How should we respond when asked: Are you a Christian? How should we expect others to respond, and how are we to discern what is true?

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In January, an illegal Afghan migrant in the U.K. carried out a heinous attack on a mother and her two young children by dousing them with alkaline acid. The migrant had previously been denied asylum in the U.K. after several attempts, beginning in 2016, and was eventually granted asylum only after amending his application to indicate his conversion to Christianity in 2020.

The brazen nature of that attack has expanded the discussion to include something many in the U.K. are voicing aloud: As related in an article by Christian Concern, there’s evidence that illegals are gaming the system of entry into Western, Christian nations by falsely claiming to be Christians. The Church there is being criticized for having been, at best, so naïve as to have effectively sponsored an existential threat to the U.K., or, at worst, for having been actually complicit with such a destructive thing. In an article in The Week, one English priest exposed what he calls a “conveyor belt” of “asylum baptisms,” in which more than 60% of the “converts” disappear after receiving asylum.

Here in America, we must pray that any person who has falsely confessed Christianity as a means of attaining asylum for nefarious purposes will be either radically saved, or else exposed, rendered entirely powerless, and deported.

One man who has planted tens of thousands of confirmed churches in the world says that whenever he’s asked if he’s a Christian, he refrains from giving a yes or no answer. But that’s not because he does not believe in, preach, and demonstrate the love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. No, he says he’s learned not to give a pat yes or no answer because today the label, term, and definition of “Christian” has almost as many meanings as there are cultures and personal preferences in the world. This choice has helped open doors for conversational discovery, changing and even converting countless lives through his evangelism.

Worldwide, the Church is divided along political and cultural lines about which the Scriptures speak specifically. In America, at the left end of the politico-cultural spectrum of Christian labeling are such organizations as Christians for Social Action. This organization’s founders say they’ve challenged what they call a “narrow definition” of Christianity, and encouraged a consideration of faithfulness within a broader criterion of “social justice.” This latter definition, they say, favors economic equality, and resists such things as militarism, racism, and sexism. That broader context, as described, seems to align with what we might recognize as the tenets of the Frankfurt School’s Marxist Critical Theory, of which the most recognized tenet may be critical race theory.

At the far-right end of the Christian label, there is the Church of Jesus Christ–Christian, the Aryan, neo-Nazi religious brand. Among these so-called “Aryans,” Hitler is a demigod, and the near-extermination of the so-called Turtle Island First Nations people is a cause for celebration. These are but a few examples along the spectrum of what far too many in the world believe Christianity is.

Acts 8:14–24 gives us the account of Simon, a man in Samaria who heard the gospel preached by Philip and chose to abandon his lucrative dark-arts business and to get baptized in the name of Jesus. Outwardly, Simon appeared very much to have been born again. He began traveling with Philip and the apostles Peter and John — until his heart’s motive was exposed, that is.

Now when the emissaries in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the message of God, they sent Peter and John to them. They came down and prayed for them to receive the Ruach ha-Kodesh. For He had not yet come upon them; they had only been immersed in the name of the Lord Yeshua. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Ruach ha-Kodesh. Now when Simon saw that the Ruach ha-Kodesh was given through the laying on of hands by the emissaries, he offered them money, saying, “Give this power to me, too — so that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Ruach ha-Kodesh” (vv. 14–19 TLV).

Thus, despite exhibiting some outward signs of having become Christian, Simon was here exposed as someone pursuing the gifts and anointing of Christ solely for the sake of his own prestige and power. The apostle Peter saw this and immediately called out Simon’s heart issue:

Peter said to him, “May your silver go to ruin, and you with it — because you thought you could buy God’s gift with money! You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be pardoned. For I see in you the poison of bitterness and the bondage of unrighteousness!” (vv. 20–23 TLV).

Simon responded with the fear and trembling necessary for the working out of his salvation:

Simon replied, “Pray for me, so that none of what you have said may come upon me” (v. 24 TLV).

How are we to know exactly who is a true Christian brother or sister with whom we are called to be closer than biological family? Commit to never compromising the truth given to us by the Way, the Truth, and the Life — the Lord Jesus. Ask God to give every one of us the wisdom, understanding, and courage necessary to stand firm in faith, as Peter did, no matter what the circumstance. Pray that the Ecclesia and all its congregations will be both gentle and wise when asked to support organizations pursuing partnerships, or wanting support to sponsor migrants, illegal and legal, coming from other religions. Let us pray that way, and, where wisdom dictates, let us resist government attempts to fund any entities determined to manipulate Christian benevolence while harboring plans of wickedness.

As we proclaim our faith, let’s remember this passage from Scripture:

But what does it say? “The word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), that if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:8–9 LEB).

And let’s pray something like this:

LORD, give us wisdom to discern the spirit behind every word and action. Help us love as Christ loves, while not being ignorant of the Enemy’s devices. Amen.

How would you pray against false forms of the gospel? Share with us below.

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