Trust and Follow the King

Rachel Dolezal recently made headlines as a white person who identifies as black. Bruce Jenner now identifies as a woman, though he was born a man. These examples make headlines, but there is another identity crisis that is not being talked about- those who identify as Christian, but who really are not.
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Just calling oneself a Christian does not mean someone is really a follower of Christ. Acts 11:26 tells us that the disciples were first called Christians in the city of Antioch. Often when we hear the word “disciple,” we think of the 12 men who closely followed Jesus Christ, but as we look at the Gospels, we see that there were many disciples. These were people who followed Christ in order to learn from Him.
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Christ taught much moral truth. Truth that showed that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but Jesus also proclaimed the message of the kingdom. Jesus Christ shines as a bright light in a dark world of sin. Matthew 4:16-17 says, “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned. From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."“ (NKJV)
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The darkness of sin shows a need for repentance. After calling for repentance (a turning from sin) Jesus tells of the kingdom. In fact that kingdom message was a message that He told His disciples to share. In Luke 9:2 Jesus sends the 12 disciples to preach the kingdom and then in vs. 60 He tells another man to do the same. So why is the message of the kingdom so important? Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. Thus a true Christian is someone who recognizes that Christ is the King and thus has the authority of a king.
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As we understand that Jesus Christ is the king, we also need to understand that without Him there is no real Christianity. The very word “Christianity” has the word “Christ” in it and that is no accident. Christianity must be all about Christ. In fact the very way of salvation from sin- the way to eternal life is centered in Christ. Consider John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The word “belief” in John 3:16, means to have faith in, to entrust, to commit. When a Christian believes in Jesus Christ, they are trusting and committing to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
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They are also understanding that Christ is their only hope. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (John 14:6 NASB) The apostle Peter when speaking of Jesus Christ said, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 NASB) In order to be a real Christian, you must be trusting in Jesus Christ and no one else. That means you cannot be trusting in your pastor, your priest, your parents, or even yourself.
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That last on is probably the hardest. As Christians we understand our behavior should be different because we are following the King of kings. We must also realize it the King who makes us Christians, not our behavior. Ephesians 2:8-10 explains it best, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (NASB)
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Our works do not save us, the King does, but once we follow the King, we should be doing what He says to do. Are you just calling yourself a Christian, or are you trusting and following the King?