By Jeff Scoggins

I have been to India. If you regularly read this newsletter that’s hardly news since I tell stories from all over the place. So let me tell you about Bombay. I was flying from Rwanda to Singapore where I was to complete my senior year of high school. On the way to Singapore I got to experience India.

Here is my experience: People lay, squatted, stood, and milled about like piles of litter. The smell was, well, memorable. It was boring. There was nothing to see, nothing to do. I wished I had brought a book with me. I remember a lot of dirt, little place to sit, inconvenient access to restrooms, no food. I didn’t enjoy India.

Oh, did I mention I never left the airport? I had a ten-hour layover in Bombay along with thousands of other passengers. We sprawled all over the airport, jetlagged, bored, unrested, unshowered. The fact is at any given time you can find a similar scene in any of a thousand other airports around the world including the U.S.

So how fair is it for me to say that I have experienced India? It’s not fair at all. A brief layover in the airport isn’t really visiting India. And yet, if I cared to, I could probably fool most anyone who hasn’t been to India himself that I had truly experienced Bombay. Indeed, if I wish I can fool myself into believing that. For proof just look at my map in Facebook where I can record everywhere I have visited. I marked India.

I also marked Japan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi, and Bahrain. Yes, I’ve been to those countries—in the airport or in some cases just the airplane. Why did I mark them when I haven’t really visited those countries? Because it’s cool to say I’ve been there. It makes people say, “Wow! You’re quite the world traveler.” It’s fun to see the number of countries count up and compare your count to other Facebook “friends.” Call it the traveler’s version of “keeping up with the Jones’.”

I tell this because I sometimes think we deal in much the same way with our spiritual life. It can be convient and satisfying to be a Christian in America today. When we are surrounded by people who call themselves Christians it’s the agreeable thing to cast ourselves in that mold. Just ask campaigning politicians. In many arenas it’s cool to say, “I got saved on August 13, 1977.” It makes people say, “Wow! You’re quite the committed Christian.” It’s fun to see how your spiritual experience compares to that of others who call themselves by the same name. Call it the spiritual version of “keeping up with the Jones’.”

And even if no one can see a difference between your life before August 13, 1977 and your life after, it’s easy to fool someone who hasn’t really experienced Christ for himself into believing that you have. Indeed, if we wish we can easily fool ourselves into believing it. Just look at how many of us label ouselves “Christian” but in practice shame that name by not living it. I’m serious. If you see a bumper sticker that says, “Honk if you love Jesus,” you best not do it.

To be truly honest we need to take a hard look at our claims of knowing Christ, and if we realize that we have only visited the airport and have not really experienced him in a life-changing way, then perhaps we need to take immediate action to either remove our Christian label or get serious about experiencing Christ in a way that actually changes us.

I don’t know if the legend is true, but the story goes that Alexander the Great came upon one of his soldiers who had acted in a cowarldly or disgraceful way. Alexander asked the soldier his name and the man replied, “Alexander.” To that Alexander the Great replied, “Then you better change your name or change your ways.”

If you sense deep inside that you are not following Jesus as you should then do him the favor of not calling yourself by his name. Don’t call yourself a Christian until you’re ready to fully experience him, fully yield to him, fully commit your life to him.

May I suggest—even beg—that you choose to not give up the name but instead choose to live up to it. The power is in your choice—not just your choice on August 13, 1977, but your daily choice. Hit your knees right now and make that choice, and Christ will immediately take over and begin to do a good work in you. What are you waiting for? Do it now!