I’m no different, that’s how I make a difference
By Molly on Oct 31, 2007 in Holiness, Let's Get Real, Obedience, Spirit
Do you remember any of your thoughts and feelings about life prior to accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
I obviously ask this question to those of you who are believers. If you are not a Christian please continue reading because I’m in the midst of a dilemma and your input may help.
As I was saying, it may be a gift that my great God has given me; it may be unusual but I do remember the emptiness, the huge whole in my life that nothing, not people, fun, family, money, career, not even human love could fill.
I went through life hoping deep inside - so deep I didn’t even realize it myself - that everything that could be seen with my eyes or that I had already experienced or accomplished was not all that life was about. Seriously, life had been incredibly good at times but was it really all there was?
The people that had the most influence in my life were always those who were the most passionate about something. The ones who were willing to live differently for the sake of their cause. I easily could have been swayed into becoming anything because I truly stood for nothing. I had no convictions that I would have been willing to stake my reputation on and definitely not my life.
Then Jesus made Himself known to me and saved me and everything inside of me changed. I knew for the first time in 33 long years of life that there was meaning and purpose in why I was here. I was created to glorify God and I was made for relationship with that great God.
Everything I had previously thought about my life just had to change. I was not created so that I could enjoy a long life and make friends and influence people. I was not put here on this earth to have fun, enjoy what the world had to offer and oh yeah go to church on Sundays. My life was to be about HIM.
I was different and people who knew me saw that difference. I no longer swore, I didn’t live for the next party. I didn’t take part in things that didn’t honor God. I no longer drank in order to enjoy myself, I could have fun in a crowd or by myself because He was with me. My life’s focus was Jesus. I was always about my Father’s business. Always. There were people who recognized the strength and peace that Jesus had filled my life with and wanted this for themselves. There were also people in my life who wanted nothing to do with me any longer. They didn’t see strength and peace but instead only saw my changed life as an inconvenience. It was convicting to be around me now that I wasn’t living a life filled with self sin.
Accepting Jesus made me different, there was no arguing that, and people around me saw it. It wasn’t always easy to be different from others but I slept soundly at night knowing that I was called to be different, set apart from the world I lived in.
But something has changed in my life lately. I’m not as different from the world as I used to be. The culture has crept in and the areas that once used to be black and white to me have blurred to gray. Over the years people that I have truly loved, other Christians in fact, have taught me that engaging the culture is perfectly fine. They showed me how looking like the world, acting like the world, and participating in the things of this world would actually help me bring Christ to that dying world.
For the last few years I’ve been very much a part of my culture, I no longer stand out from the non-believers in my neighborhood, my town, or my country. Put me next to a non-believer and you’d never be able to tell the difference. No I don’t swear, and yes, I’m nice to everyone I meet but you can find millions of really nice non-believers just like me. I have an entire extended family full of awesome, lovely people who are all going to die without Christ. But you’d like them, they’re nice.
So how can I possibly think that being nice to people while living just like them, is going to bring anyone to Christ? The sad fact is, it hasn’t for quite sometime.
I let a watered-down version of Christianity take over in my life because people around me that I loved had every excuse in the book for why it’s okay to live a life exactly like an unsaved neighbor for the sake of bringing Christ to them.
Guess what it doesn’t work. It’s impossible to bring Christ down to them. Christ isn’t in that type of life. Christ didn’t live that type of life on earth and neither did any for his true followers. Engaging the culture by celebrating Halloween, watching clips of secular movies on Sunday morning in church, acting no different then the unsaved world around us does not bring Christ to a dying world. It makes for a pretty easy life for us; it helps to avoid persecution of any sort; it keeps us from having to inconvenience ourselves in anyway but it is not dying to self for the sake of the unsaved world. Most importantly a life lived engaging the culture does not force us to stand up for the gospel of Jesus Christ, it never makes us stand for His truth, it never forces us to identify Christ as our Savior and give the reason for the hope that we have within us. It never seems to open the door for us to preach in all seasons.
If I compare my life the last few years with that of any New Testament disciple I can only say that my life actually looks as though I am ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. I have blended in with this world and this culture to the extent of being unusable. And in tears I ask, have you?
I am NOT ashamed of Jesus!
