Complacent Christianity in the Last Days of the Church
by Joel Krooswyk
Chapter One
- Introduction -
In my cubicle at work, I have a 2'x4' white board. It's one of those boards which allows us to "think out loud". The thin ledge underneath the board is home to four different color dry erase markers and two erasers. The board has several months' worth of work accumulated on it at any given time. In one corner, I recently wrote the word OBVIOUS. It doesn't take up much space on the board - merely a few inches. In fact, it could easily get lost in the clutter, but it doesn't. It actually stands out for some reason. People regularly have asked me about it - "Why is the word OBVIOUS written on your board?"
I actually had written the word on the board for two reasons. The first reason was work-related. As an engineer, it's often easy to lose sight of the simplest solutions to a difficult problem, so it was written as a reminder to me to look for an OBVIOUS solution first.
The second reason I had written OBVIOUS on my white board was far more important. It is easy for many of us to lose sight of God in our daily grind. I wanted to remind myself that it must be completely OBVIOUS that I am a Christian. I need to let the world know every minute of every day that I am living in Christ. Can my co-workers see Christ in me? Can they tell that I am different? Do I just act like everyone else?
When I tell people this two part answer, they are usually surprised, not expecting the long answer. They may not know that why OBVIOUS is on my white board when they walk up, but they fully understand by the time they leave. That small word has turned into a fun and interesting witnessing tool for me, even though I didn't expect it to pertain to anyone but me.
Truth be known, I occasionally still have a difficult time talking to others about my faith, especially when I don't know them well. This changing as I grow in my faith, but I can't help but think it's not changing fast enough! I continue to pray regularly that God will help me overcome this fear of the response of others. It is a serious problem that the thought of fear or shame caused by the response of others ever enters my mind. I have acknowledged this problem before Almighty God, asking for the power to overcome these thoughts. How can I be a true believer and still fear the opinions of others?
I know that many Christians the world over struggle with fear of society's perception of them as believers. The time has come though to take a stand and fear no more! The Savior of this world died for us, and yet we fear telling others about it because we are afraid of what they might say. This is wrong in the eyes of God!
A great example of standing for God is a prayer offered by Pastor Joe Wright in early March of 1999. Pastor Wright opened with prayer for the Kansas state legislature that morning, but not with the expected lackluster, generalized prayer. Instead he chose to be honest and prayed for forgiveness and repentance for this country. His prayer was as follows:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says 'Woe on those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.
We confess that:
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of your word and called it pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted our air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, O God, and know our hearts today. Cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by you to govern this great state. Grant them the wisdom to rule, and may their decisions direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of your Son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen."
Now that is overcoming the fear of society's response! That prayer presents God to the world as he should be presented. This prayer caused many legislators to walk out during the prayer; they couldn't handle the truth! Challenging the overly tolerant attitude of the world and stirring believers is what we, as Christians, should be doing on a daily basis. Unfortunately, complacency has denied God's power in many of our lives.
Comfortable living has become more important that sharing the news of salvation in Christ. Think about that for a moment. To many Christians, the eternal life to come and the fateful day of judgement are not as important as living comfortably day to day during our short lives. Living in tolerance of sin avoids criticism, social rejection and struggle, and discrimination from those who are generally opposed to Christianity and its principles. Going along with the crowd ensures a more trampled path for you to follow, doesn't it? Smooth sailing is what we all want, and if that means ignoring God a little, essentially that is what many of us will do.
God convicted me of the sins of complacency in my life. He convinced me that life is extremely short, and you can't wait to become a fully devoted follower. The time is now. God is calling you to a full relationship with him that does not include any complacent decisions. God wants to make sure that the people around you can identify you as different. He wants it to be crystal clear that you are His - every day. He wants you to make a difference for Him.
I have learned many things, which I would like to share with you. In the coming chapters, I will mention some things that many Christians may take issue with. However, I will try to present a Biblical basis for each piece of information I present. I will do my very best to keep any opinion out of this book, as instructed in the Bible. In the book of II John, verse 9, we're told,
"Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son."
I will use many Bible passages to drive home the message that God placed in my heart. I pray that you can see God's law and His handiwork in what I have written, and that you will not see what I have written as merely some strict standards I would set for myself and that I would attempt to impress on you.
Go on to Chapter 2
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