When they saw the
courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men,
they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
(Acts 4:13)
This week we are going to be
focusing on living an authentic Christian life.
As Christians, we sometimes feel that we have to hide behind a facade. We feel the need to be perfect or
“sinless”. We feel the weight of
expectations placed on us by non-believers and we also put pressures on
ourselves. We know the rules and
commandments we are expected to live by.
Even people who are not Christians and may not know the Bible know that
there are ways Christians should NOT act.
We feel the need to represent God and we should – we should represent
Christ and Christians in a positive way but not to the extent that we are not
real to the world, to ourselves, and to our brothers and sisters in
Christ. The world does not want a fake. They are not impressed by pews of perfect
people. In fact, they are put off by
Christians who feign perfection because they know that it is not real. They also may feel that they could never
belong or be accepted because of the circumstances and sin in their lives. People who are seeking God want to see the
real thing. They need to know we
struggle and we fail and we get back up in God’s grace and try again. They need to see authentic Christians living
authentic Christian lives with our weaknesses and failures along with our faith.
The following devotional was submitted by Jim Garner – High School Youth
Minister:
The Real Thing
I like the real thing. I drink
Coke. My wife drinks Diet Coke. It’s not the real thing. Sometimes she will
switch the glasses, and I will take a big drink of Diet Coke believing it to be
the “real thing” only to discover her prank as I gag on the diet drink. Yes,
she got me again.
One of the greatest objections the
world has of Christians and the church today is our hypocrisy. Accurate or not,
it is the perception. They long to see the “real” follower of Christ only to be
disappointed (again) and get a big swig of the “diet” Christian. Coming off an
outstanding beach camp with our middle and high school students in Florida, I
believe our students and leaders really desire to be authentic in their faith
and living testimony to the world. The question is “how”?
Jesus’ followers in the early
church were faced with this challenge to represent Him in a real way when He
ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit came upon them, and they made a huge
difference seeing thousands come to know Christ through their preaching,
miracles, and “real” faith in the middle of a confused and curious world. The
religious leaders and those wondering what was going on couldn’t understand
what was happening but finally came to a simple, yet profound conclusion: “these men had been with Jesus.”
The world is not looking for
another theology book, stare of judgment, or prideful boast, but simply to see
lives that are filled with words and actions that identify with Jesus…the “real
thing.”
Scripture to Claim
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in
triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance
of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who
are being saved and those who are perishing.
To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of
life. And who is equal to such a task?
2 Corinthians 2:14-16
