Monday, January 18, 2016

Sometimes Christians are SO LAME.

Well... ain't that just the truth? I mean... come on. Full disclosure, as the old Sunday school song said, "I am one of them." But seriously... there are times that I just want to distance myself from the label.

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not downplaying the need of following Christ both individually and as part of the family of God. Our roots go deep. We need each other. We need community. Even back into the days of the children of Israel, it was the temple that kept us all united, aligned, and focused on God. We need to hold His word and commands in our hearts and on our tongues.

It's just... sometimes I just can't take all the divisiveness. Too many of us Christ followers are drawing lines of separation while the world burns. Enough. None of us are perfect. I can't abide living in an artificially created bubble that reeks of the white-washed tomb stink of hypocrisy.

I don't care about what you're against. I want to see evidence of the fruit of the Spirit active in your life. 

Too many of us get all cleaned up in pure white Sunday best and drive past the hurting. Too many of us simply are walking past the man in the ditch rather than picking him up, healing his wounds, putting a coat on his back, and providing his lodging.

Too many of us cry out about social injustice and terrible government while we have empty rooms and beds in our own homes while people suffer in our own suburbs or nearby in the "bad" parts of the city.

I don't think the problem is our culture. I think the problem is that too many of us who wear the label of "Christian" aren't willing risk ourselves to reach others. 

The cold hard truth is that we want to be safe and comfortable and that means more to us than our faith. Come on! We fight each other about immigration, while we complain when the telemarketer has an accent, or the family next door speaks another language.

We rage about the injustice of refused entry of Syrians... and yet how many of us will unlock our own door to someone who needs a place to sleep for a night? We view ourselves as victims and believe the lie that we're suffering. Our reality couldn't be more different from the truth... we have means.

We freak out about rampant homosexuality and the collapse of our culture... and we huddle behind walls to protect ourselves instead of reaching out to show hope and a true path. We're the children of God, the evils of the world aren't a threat to us... we are a threat to them. It's time we take our place, shine a light, salt the water... just make a difference because we are here.

Even if we have debt, misfortune, sickness, stress... we have it better than the majority of the world. If you have a couch and roof... and you've never extended your space to someone in need, then you have means that you aren't sharing. You don't get to just bury your talent.

Yeah... sometimes Christians, we are lame. We fuss about the types of movies we'll allow our families to see while we lead those kids in lives of lukewarm belief. If you're living by faith, the impact of your life will overshadow anything the world can offer. Nothing compares.

Sure, sometimes you'll lose. You'll endure hardship. You'll see family lost. You'll suffer tragedy. It's all true. The world is broken. But you have hope. You have been adopted by the God of the universe. Surely nothing else beats that?

This isn't about where you live or what you do for a living... it doesn't matter if you're a chef, a mechanic, or a wall street shark. There are people that need relationship, hope, and love right under your nose.

It's time to make a difference in this world. It's time to throw away false entitlement, safety, security, and comfort. Get out there and prove that what you have is real. Show that your life is different. 

It's time to stop being lame. Get up and walk.

1 comment:

  1. One of the verses our church taught the kids last month was 1 Peter 2:21 - For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

    This blog post is painful to read, but I loved every passionate truth-filled word.

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