Even If i Walk Alone

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

Kingdom of God

Cultural Christianity

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I am seeing a lot of talk these days around what is called “cultural Christianity”. The term has been around for a long time, although sometimes taking on different names such as “nominal Christianity”, or even “carnal Christianity”, but it always manifests in the same way. A so-called “cultural Christian” is one who either grew up in a Christian home, or was at least exposed to the teachings of the Bible, and still leans toward those life principles they remember from their youth.

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Many who identify as cultural Christians walked away from all things Christianity but are returning to its tenets later in life. There are two important things we must know about cultural Christianity: first, there is no Biblical basis for it, and second, it is rare for those professing such a belief to place their faith in Jesus Christ.

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Earthly Things

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I’ve written on this topic many times, but I am increasingly convicted of it in my life and burdened by it in the lives of others. To quote Charles Spurgeon, “Do not seek lasting comfort in earthly things.” We all do this every day. We spend our entire lives in pursuit of things of this word. But Jesus admonishes us to set our mind on things above (Colossians 3:1-4). Everything down here will rot, fade, get stolen or lost, or be destroyed (Matthew 6:19-21).

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Nothing lasts. Only what we do for Christ will survive. Only His Kingdom will endure. Yet every day we are living for the temporary garbage instead of the everlasting treasures found in Christ alone. How are we still so dull, deluded, and unwilling to sacrifice what is temporary for the eternal blessings of God?

Most of us still have not mastered the whole “dying to self” thing. When we surrender our life to Jesus, the quest for earthly things comes to an immediate halt. From that moment forward, our lives are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We belong to Jesus, and as such, our every desire is to serve, please, and glorify Him. Our dreams must die, crucified with everything else on the cross of Christ (Matthew 16:24-26). The new dream is to live a life of total obedience to Jesus (John 14:15). He is our merciful Lord, and it is our honor and privilege to serve Him alone (Romans 6:16).

The corner office, nicest car, success, fame, or even the largest church must no longer be on our radar. Those are bad goals because they all focus on earthly things. We promised to surrender those to Jesus. Once and for all, nail every carnal desire to the cross. Let His blood wash over every prideful thought and craving until your only desire is to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:19-23). The entire point of our life is to know and be known by God (John 17:3). Nothing else matters because nothing else lasts.

Why is it so difficult to let go of the temporary pleasures and rewards of this life when we know what God has for us is infinitely better? Are we so immature and impatient that we cannot delay our desires for what is but a speck on the timeline of eternity to gain all the privileges and blessings that come with being co-heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:16-17)? Why is it so hard to live in light of eternity (Ephesians 5:15-17; 1 Peter 4:7-11)? Granted, we are physical beings, but we are so much more than that. The Spirit of the living God lives inside of us. Don’t ignore the yearning of that spirit to commune with God (Romans 8:26-27).

Accumulating earthly things comes at a price. Every moment spent in their pursuit, and even worshipping them, is a moment not spent giving glory to God. Having an abundance of earthly things isn’t a sin. The Lord may bless you with much on this earth to facilitate His plans. But we should never seek after them. We should never find our identity or worth in them (Matthew 6:19-21). Instead, we should seek first God’s Kingdom, God’s will, and God’s glory (Matthew 6:31-33). If we do, we will spend eternity with Him and have more than we could ever ask or imagine because we will have Jesus Himself (John 14:2-3; Ephesians 3:20-21). There is nothing better than that.

Courage

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While I’m uncertain whether the tradition continues today, for years, the cadets at West Point would recite this in their Sunday chapel: “Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong. Never be content with half truth when whole truth can be won. Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when right and truth are in jeopardy.”

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What if we had such zeal for the Kingdom of God? Isn’t it our duty to uphold the same things for the sake of the cross? If brave men and women can have that kind of commitment for a temporal country here on earth, shouldn’t our commitment to the eternal Kingdom be far greater?

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What Are We Doing?

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As I survey the state of Christianity, particularly in the Western context, I can’t help but ask, “What are we doing?” I read accounts of believers like Pastor Abhaya in Bhutan who may have to move to another country because the government won’t recognize his marriage to his wife because he is a Christian. This means his children are denied citizenship, which will prevent them from attending school or ever having a meaningful job.

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Because Abhaya follows Jesus, the authorities deny him not only his rights but also the rights of his entire family. Then I peruse social media in America and see the ridiculous squabbles Christians are having over the most trivial of things and again must ask, “What are we doing?” As we feign offense and lash out at those who disagree with minor doctrinal differences, we don’t have a clue what it means to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

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Nothing New

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A few thousand years ago, Solomon wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). It was true then, and it is still true today. Names and faces come and go, but people are still the same. Sin changes its appearance over time, but what was sin thousands of years ago is still sin today. We’re still falling for the same tactics Satan employed 6,000 years ago.

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There is nothing new under the sun. We are still a depraved lot in desperate need of a Savior, just as much today as ever. Historically, there have always been those who have stood and cried out against the sin of their day. But where are those voices today? Why is the silence from Church so deafening?

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