue that deals with theology. 

The Bad : 

     Even if you think you agree with their point of view, they can skew it to turn you on your head - making you begin to wonder if either of you is actually covered by the blood of the lamb.. them getting everything so royally twisted biblically ..and you wanting to cause harm and violence as your patience dissipates. 

The Good :

     The ideals that you are 'discussing' get studied hard in order for you to 1. be able to discuss it properly, but more importantly 2. for you to feel better about the way to believe .. to reinforce your core beliefs.. as well just the way to live your life according to those convictions.

The Christian Jerk : 

This person is the one that has ever told you that you are going to Hell.  I leave it to that one statement, because it is the most 'harmful' thing that you can tell anyone.  

The Bad :

     These statements really can hurt people.  They feel that they have been physically attacked due to these types of statements.  At times the specific words may not be uttered, but the unspoken 'elephant' so to speak is there.. looming over the person 'condemned' by the other.

The Good : 

     No matter the 'circumstances' the bible is clear on some things, these guys just do not want any of that to 'slip' through the cracks. As well most of the time the hurt person will go to someone that has shown them compassion - and God my just bring the right person to show them the love they need to really finally see Him properly (Think Saul.. becoming Paul)

The Loving Christian : 

 

These are the ones that want to have compassion for everyone - no matter what they have done. 

The Bad : 

     Many onlookers see them as just 'enabling' those that need to 'grow up' and 'move on'. They are too soft and need to start smacking some 'bottoms' instead of being so... gooey and mushy.

The Good : 

     In most cases - They are the 'healers' for all the 'hurts' gained from the other types listed here.  They encourage when no one else will ... and sometimes.. that is what we need to get over the next 'hump'.

The Convicted Christian : 

These ones are dealing with something between themselves and God.  Let us just say... Dancing (I choose this because a famous family on tv has reservations about this.. and discussion has come up between my wife and I about it).. they have begun to feel that the act of dancing is against God's will for us as His people.  They may state this, but really.. they mean.. it is no longer right for THEM. 

The Bad : 

     There are two issues that grow from this - one.. we begin to feel guilty anytime we are with them and we move a bit to much to the music.. and as well.. they may begin to feel the need to move into "Christian Jerk" (even if it is 'nicely') trying to get the believers around them to stop what THEY personally feel convicted about.

The Good :

     You just may begin to have the conviction yourself.  You may come to realize that it IS a problem for you.. and it helps you to begin to either do that thing more.. or not any more.

~~~~~~~~

Good... Bad... Right... Wrong...every one of these 'Christians' are important to the world in some way, and if you really think about it - you may begin to realize that you are actually every one of these at some point in time, to someone.  

Maybe you have some examples? Share in the comments!

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Share in Tweet!