Right now, we are starting a new message series at The Shepherd’s Fellowship that I’m calling “One Less Hypocrite”. When I was studying for the introductory message, I came across an interesting thought.
When they were doing the research for a book called “Unchurched”, the Barna institute surveyed non-Christians about how they felt about Christians as a whole. The following are answers they recieved that at least 70% of those surveyed said about Christians: antihomosexuals, judgmental, hypocritical, out of touch, old fashioned, too involved in politics, and insensitive.
I did not find this too surprising as I have heard these impressions before and even seen them in action over the years. Here’s the thing that made me wonder.
Not too long ago, I read another stat from the same group that 65% of unchurched folks said they would visit a church if a friend asked them to go. How does the majority of unchurched people think we are corrupt but at the same time would go to church if invited by a friend.
Here’s what these two sets of stats say. The majority of people, even though they do not trust “Christians” would take another look IF they knew someone who was a Christian they could trust. IF they had someone in their life that was a follower of Christ who lived it, loved, showed grace, did not water down grace, and was the real deal, they would negate the past of others and go to a church that effected this friend in such a positive way.
Here’s what this means to you (if you are a Christian reading this), you have a extreme amount of influence in the lives of others. The bad news is if you play games, you are just another judgemental jerk that’s part of the problem. The good news is if you are “One Less Hypocrite”, you can help the people you care about break down walls and come to the Lord.
Let me start off by saying, “Amen, my brother!”
I know I’ve told you my life’s story MANY times, but when I was in Sunday School (former Southern Baptist here), my Sunday School teacher (whose name I still remember: Haven Booher) taught us that most of us are not meant to lead a grand crusade or to have our own ministry. Brother Booher told us, though, that we still had a job here on earth to help further the Lord’s work.
He told us that we had to start by LIVING our faith. We didn’t have to go around preaching our values on the street corner and basically yelling, “Hey, World! Look at me, I’m a Christian!” We were taught that in being as faithful to God & His Word as we knew how, our lives would bear the fruit that would bring people to us, and maybe they’d want to know the “secret to our success”. That’s when we could tell them that all our fortunes–large & small–come from God & our sure knowledge that He loves us so much that he wants us to be happy, and that He wants the best for ALL His children.
For the vast majority of my life, I felt abandoned & hurt by my family in Christ & I was made to feel unwanted & defective simply because my heart doesn’t work the way most other people’s hearts do. Even so, I kept my faith & I ditched the Religion. “They” who own Religion have taken all they can from me, and with nothing else for them to rip away from me, I feel a deep sense of freedom & a liberation in finally understanding that “they” can’t hurt me anymore, and that the Heavenly Father has always loved me, no matter what “they” have said & no matter what “they” have called me. I used to care what “they” thought and I used to think that “they” really did speak for God.
Now, as I approach 47 years of age, I have come to understand that any power they had over me to cut me with their words & to make me feel like a walking, talking Hell-bound abomination, I had given to them…and now, I am learning to take that power back.
It’s not the people who claim to speak for God to whom I owe my life & my allegiance, it is my Father in Heaven.
Even when “they” left me all those years ago, and even though I felt so alone & so homeless, I know my Lord guided my every step. He has been by my side the whole time–carrying me most of the time–to the spiritual wellness I am beginning to feel in my life now.
“They” can preach til they’re blue in the face, but it’s not “their” words anymore that I listen to; it’s the eternal whisper of God’s love for even those who used to think they were unlovable that fills my ears & my heart now.
Thank you, Brother Tom, for all you do for God & for making me feel loved & accepted again. You were one of the people who has helped me in my rocky faith walk, and I cannot thank you enough for loving God more than you love cold, hard dogma.
You remain, as always, in my prayers!
Clarence
Thank you brother…. your words are more than humbling….you are in my prayers as well….!