In Sync.

Everyone’s world views are a product of their acquired knowledge and life experiences.  This is something I have been thinking a lot about lately.  No two people see the same thing the same way because they are influenced by a multitude of different perceptions.  When I see a homeless man, I see Jesus.  I see someone who needs a helping hand, who might not have had the opportunities that I had growing but or who is living out the consequences for some poor choices early on in life.  I see a soul that is at wits ends and needs a savior.  A friend of mine however, sees a product of their own demise.  He sees someone who scams the system, someone who is dirty, a beggar, too lazy to get up and work for himself.  He thinks they deserve nothing because they don't put in the effort to get anything.  I'm not saying that either viewpoint is right, but I am bringing to light the fact that two people can look at one situation and draw completely different conclusions.  This happens all the time when two people look at the exact same bible verse and draw completely different conclusions from it.  Both conclusions could be completely sound including further scriptural support, but which is right?  

How I view Christianity is completely different than how my friends Josh and Aaron view it.  Josh believes in Christianity but he has a world’s view of the church.  This causes him to have trouble looking deeper into Christianity, past the stereotypes that come along with it (that are sometimes very accurate about the people in the church today).  Aaron, a history major and extremely educated friend of mine from work, refuses to believe that there is only one right religion because there is too much evidence to support numerous different religions, especially ones that contradict each other when evidence seems to prove both true.  I know their outlooks are deeper than this summary and I don't want to discredit that but these are the aspects of their belief that has stuck out to me.  These kids have got me thinking and scrutinizing and investigating what’s real.  Hebrews 11:6 encourages us to “diligently seek” God (KJV).  The Beth Moore bible study that I’m going through right now uses Strong’s Greek translation of the word “seek” as a verb that means “to search for, investigate, seek out, beg, crave, demand back, require, scrutinize”.  I thank God for these people in my life, regardless of the questioning of my faith that happens in response to having long conversations with them.  In fact, not “regardless”, but “because of” would be better wording.  These kids help me to dig out answers for my faith and better comprehend how to share what I believe and why I believe it.  God doesn’t want us to walk blindly when we follow him, but he also wants us to have faith without evidence.  What a tricky concept.  Be able to carefully explain what you believe without having all of the evidence for it.  I guess that’s the beauty of faith.  To answer my previously proposed question, how do we know which interpretation is right?  I’d have to say that man’s interpretation is nothing in comparison to God’s intentions.  I think exegesis is essential to our faith but I also think that God has the final say in everything he wrote anyway and we can't forget that.  People get very strong headed in what they believe because they think that their ability to decipher God's word is from the Holy Spirit and therefore set in stone.  I only have a complaint about the latter.  There are traditional doctrines that God is very clear about, but there are also some that still infuse questions.  If we don't ask those questions honestly and clearly and truly listen to what God has to say about them, how will we know Him better?  He doesn't want us to listen to a pastor or an author or an elder or any human being on their own, He wants us to test what these people have to say with His word (1 John 4:1-3).

At the end of the day, I only care about being in sync with how my God views life.  I know that my God is there to listen to my prayers and lay with me as I fall asleep.  His comfort and warmth thaws the busy chaos from the day as it melts off of me and sinks into my pillow.  I thank him for his word that directs me, enlightens me, inspires me, draws me closer to him.  For people like Lee Strobel and all of the scholars he interviews in “The Case for Christ” for devoting their lives to apologetics so that everyone else can benefit from their findings.  I thank him for the amazing people in my life and the small day to day blessings that I never want to take for granted.  Because I know that at the end of the day, no matter what other people might think based on their own world views and preconceived notions about Christianity, those view points don’t change who God is.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), AMEN.

Non-practicing Christians?

You know how people say they are Jewish but "not practicing”…like you don’t partake in the religious ceremonies (besides one here and there like Yom Kippur or Hanukah)  but you still claim to follow that religion.  To further illustrate my point, I found this on an "ask moses" website...

Rachel: My mum is jewish, but not practicing. I am told this means I am jewish. Is that correct?

Mrs. Shaffer: if her mother is Jewish, then she is Jewish, and you are Jewish :)

Mrs. Shaffer: practicing or not...Jewishness is yours :)

Rachel: Even if they know less about judaism than the next guy on the street?

Mrs. Shaffer: yup

...All I can say to that is, wow.  I know we are talking about Judaism and it's a whole new ball game because of the whole lineage thing but that just seems odd to me as a Christian.  But it presents the question, can you be a non-practicing Christian?  I feel like I see more and more Christians today who are on the fence or completely NOT practicing but would still whole heartedly consider themselves “Christians”.  If you are half following the world and half following Christ, how can you be considered a Christian?  Can you be partly of Christ, and part of this world?  And, is it possible to be a non-practicing follower of Christ?  I would argue that this is impossible...that you absolutely can not be a Christian without actually following Christ.  You are either wholly a Christian or you're not.  Jesus makes this very clear throughout scriptures.  (Galations 1:10, Romans 12:2 and Revelations 3:14-17 are merely a few examples of this)  The very heart of Christianity is deeply rooted in acting as a response to faith.  Faith without deeds is dead (James 2:26). Without stepping up, taking action and living out your faith, what else is there to Christianity? Without the practicing part of “Christianity”, you can’t be a Christian.

So, I found this on Yahoo Answers:

What exactly is a non-practicing christian?

SDB Deacon: I've noticed that some on here say that they are christians, but that they aren't practicing christians. What exactly are these people?

Rebelarm: These people have the good strong christian values but don't go to church on a weekly basis. I am a non practicing christian only because I can't find as good a church that I belonged to before I joined the army.

Since when did acting or practicing your faith get belittled to the sole act of going to church on Sunday?  Good moral values, church on Sunday...Yup, put a check mark next to Christian on my list of personality traits!  I'm sorry but that's just crap.  That completely demeans Christ and everything Christianity stands for.  Yes, the church is essential to our faith.  The church is the body of Christ but if that church (I'm talking about the people in the church here) does nothing more than hear a message on Sunday, if that church doesn't take their faith outside the church doors, if that church doesn't reach out to those in need, if that church doesn't consider God in their daily lives outside the four walls of the church then Christianity is stupid.  I know these are just some random sample opinions from people online but I don't think they are too far fetched from what a great deal of people believe about Christianity today.

This is far from being a new revelation for most Christians, it's been preached countless times before but I would argue that it begs repeating because obviously it hasn't hit home with a lot of people.  It took me four years for any of this to click with me.  To realize that being a Christian meant I actually had to BE a Christian and that required action beyond getting baptized and taking communion on Sundays (even when I had been drinking on Saturdays).  I really don’t understand what took me so long or why I didn’t start acting on my faith sooner and it makes me want to kick myself but I do know that since the lights went on for me, they are never going off.  

Caution! Extreme understatement: Following Christ will be hard.  I know will feel disconnected at times from those who have had different revelations from God (or none at all) and in my experience, those people are usually the ones closest to me.  I will feel confused, asking God why he is asking me to do crazy, outrageous things; things that this world deems as “stupid, foolish, naïve”; things that I don’t understand.  He will ask me to trust him through those crazy requests, even when I feel like they are so far off base from where my life should be going (cause I know better than God does, right?).  Despite all of these reasons and a million others as to why it will be hard following God at times instead of giving in to temptation, the “easy way out” and conforming to the patterns of this world, I will continue to seek the Lord.  I know that if I seek him, he will draw near to me (James 4:8).  I know that if I believe in him, he will reward me (Hebrews 6:11).  And I know that because of the trials I face on this Earth, this life will all be made worth it by my Father when I get to heaven (Luke 6:20-26).