Christianity Lite or Christianity Light?

The 2014 Winter Olympic Games have recently concluded.  There were more than a few surprises during the games, but sadly, it was no surprise that controversy erupted over the judging of the figure skating events.   International figure skating competition has been marred in recent years by accusations of fixed judging, and indeed, documented instances of judges “selling” their power have surfaced.  This is nothing short of a crisis for the international skating federation, the governing body in charge of judging international skating competitions.  The sport depends on honest, unbiased judging because the world is watching.

The Bible echoes this sentiment.  Jesus teaches that His people are lights on a hill; our purpose is to be shining so that those who look—the world—can see our Lord and Master.  The Apostle Paul exhorts us to be beyond reproach, again so that we may make the grace and truth of Jesus Christ visible, tangible, and attractive to those who do not know Him.  The world is watching. 

Many Christians take this concept seriously, but some of us, and perhaps most of us at times, get seriously off track by focusing on appearances.  Knowing that the world is watching, we want to look good.  And given that we live in a culture that confuses success with appearance of success, it is very easy to buy the lie that being a “good” Christian witness means that we carefully maintain a smiling, calm, put-together look. 

What does success look like for a Christian?  I think we need to look a little deeper than appearances.  Genuine Christianity, the kind of Christianity that draws people to Christ, is more than smile deep.  Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches.  We are able to bear fruit, to live a fruitful life, only as we abide in Him, as we consistently and persistently follow our Lord and Master.  And not only is Jesus our Master, He is our Model.  We are told that Jesus was not handsome, not much to look at.  When we examine the countless interactions between Jesus and the disciples, Jesus and the Jewish authorities, and Jesus and the general public, we see anything and everything except Christianity Lite.  Jesus struggled and suffered so that He could relate to us and we to Him.  He was accompanied by a rag-tag group of disciples who would never be accepted by traditional rabbis.  Jesus and His disciples were not credentialed or polished.  Jesus often made those He encountered uncomfortable.  Nowhere do we see Jesus trying to impress anyone.

Proclaiming Christ—in what we say and do, what choices we make—is about looking good.  It is far more about being good.  The pretense of an ideal, put-together Christian life only goes so far.  Jesus taught that we are not defiled by what we put into our mouths, but rather by what comes out.  Our words are a manifestation of what is in our hearts.  When all is said and done, our actions manifest who we are, inside.  The hard truth is that looking good is not good enough.  Our Lord wants nothing short of a deep holiness in us resulting in genuine spiritual integrity.  The world is watching.

How do we achieve such holiness and spiritual integrity?  We could simply try harder: pray more fervently, focus more intently on Bible study, memorize more verses, serve on more committees.  Those activities may not be bad, but they will get us to holiness and spiritual integrity only if in the attempt we realize that we can’t do it, and that it is only by faith that we can be holy.   Our own efforts can achieve only the appearance of goodness.  If we want the “real deal” of holiness, we must depend on the work of Christ, on our behalf, in us, and through us. 

So how do we proclaim Christ to the world?  I would suggest that we worry less about how we appear and focus more on abiding in the Vine, trotting alongside our Master, and taking our cues from our Model.  There is nothing better in this life, and nothing more important.  The world is watching.

Thanking God for Johann Sebastian Bach

Today marks the birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach.  The great composer was born three hundred twenty-nine years ago.  Christians, regardless of their taste in music, can all appreciate at least one thing about Bach.  On almost every piece of music he wrote, he included the letters SDG.  SDG represents the Latin phrase, Soli Deo gloria, which means Glory to God alone.  

It is no small statement of faith that Bach, a monumental musical talent, recognized that his gifts were given him to be used not for his own purposes but for the glory of his Maker.  May we follow Bach's example and use our gifts in a manner that celebrates the glory of the Giver of all good gifts.

Welcoming March

I hate wet feet.  And during this time of year, I am threatened with cold, wet feet quite often.  March is a transition month, taking us from winter to spring.  In New Jersey, though, the transition is not always evident.  Cold, grey, and wet weather often continues through March in a most discouraging manner.  Most of us keep going, bolstered by the hope of Spring.

It seems to me that this is yet another illustration of faith and the hope that only faith can generate.  According to the author of Hebrews, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen.  When we trudge through the slush in March, we can be hopeful because we know that regardless of appearances to the contrary, warm and sunny weather is ahead.  Even though we cannot see that warm and sunny weather, our experience with past springs has provided us with enough evidence to give us confidence that Spring will come.

Our spiritual lives are not so different from the way we deal with the weather.  There are “Marches” in our spiritual lives—times of transition, times that are dreary and discouraging.  But because we know a loving, faithful, and sovereign God, we can be confident that He will redeem our trials and bring glory and joy out of our struggles.  As we experience and remember God’s faithfulness in our lives, we can have hope in hardship not because we are particularly strong and capable, but because our lives are in the hands of a redeeming God.  May we encourage one another in the “Marches” of our lives.

Thought For the Day

"Joy is the serious business of heaven.”

                                  C.S. Lewis

A Valentine's Day Challenge

1Cor. 13:1   If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

1Cor. 13:4   Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

1Cor. 13:8   Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

Perisseia Meeting Canceled Thursday, Feb. 13

Perisseia, the women's growth group that meets Thursday evenings at Windsor Chapel, will not meet on Thursday, Feb. 13, due to the winter storm.  We will resume next week!

Thought For The Day

When we pursue peace at all costs, it costs us our peace.