What a disappointment it is to see the image of God’s
kingdom once again tainted by scandal (And I don’t mean the fun and
entertaining fictional show). It sucks because every time a prominent member in
the kingdom “falls” (makes a foolish decision or drastic change in his or her
life) it reflects poorly on Christians as a whole. The word Christian has
become synonymous with hypocrite. And, non-believers echo once again, “See
that’s why I don’t go to church.” It’s sad that so many are just looking for a reason
not to follow Christ.
But there are also members of the Body who just want their
personal walk with God to “work out” and are looking for a model. They need a
guiding post to help with their own progression. The saddest of all is that we
seek perfection and leadership in far from perfect people. “There is no one
righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who
seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is
no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12). As Robin Robbins puts it,
“Everybody’s got something.” Each person is tempted when they are dragged away
by their own evil desire and enticed (James 1:14). So, does that mean we should
all abandon the church since we all struggle with getting it right? Of
course…not. These holy scandals remind us of how critical it is that we work
out own salvation. Our faith aught to be dependent on our own relationship with
God not the church building, pastor or other leaders. It is about Jesus.
One of the many misconceptions about being a Christian is
that we are supposed to live a life of perfection. Each person has his or her
ideal of what a Christian life should look like. More times than not it is a
life of rules and restrictions and in reality unattainable. So when people we
know are supposedly Christians make dreadful choices, we are ready to ostracize
the entire faith. And yes, there are many who make the emotional decision of
accepting Christ or claim Christianity by culture. Some never really consider
the cost of what it truly means to be a Christian. Christianity is not about
identifying the flaws and perfections in others. And it is not that fake fancy
life that you imagine. It’s gritty; it’s grimy, and loaded with ups downs.
Truth be told, we are called to live a life of love. The
Christian life of love is not only for our benefit but also for the interest of
others who may one day choose to be a part of the kingdom. Once in the kingdom,
new believers must be taught to seek out Christ for themselves, read the bible
for themselves and see if it says what the preacher says (Acts 17:11), test the
spirit to know that it is God (1 John 4:1), be one who is taught by God (1 Thessalonians
4:9). God teaches us to love one another. When your faith is your own it won’t
matter who falls or offends you in the church. Your faith is yours and
independent of everyone else’s. Jesus Christ died and rose again for you.
VERSES
Acts 17:11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble
character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was
true.
1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets
have gone out into the world.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 Now about your love for one another
we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to
love each other.
Please, leave your thoughts and comments below; I’d love to
hear from you.
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