The most popular post I ever wrote was titled, “What Does it Mean to be a Christian?” I wrote that after a close friend of mine had accepted the Lord and I wanted to give him a primer of sorts as to what living a life devoted to Christ should look like. I believe that we who have called ourselves Christians for a long time probably skim over articles such as that one, assuming they are too basic or that we already know what being a Christ-follower entails. The past couple of years have convinced me that nothing could be further from the truth. The vast majority of people calling themselves Christians have no idea what it means to truly follow Christ.
Luke
Apathy in the Church
Apathy is the rule of the day in the American church. We are surrounded by evil yet cling to our traditions in hopes we can keep the world at bay. I don’t know when it all happened and I don’t think it is unique to America. Free and affluent countries around the globe have squandered the wealth and opportunity afforded them, and now a new generation is turning away from God in record numbers. We had so much and we did so little. I believe this will be what we are judged for when we see God. How could we who were so blessed have produced so little?
Number Your Days
Psalm 90:12 instructs us to number our days. When we understand that our time on this planet is limited, we can begin to live with a greater sense of urgency and purpose. All of us realize that we will die someday, but few of us live like we believe it. We spend our days engaged in trivial pursuits and sleepwalking through our nights as if there will always be another. Many have resigned themselves to the mediocrity of conformity and accept the notion that as long as they are comfortable and able to “get by”, then life is good and they are doing enough. This isn’t the “abundant” life promised by Jesus, so why are we so willing to settle for it?
Zeal
Zeal is an interesting word. Scriptures tell us that zeal for God’s house consumed Jesus (Psalm 69:8-9; John 2:17). We see it played out when Jesus tossed the merchants and money changers out of the temple (John 2:13-17). In doing so, I believe Jesus set an example as to how we should react to things that stand in contrast to God’s design. While tolerance is preached today, Jesus demonstrated none of it towards those who were blatantly ignoring and abusing God’s commands. When was the last time you were so consumed by zeal for God that you took action regardless of what people thought and without thinking of any possible ramifications?
World Changer
It’s easy to fall into a couple of traps as we endeavor to follow Jesus. One is we can get caught up in the celebrity status of certain religious leaders and determine that once we reach their standing we will do great things for God. On the other end of the spectrum is the belief that we aren’t talented enough o ever be able to make a difference in the world, so we end up leading a quiet life keeping to ourselves. Both suppose that there are different classifications of Christians, some bound for fame and glory, others doomed to obscurity and insignificance. God created each of us for a unique purpose in order that we would accomplish the work He designed us to do (Ephesians 2:10).