Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Hypocrisy

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If you paid a stranger to watch the way you live for a week, what would they say was the focus of your life? Would they see Jesus? Would they understand what it meant to be a Christian from watching what you did and listening to what you said? We Christians can talk a pretty good game, especially when we’re cloistered safe inside our places of worship or surrounded by like-minded believers.

The manner in which we exercise our faith is less convincing. There’s an old word for that: hypocrisy. Nobody I know ever wants to be called a hypocrite, but if your actions don’t align with your words, what else would someone call you? To behave like this is the same as looking at yourself in a mirror and then forgetting what you look like the moment you turn away. (James 1:23-24)

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What If It’s True?

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Some writings in the Bible can seem fantastical and difficult to believe. I’m the first to admit that having confidence in the authority of scripture does require an exercise of faith. I don’t doubt or question any part of God’s Word, but I acknowledge that for some it can be harder to believe than not to. God’s Word isn’t for everyone.

We know that far more people will choose an easier road to travel. (Matthew 7:13-14) Even though Jesus invites many to come to Him, few will accept His invitation. (Matthew 22:14) You can choose to dismiss all the Bible says and think it’s just a bunch of fairy tales and fables. But before you walk away, I’d ask that you consider one question: What if it’s true?

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Rescue Mission

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Jesus initiated the greatest rescue mission in the history of mankind when He came to earth to live as one of us and to die in our place. (Colossians 1:13; John 1:14; Romans 5:8) His resurrection from the grave began the next phase of the operation in which He chose each of us to be the rescue workers sent to help liberate a suffering world from catastrophe. (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20)

It is our mission to rescue the perishing and care for the dying. (James 5:20; Jude 1:23) How diligent are we in pursuing that mission? Does it consume us with an urgency that we can’t hold back? Would we be happy if rescue workers had the same urgency in an earthbound crisis? We must understand our time on earth is not to be squandered on frivolous and selfish pursuits but to be spent telling as many people as possible about Jesus. (Ephesians 5:15-16; Colossians 4:5)

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Give a Defense

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Peter instructed all followers of Jesus to be ready to give a defense for what they believe. (1 Peter 3:15) We all know that verse, but if someone asked us to, could we give a defense for our faith? It’s not a trivial question. If you can’t explain why you believe what you do, then why do you believe what you do? The modern landscape is littered with churches that never preach the gospel, much less instruct their people in it. The results are more than tragic.

At best, these churches produce generations of illiterate Christians, and at worst, they are hastening their path to Hell. (2 Timothy 4:3; Hosea 4:6) The fault does not stop at the door of the church, however. The Lord will hold you responsible for your spiritual decisions and growth, so we need to nail this down before we face Him. (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

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The Next Day

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You can learn a lot about the sincerity of your faith by how you live the next day following a significant spiritual event. When the emotions drain and the crowds drift away, does your commitment remain? We must never mistake emotion for depth or groupthink for personal determination. What we are desperate for is a lasting change of heart, a transformation that only occurs through the work of the Holy Spirit. (Ezekiel 36:26–27; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

We need more than a one-time event, or even a particular season of life, to sustain us in living our lives for Christ. (Luke 9:23) We need something that lasts beyond today, into tomorrow, and for every day to come. Emotions come and go, but the truth found in the Gospel of Jesus never changes and never fails. (Isaiah 40:8; Hebrews 13:8)

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