I had a difficult conversation with someone who is not a Christian, which made me feel deeply uncomfortable and incredibly sad. I was asked a simple question: “Doesn’t being a Christian mean living your life in a different way to the rest of us?
Er...yes,” I slowly replied.
Behind this question there was a whole heap of stuff kicking off. Their experience of Christians has been far from a good one. He has seen them blatantly lie, be foul-mouthed, lewd, be two-faced, put the proverbial knife in the back of others. The list goes on. In short, he has seen them at their most pious and their most duplicitous.
In a not too gentle way, he was telling me that Christians’ ethics seem confused and leave a lot to be desired. Furthermore, it was not attractive to him.
And if that is not enough, let me now tell you that part of that picture was formed by working with Christian organisations.
How does this sit with you? With me, it makes me want to squirm.
Now please hear me, I don’t write this from a sanctimonious attitude or am I about to suggest that Stour Valley Vineyard Church is the one getting it right, but my motive for sharing this is because someone else has been denied access to the real Jesus - and that just breaks my heart.
To be honest, I found it hard not to go on the defensive. I said some things such as people will always do people stuff, whether they are in or outside of the church. I also said that Jesus held his greatest judgement on the religious people of the day who lived by the letter, but not by the spirit.
What would you have said?
At the end of the day I recognise that we are all hypocrites at one time or another and used to being hoisted on our own petards, but the main thing is to recognise this and repent of our ungodly attitudes, and work towards living a pure and holy life in Christ.
My heart’s desire is that people come to know the real Jesus and experience authentic Christianity. The trouble is authentic Christianity has a habit of showing up our worst features to ourselves and those around us. It exposes us and makes us feel naked. (If you are not a Christian and reading this please don’t give up looking. It is out there. It really is!)
However, we can’t hide the truth that with God’s mercy comes judgement. The Bible says clearly that all who profess to know Him and live in Him will be called to account for their actions, as much as those who reject Him.
Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthian church to beware of those who water down the gospel. He says, in effect, that they preach a false Jesus, a false gospel. He goes on to say ‘their end will be met with what it deserves’. Sober stuff!
I am of the firm belief that becoming a Christian is nothing short of a miracle, because left to only us we would make a right old hash of it. Sometimes I think too much blame is put at the convenient door of secularism, when really the problem is inside.
We live with the dialectic tension that we are the body, hands, feet, and voice of Christ, but without his perfection. Yet, by his grace, he still continues to use us.
And what an amazing grace it is too! It stops me feeling condemned by uncomfortable conversations. However it is a grace given at a price – God’s own son tortured and murdered for you and me. That makes me want to value it not cheapen it.
Following Jesus has got to be a way of life, not a convenience, surely.
ASD
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