A few helpful insights that can help us understand true Christianity
Posted by The Skyliner on March 3rd, 2010Julie Cobb
Staff Writer
“Have you heard the one about the priest, the minister, and the rabbi?” Religion has become a joke in today’s society. Christianity in particular has been under fire by many both inside and outside the faith.
According to the American Religious Identification Survey conducted in 2008, 76 percent of Americans claim they are Christians. But if so many Christians live in the U.S, why did our own president state that America is no longer a Christian nation?
It is because Christians have lost sight of Jesus, the focus of Christianity. Today’s sermons are filled with do’s, don’ts, prosperity and acceptance, but Jesus is rarely mentioned, if He is mentioned at all.
“In some communities, adherence to political ideology is so great, that if a homeless and hungry immigrant happened by, he would be unwelcome, as would Jesus,” said Ron Amundson, a scientist from Minnesota.
While Amundson’s statement sounds harsh, it is true. I do not think that Christians would even notice Jesus if he were to walk into a church and sit in the pew. Christians are so busy planning the next church event that the faces of the lost fade into the background.
“My pastor once said, ‘We’re not as bad as we could be, but we are all as bad off as we possibly could be.’ In other words we are all in desperate need of a Savior,” said Dr. John Strange, science professor at North Greenville University.
I am a Christian and a member of a church in Spartanburg. I have heard people complain about the choice of songs, the length of the sermon and having to participate in Bible studies.
Being a Christian is not about perfect attendance. It is also not an insurance policy to use in times of trouble. Christianity is a lifestyle. It is a daily choice to give up self and focus on others.
Albert Einstein, the 1921 Nobel Prize winner for physics, said, “I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene . . . No one can read the gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”
Einstein, by his own admission, did not believe in a personal God and did not consider himself a religious person. He believed that Christianity was a myth, but was enthralled by Jesus. Why?
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He befriended those who were outcasts in society and lived a life that was different than those around him. If Christians are going to proclaim Jesus as Messiah, then it is necessary to make an effort to reach out to the community and really come to understand Jesus and his mission, which is to love everyone and to preach the gospel to all nations.
1 John 3:18-19 says, “Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions. Then we will know for sure, by our actions, that we are on God’s side, and our consciences will be clear, even when we stand before the Lord.”
If Christians were to put more of an emphasis on loving their neighbors, I believe that more people would be more involved in churches and those outside the faith would have a more positive view of Christianity.
NGU has several ways to get involved in the community and share your faith with others. L.I.G.H.T. teams reach out to those with special needs or people who are living on the streets of downtown Greenville. NGU students also participate in several mission trips throughout the year and travel all over the world.
Go spend time with the homeless, the hurting and the broken. Go spread the love of Jesus.
Tags: Spring 2010, Vol. 110 - Issue 6