I have just been informed that I have more subcribers to this blog than I imagined. Including a group who aren't in any church. Well, to this group from a certain school around my church, I hope you have found this blog interesting and don't be shy, leave a tag!
Anyway, in keeping with wanting to post more contraversial stuff, I hope this title was eye-catching enough. Was going to entitle it "What kind of life?", but felt that it won't really interest that many people to read it. Majority of the people visiting this blog only stay on it for 5 seconds or less anyway.
There was a youth in our church whose blog was spammed recently. Someone had called Christians hypocrites and the like. Understandably he was a little upset and asked me for my opinion on what that person had written on his blog. I told him very honestly and straight up that I agreed with what the guy wrote. Naturally this youth was pretty shocked.
Another of our youth related this really scary story to me, she was telling me about a girl in her school who had just recently converted to our faith. And she was so on fire that she went to school, took out a Bible, slammed it in front of one of her non-Christian friends and ordered her to read from it! Honestly, I admire her guts, but I think what she did was quite questionable.
We get frustrated trying to evangelise to our friends don't we? We try all sorts of means to try get them into church and fail. We want so much for them to experience what we have, the fellowship, the joy, the times of corporate worship etc. But many times, our efforts are in vain. Not just do our friends say "no" to our "advances" but they then start to criticise Christians. And we get upset and end up in an argument.
But do we stop to think why they think that way? In my opinion, they are very right to say we are hypocrites, liars, cheats and insensitive people. In fact, I daresay that what they say about us is in fact very Biblical. In other words, what they say about us is true.
There are many books in the market, even the secular market that talk about "life". Like "Purpose Driven Life" or "Victorious Christian Life" or "Spirit filled Life" etc.
There is nothing wrong with reading these books, and I believe at the centre of these books they touch on something central to our faith. But it a kind of life that we find hard to admit because of our pride.
And that is the Sinful Life.
This is what the Bible says, and it is central to the Gospel:
"They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one" - Psalms 14:3
"All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one" - Romans 3:12
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death" - Romans 6:23a
"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all" - James 2:10
It is very obvious that we are all sinners. And as what is says in Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death. We are ALL condemned to death by God's standard. But we seem to have forgotten that we have this death sentence over our heads and we go on living this life as though we don't need His help or grace anymore.
I will be the first to admit that I have a problem. And there was a point in my Christian walk that I thought I could do without God's help anymore, that was in the early days of One Voice (youth worship team), when I relied more on my own ability to lead worship rather than on God given guidance. And of course, those who are regular readers of this blog will know that around this time last year to the middle of this year, I was seriously struggling with impure thoughts and motives. But it was only the realisation of what Jesus did on the cross that brought me back to my senses.
Many of us Christians tend to think that once we are saved, we can do anything we want. We act like gangsters on weekdays and turn into saints on weekends. No wonder our non-Christian friends have problems believing our Gospel; simply because we don't practice what we preach.
Such thinking is sometimes refered to as the cheap-grace doctrine. But let me say this, grace isn't cheap, it cost a life, the life of the One who lived a perfect life, Jesus Christ. Grace isn't cheap, but God gives it to us freely.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:23
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9
I believe it was Ghandi who once said, "I like your Christ, but I dislike your Christians."
The flaw of Christianity is not it's doctrines, its not it's teachings and its not it's Christ. The flaw of Christianity is it's Christians.
We, us, Christians who have forgotten to about the sinful life we live. We have forgotten the need to come before the Father everyday to ask him for forgiveness, we've forgotten that we live under a death sentence and are here on borrowed time. I believe that if we come to realise our sins, only then will be come to live a life that is reflective of the Gospel. And only then, will our friends see a purpose in our joy, our fellowship and our times of worship.
