Christians - The Joke of the Secular World

"Christians" are famous for this.  We hear, ad nauseam, "Praise God," "All the blessings to God," "This is in His name," or "I believe in Jesus." Yet, what the world sees is not in line with what Jesus preached at all. I was listening to a secular song this morning, and was taken aback and saddened by the lyrics.

I felt myself getting very aggravated and defensive.

But you know what? The song wasn't wrong.

The message was this: We can kill, or hate, or swear, or covet, etc, because we justify our actions by being Christians. We attend church, we go to Sunday school, we give our pittance of an offering when the change tray is passed around. We SAY we believe in Jesus. Yet, the rest of the week, we live a life full of sin, hate, and contradiction. 

We (Christians) have become a bit of a joke to the secular world. Too many people *say the words "I believe," but then they don't follow through by living a life in line with Christian theological teachings or beliefs. Some think it's "cool" to be in the Christian crowd. There are some that accredit their Christianity to their parents being Christian (like those who identify with a political party, because it's what their parents did ... and their parents ... and their parents). Yet they don't live outwardly what is taught. A lot of times they have NO IDEA what is really taught.

To be Christian literally means to be CHRISTLIKE.  In 2 Corinthians Paul said, "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone." What does that mean? We are the embodiment of Christ to the rest of the world.

We cannot be true Christians, yet contradict Jesus' teachings every single day.

Now, I am by no means saying you have to live a sin-free life. This is not possible. Jesus was the only person, of flesh and bone, capable of living a sin-free life.

FACT: We live in a fallen world. Sin is going to happen. What I am saying: TRY YOUR BEST. 

Jesus lived a life of compassion, gentleness, giving. He even preached on the fruits of the spirit. We should strive to be more like Jesus in our every-day lives. When the world looks at us, they should see Christ. They should KNOW we are Christian by our actions. We shouldn't have to boast Christianity.

So, How Do We Do This? 

1) Pray
2) Read Your Bible
3) Fellowship with other practicing Christians
4) Pray

Now, am I saying you won't get into heaven unless you live a Christlike life? I am BY NO MEANS an expert on this. That is between you and Jesus. I DON'T pretend to know anything about a person's destiny. I do know that Romans 10:9 says, " If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

I also know that in Matthew we learn that Jesus said to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." It's pretty hard to do this if you aren't actively seeking Jesus, and trying to imitate his life and teachings. Have you ever tried to love people, no matter what, all the time? I fail miserably at this DAILY without the help of Jesus (Hello Road Rage!).

So, to sum this up: 

You don't have to be perfect. Let me repeat that - YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT. Just TRY and DO YOUR BEST.

* I am not saying these people are not great Christians. I am just showing how easy it is to say the words.

By Amanda Marie, Director of Social Marketing