I remember the emptiness, I remember and my heart cries for those who feel the same now and don’t know that there is a different way because they see no difference.
In the New Testament, Christians were actually referred to as those who followed the way. The Way! Try to convince me that they didn’t stand out, that they weren’t different. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He is my life! He is your life. Is it evident? Do people ask you how is it that you have the strength, conviction and power to stand against the tide? If I just blend in, is what I believe being lived out?
Yes, as I said earlier I am in the midst of a dilemma. Being set apart from this world of sin is no longer good enough. I now realize that being set apart from fellow believers, no matter how much I love them, may be what’s necessary.
Wow… I’m going to have to chew on this one a bit! You have challenged me greatly! I was young when I made my initial decision to follow Christ so I don’t remember the emptiness. I think you are right… that is a blessing! How right you are though about needing to stand apart even from other believers if their lives aren’t separated from the world! I may have to point some of my readers your way and do a post like this of my own!
Thanks!
Homemaker05 | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
I feel the types of believers you are talking about can be almost dangerous. While I was still a “toddler” Christian, and very much doing what toddlers do, I watched who I thought were more mature Christians, and imitated what they did. If they listened to certain music, or talked about movies or shows they watched, in a way, that made me feel like those things were okay for Christians to take part in. I felt like being a Christian wasn’t really as hard as I thought it might be, because really, there was little that seemed different between how they lived their lives, and the life I had previously been leading. Oh sure, they went to church every Sunday, and read their Bibles, and took part in small groups, but when it came down to the day-to-day stuff, they were still watching the questionable TV shows, or listening to secular radio stations, or gossiping (for that is what it was, regardless of how it is set up) behind people’s backs.
I realize now, how false much of that was, and I am still struggling with walking that fine line between the world, and standing apart through my faith. If Christians only knew how much the world, and even new Christians look to them to see how they act, and even imitate them, perhaps they would be much more careful of what they do. There really are others who are paying attention to how you live your life, whether you realize it or not. We may be able to justify our actions to ourselves (and even possibly others) right now, but can we say the same for when it really counts, or will we be left stammering and speachless, feeling embarrassed by what we have done?
Michelle | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Wow, wow, wow. What a challenging, convicting post. When I think back to the early ’80’s when I was saved and the excitement and passion for Christ that was happening and causing revival in our area, I must say that it was those Christians who stood apart, who weren’t comprimising, who weren’t doing what they did before they knew Christ that were making a difference in our community. It was the one’s who were not afraid to say I don’t do that anymore because of Christ, who said we don’t want that to taint our city, who weren’t afraid to show their joy in new lives found in Christ. Those were the ones being stopped and asked questions. Those were the churches that were being filled. Yes, it riled people also, both non-believers and some believers. But revival was I need to prayerfully bring this before the Lord in my life.happening.
I am sad to say, that as I look at where I am now compared to then, that I have let the world seep in in certain areas, and if I am to continure being honest with myself, no one in the last while has said to me “What makes you different?” or “Why don’t you do that?”. If I look no different, then how does the world tell there is a difference.
I need to bring this up prayerfully before the Lord.
Susanne | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Do you feel that the indifference you are feeling is because of how many “Christians” have disappointed you so much that you just want to be left alone to your own beliefs? That is the case with me. The bad thing that we all do after we are saved is to start looking at others instead of Jesus Christ. He is the only one that matters, the only one that cares for us unconditionally. The hard part is we live with all these humans and every day that we live in Christ is another day that Satan attacks us from all sides. Is it hard, yes, and do people disappoint, always. What one must remember is to try and walk the way God would have us every day but also know that we are flesh and blood, created with a sinful nature that is easy to slide right back into without notice. However that is where God’s grace comes in and we must remember that His grace is sufficient. Ask Him for his guidance and help and keep on plugging. Everyone has these feelings at one time or another, I believe that its going to happen and maybe it’s just God trying to wake you up a bit.
Robin C | Nov 1, 2007 | Reply
It hurts too much to go back and remember who I was before I was saved, Molly.
Actually, it hurts because I was saved at age 14 and then slipped away and came back years later, after many, many years of unfathomable mistakes.
