Christianity Takes a Vacation

I loved the Cheers theme song when I was growing up...

 

"Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name..."

 

It seems, however, that many times Christians seem to take these words too literally and think that being somewhere people don't know their name gives them liberty to do things they wouldn't otherwise do at home. These are "Geographic Christians." Their faith is semi-solid within their personal limits. Step outside those limits and all bets are off.

 

For some it's going on vacation somewhere.

 

For some it's going somewhere family or accountability is not. 

 

For some it's going where "no one will know" (spouses, kids, family, church family, etc.)

 

For some it's being with people who are doing the same thing, so therefore (to those people) "what I'm doing is no big deal"

 

There are any number of scenarios that fit the bill. Settings change from person to person – for some it’s going out with the guys/girls, for some it’s hangout with non-church friends and for others it’s being somewhere no one knows you (like on vacation somewhere). Instead of loving God in those moments, their faith takes a vacation. Instead of running from things that could hurt themselves, their family, their marriage, their friendships, their church, their reputation as a believer (which also soils the name of Christ), or, worse-yet, their faith, they run to those activities thinking they’ve got a “license to ill.” Thus, when they would never consider doing these things in their “hometown,” church or family company, drinking, drugs, illicit sex (or sexual acts/activities), going places they ought not be, etc. become their new-found expressions of “freedom.”

 

Make no mistake about it – truly loving God never goes on vacation. Scripture tells us to love God with all our hearts, minds and souls – this has no geographic limitations. It is to be the desire of our heart at home, in church, at work, with Christians, with non-Christians, in public, in private, in our hometown and on vacation. God could care less about “rules” of living, however, He very much desires to be loved and worshiped. Do we do that everywhere we go? Or are we simply looking for our chance to “get away” and love ourselves or other things more than we love Him who literally gave His life for us?

 

Want to join the conversation? Click here to comment or ask a question!

 

Image borrowed from travelight.

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Jesus Was An Offensive Baby...

With it being Christmas time I thought we'd talk a bit about this History/Life/People/Culture/World-changing Savior whom came to us as a Child (Charlie Brown's Christmas is now sufficiently locked in my mind... cue "CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT?!?!"). No, we're not gonna talk about the popular parts (and rightly-so) of the story of His birth.

Instead, I want to talk about FOUR things this Baby was, and represented, that we often overlook at Christmas:

1. A Clear Path: While there was never a gray area with God before, the birth of His Son made it clear how one could go to heaven. Jesus said: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me." That's it... not "believe in whatever you want and be faithful to it and you're in" or "go to church, pray daily, eat your veggies and you're in"... it's either through belief in Christ alone as the One true Savior or you're out.

2. An Ultimatum: yes, Jesus is the Prince of Peace (or as the famous Christmas passage reads because of His birth: "peace on earth and good will toward men"; though it actually reads "peace, and on earth, peace to those whom God favors")... but unfortunately we misunderstand what that title means. Jesus Himself said, "I did not come to bring peace, but to bring a sword" and that He would divide a family against itself. "WHAT?!?!?!?" you may be asking. Let me clarify... because of sin, mankind is separated from the pure and holy God (Father); man is not at peace with God, but an enemy of His due to their sin (James 4:4, Romans 8:31-39). Christ came to bring peace between MAN and GOD. However, Christ warned that whoever believed in Him and followed Him would be thought of as foolish by many; thus, many people would turn their back on those new “believers”… even their own family at times (hence the reason a family would divide against itself). CHRIST WAS AN ULTIMATUM – either you’re with God, or you’re against Him. Christ being born made it clear that there could be no other option.

3. True Love: not a fickle kind of love like we see so often in our society, but one that was UNCONDITIONAL and given before we even knew we’d need it or want it! God demonstrated love (He didn’t just say “I love you”) by sending His Son in the form of a Child, who would eventually die as a Man so that ANYONE who chose to put their faith in Him could be cleared of all wrongdoing in the eyes of God and have a new chance at life. No matter what, God promises those who are really with Him – it is a FOREVER deal! No backing out… no changing His mind… no changing the requirements later… He’s in it forever, PERIOD. Don’t believe me? Read Romans 8:31-39.

4. A New Definition for Loving Others: More than just be nice and give stuff, Christ said that we ought to “be last.” Putting others first was a revolutionary thought in that day and time. To serve others was a lowly job… Christ didn’t just teach it, though… He exemplified it! He said “For [I] did not come to be served, but to serve and to give [My] life as a ransom for many.” Translation: Christ came to serve mankind in the ultimate way – to lay down His life (take our punishment for our sin on Himself, thus freeing us) so that you and I could have a second chance. Now THAT is Love!!!

So as we celebrate this amazing birth, I pray we remember exactly what it did for mankind! It was more than just the birth, Wise Men, Shepherds, music, angels, plays, decorations and food… it was a new beginning!!!! I pray that you may experience this Peace that He came to bring!

Merry Christmas!


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8 Ways to Be an Offensive Christian (without being Offensive)

“The greatest, single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians; who acknowledge things with their lips, but [walk out the doors of their church] and get on by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” (From the D.C. Talk album Jesus Freak)

I LOVE THAT QUOTE! It is absolutely true… Christians are some of the most offensive beings on the planet. They preach and get excited about a faith that many of them refuse to live themselves. They offer guidelines for living, but rarely live by them. They get angry with people who habitually sin differently than they do. They expect lost people (those who do not believe) to hold to the same morals and standards the Bible does when they have little use for such standards (if they do not believe in God, why would those morals mean anything to them anyway?). They preach about loving others and not gossiping when they themselves are typically the biggest culprits.

IT IS TIME FOR THIS TO CHANGE!!!! How can we expect a lost world to find value in a God that we only value with our lips? So on that note, I taught a lesson this last Sunday (in our youth group) about being an offensive Christian for the RIGHT reasons and challenged my students to come up with a list of guidelines for living such a life. So here is their blended list:

8 Ways to Be an Offensive Christian (without being Offensive)
Authors of each are in parenthesis.

1. Respect the values of others, while questioning the reasoning behind them (High School: Sara J, Drew G., Ashley S., Ian H., Sam A., Brandon W., Cierra D., Catherine B.)

2. Be willing to discuss issues with people, while warning of the possible consequences (High School: Sara J, Drew G., Ashley S., Ian H., Sam A., Brandon W., Cierra D., Catherine B.)

3. Be willing to challenge messages in media versus accepting them blindly (Jr. High: Trandon J., Tre R., Christian R., Ben O., Nadzeya P., Amanda R., Cameron M.)

4. Be honest and hard working students (desiring to raise the standard) (Jr. High: Trandon J., Tre R., Christian R., Ben O., Nadzeya P., Amanda R., Cameron M.)

5. Be a Christian influence with friends (Jr. High: Trandon J., Tre R., Christian R., Ben O., Nadzeya P., Amanda R., Cameron M.)

6. Be willing to not watch or listen to shows, movies or music that have highly offensive messages or content (Jr. High: Trandon J., Tre R., Christian R., Ben O., Nadzeya P., Amanda R., Cameron M.)

7. Be willing to talk about and deal with sin in a loving and gracious manner (all of it, not just the easy stuff) instead of ignoring it or acting as if “that’s not my place to tell them that” (Christian)

8. Learn to love the world that God so loved by choosing to show faith (love your neighbor as a part of loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength – Matt. 22:37-40) versus just talk about it (Christian)

Good job students! Now the key is (for teens and adults alike) to challenge themselves to try to live out such a visible demonstration of faith, versus just talking about it…

And that’s what “8 Ways to Be an Offensive Christian (without being Offensive)” is all about Charlie Brown…