while we were yet sinners

Contemporary author Brendon Manning observed:

The greatest cause of atheism is Chrtisians

who acknowledge Jesus with their lips,

then walk out the door and deny Him with their lifestyle.

That is what an unbelieving world finds.... unbelievable.

To the degree that his observation is true (and I happen to think he's on target), that should send a chill down the spine of every believer. That view of Christianity is accurate, not because Christ's model of the church is flawed, but because we have not followed the model... we have replaced it with some perverted 'religianity' which does not faintly resemble the life of Jesus.

Tony Campolo said it like this:

If we were to set out to establish a religion

in polar opposition to the beattitudes Jesus taught,

it would look strikingly similar to the pop Christianity

that has taken over the airwaves of North America.

Ouch! So what makes these two statements resonate? How is it that so many really good, well-intentioned people have so thoroughly missed it?

For my part I have, for most of my life, observed a religion... practiced a doctrine... And - simply put - that's a far cry from imitating Christ.

I am so moved by the thought that I am saved by Christ's blood. I am so blessed to be a part of a local church which continues to try to model His love... we certainly don't have it figured out (will we ever completely figure it out?), but it is an exciting journey. Every day, my brothers and sisters inspire me with stories of God blessing them. Every day, my friends at Riverside share with me a new tale of 'Outflowing' to the people around them...

Just yesterday, a brother told me of standing impatiently in line to pay his light bill... the guy in front of him was taking FOREVER to make arrangements to pay his own... and not very successfully. Seems that this young man was struggling, and did not have the money to pay the 'shutoff notice' amount... as my friend listened in (read: eavesdropped) on the conversation between this guy and the clerk, God touched his heart... and his impatience melted away. The clerk told the young man he could have one more day to pay the $55.34 which was past due... but after tomorrow, the electricity in his apartment would be turned off.

The young man walked out the door and finally it was my friend's turn to take care of his own business. He sat down and told the clerk he would like to pay the young man's shutoff notice... after a few moments of silence, she agreed... and he paid the $55.34 (and his own bill).

As he left, my friend asked the clerk to tell the young man, if he asked, that someone had taken care of the bill in Jesus' name...

The next day the clerk called my friend to tell him the young man was very moved that someone would pay his bill without even knowing him...

As I listened to the story, my eyes filled with tears. Because that story sounds very much like the one about God becoming man and paying the ultimate 'bill'... I know I cannot compare a $55 debt with the enormous price which Christ paid for us... but the young man's response does remind me of a certain passage of scripture:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

... and there it is. That's the reason we must not observe a religion... that's why we can't simply practice a doctrine...

When we understand the sacrifice, we have no choice but to show Jesus to the people we meet everyday.

Blessings!