It’s a blurry world, for sure. But when you’re saved, that little light shining over you sure helps clear the darkness away.
Beautiful, heartfelt post, Molly.
Barb @ A Chelsea Morning | Nov 1, 2007 | Reply
I’m not really sure what your question is.It seems to me that you have formed an opinion about what you need or want to do, and you’re not really looking for any advice on that.
That said, I will say that the thing that strikes me about your comments is that you seem like you feel a real need to stand out amongst your peers, which I’m not sure is a reasonable perspective. God loves the individual who quietly does His work just as much as the person who is shouting it from the rooftops. I suppose my point is, be sure that your desire for visibility in your beliefs is not a vain one.
Gray areas are part of life and belief. Few things are truly black and white. As far as “culture” and blending into it goes, there are good instances in the Bible you can draw from. My favorite instances to look at are First and Second Corinthians. There, the people have asked Paul several questions about how to run their church. What particularly stands out in my mind is when they ask about women covering their hair in church, which is a local custom, and whether they should practice it. He advises them that Christians should not assert themselves in a harmful or contrary way, and that since that is a local custom, it would behoove them to follow it. Not because this is God’s will, but because it is in their best interests considering the context of their situation.
I think that observation by Paul is extremely relevant–that context is important, that is. What he’s saying is that you should, of course, follow your beliefs, but you must also make room for the reality of life. There is nothing wrong with participating in “culture”. The point is that you follow what is IMPORTANT about your beliefs while living in that culture, and yes, that IS an example for others to see and follow. Does that mean you should drink and swear? Of course not. Does it mean you should live as a hermit or foist your belief system on others? No, it doesn’t mean that either. It just means you are aware of your situation and you find balance between your religion and your earthly life.
One last thing. Please don’t think too harshly about your friends who practice their beliefs differently than you do. My personal opinion is that everyone follows a unique path, but if their heart is on the right mission, that’s what matters. We are in no position to judge.
OtherVoice | Nov 2, 2007 | Reply
Bravo! Bravo!
Girl, you are on the right track. I do believe that the Word tell us to come out and be separate. I believe that this is to be done prayerfully and kindly– but done. Out with old in with the new!!
Amy | Nov 2, 2007 | Reply
I have just started reading your blog over the last few weeks. I think I first noticed it when Barb posted a link to the TOH cookbook giveaway. I read your post today and thought, “Wait, I missed something…” and came back and read this one.
First of all, what you describe about your life before Christ and how you came to Him is just what I am praying for my lost family members. They were just here for a visit, and somewhere during that time in my devotions I came across the verse in Matt. 5 that those who hunger and thirst after righteous will be filled. And I thought, you know, that’s part of the problem — there is no hunger and thirst there. They are so filled and seemingly satisfied with other things. So I have felt led to pray that they would be dissatisfied, that they would see their lives for what they are without Him, that He would stir up in them a hunger and thirst for Himself. Your testimony was an encouragement to me that He can do that, that He still works that way in hearts and lives today. (We seem to see it so rarely these days — an unsaved person coming to the Lord and growing and maturing and getting established in Him. I hear of people being saved through various outreaches, but nothing ever seems to happen after that.)
And, just as you can arouse hunger in someone by setting food before them, I hope to show Christ living in me as much as I can from 1,000 miles away, and pray that He will send others to do the same in their lives.
As to the rest of what you have said — it is hard sometimes to discern the line between a Romans 14 type of allowance for people who love God but don’t have quite the same convictions, and an engaging in the culture so much that all discernible difference is lost. I struggle with that often. I do agree that there are times to separate from other believers while still loving them in Christ. You have raised some questions that modern-day Christendom need to examine and wrestle with.
Barbara H. @ Stray Thoughts | Nov 2, 2007 | Reply
Wow. I see where you are coming from except that I “accepted Christ” when I was seven and our culture even at that time was one of not making waves so to speak.
Anyway, I think you are probably on the right track. And I want to recommend “The Irresitable Revolution” by Shane Claiborne. I think you will find much of what you are feeling in his book.
I’m not going to run off, grow dreds and live quite like he does, but his points are valid in response to Christians living today.
You know what, send me your address and I’ll email you my copy. We have two as Terry and I have been reading it together.
robin | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply