The younger generations of outsiders are raising significant criticisms of the Christian faith. They say Christians no longer look like the people Jesus intended. I thought it would be necessary to address the unchristian perception of our faith. Most of this devotional is coming from a book titled “Unchristian” by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. David Kinnaman is president of The Barna Group, which provides research and resources that facilitate spiritual transformation in people’s lives. To move from Unchristian to Christian, we need to look at four areas. First, Christians need to respond with the right perspective. Our example is Jesus and how he responded to criticism. “When Jesus faced criticism, He did not merely dismiss it as unwarranted persecution. Sometimes He talked; other times He responded with silence. Occasionally He told a story (or a parable) to answer a question; in other instances He quoted Old Testament Scripture. Sometimes He told His listeners what to think; in other settings He would retort with blunt questions, deflecting blame or forcing inquirers to “discover” the truth themselves” (pg. 207). We shouldn’t minimize or blow off valid criticism. God desires us to have “ears to hear and eyes to see,” so that He can reveal something to us. Second, we need to connect with people. Looking again at Jesus’ example, He was all about relationships. Ex. His disciples. When Christians interact with outsiders we should point them to Jesus by living a Christ like life. David and Gabe’s research showed that when the outsider interacted with the Christ follower they discovered that Christians, think, love, and listen. Research also showed that outsiders think we “eat their own,” meaning we do not demonstrate loving relationships within the church. They found there are about 20 million born again believers in the United States. What a great picture it would be if the outsiders saw true unity among believers and in the church. Thirdly, to move from Unchristian to Christian believers need to be creative. We need to speak as Jesus spoke; on their level. Be careful on being a “know it all” type of person. Fourthly, we should serve people. Remember, current Christianity is known for being “UnChrist like,” or “Unlike Jesus.” One way to shift that way of thinking is to serve others. Philippians 2:5-7 is a great encouragement and instruction for us as we strive to show the outsiders the love of Jesus; vs. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, vs. 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, vs. 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Rev. Mike Small
How
to Live Forever:
Jesus wants you to have a personal relationship with Him. |