I Am?
It's very strange, but I actually think there's an identity crisis in Christendom today. I know, I know - that does sound crazy, but stick with me for a minute.
The other day I received an e-mail from an unknown author,
listing all the things that a Christian is supposed to be according to
the Scripture. I checked this e-mail against my concordances, and found
it to be very accurate. Here's the "list", so to speak:
Do you need more examples? Ask any unbeliever, they'll be glad to clue you in. I have talked with many unbelievers who reject the teachings of the Church because of "that Elder/ Deacon/ Preacher who goes to your Church did this", or because "my neighbor goes to your Church, and has told me about the mess that happened last Sunday". What a terrible situation!
There was a time when Christians knew who they were. They knew that they represented Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and realized that they were walking advertisements for this way of life. In fact, there was a time when Christianity was something we lived on a day by day basis, not just on Sunday. What happened?
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Well, I suspect what happened was that Christians somehow forgot that the product of the Christian life is good works, Godly works. We who profess the Doctrine of Eternal Security (which I do believe) sometimes forget to emphasize that a true Christian has works that reflect his Secure state in this life. If not, you may not be saved. Too many preachers have, in order to maintain their pulpits, compromised Jesus' preaching of good works for simply walking the aisle. The result: we have many who profess Christ, but produce nothing honoring to Christ. We have 5 year olds that toddle down the aisle, are baptized, then grow up without producing for Christ. We have professing believers who never open the Word of God and study it for themselves, but are quick to critique the pastor's sermon on Sunday. We have professing believers who join in covenant with a Church, then leave that Church never to return. "Just as long as my name's on the roll, I'm going to Heaven". We have professing believers who never show up at Church unless there's a Church fight going on - then they show up so they can help stir the cauldron.
My friends, these things must not be!
A Christian should be, above all, a person of integrity. We should be a people who, when we give our word, we are trusted because the unbelieving world knows that we're going to keep that word. We should be people who have our eyes firmly fixed on the Jesus Christ of Scripture, not on our concept of who Jesus should be. We should be people who study the Word of God, hold it precious, and try to live our lives by it. We should be people who refuse to be double minded but say what we mean to the face of anyone who will talk to us.
Luke 11:39 "And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness."
We should be clean on the outside because we are first clean on the inside. Yes, I know that there have been other Christians in other times who have professed Christ while shaming Him: the letters to the Corinthian Church bears this out. Yet Corinthianism doesn't justify our mock Christianity today.
We must live our lives so that Christ is honored in them. We have that duty, and we are equipped to do this. God help every Christian who reads this letter to repent and return to your first love. We must be about our Father's business while we are able. Maranatha!