Perhaps all of us have had a negative encounter with someone who claims to be a Christian. While claiming to be a reborn child of God, they live a life that reflects the complete opposite. They go to church one day, and get drunk at a bar the next. Perhaps you've been hurt by one. I know I have. While you think they are on the same page as you, they have their own goals. But this article is not about those people. Its about us.
The Bible says that "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Matt. 15:8). They are the ones who hurt people who are hurting. Unfortunately, it's a sad truth. There are Christians who live like Jesus: they love those who are hurting and minister to those who are sick. But many people have an encounter with the opposite. Some choose to ignore those who are hurting and condemn those who are sick. While we have been called to be healers, some of us have chosen to be patients. Charles Spurgeon once said that "There are some people who need to wear a label round their necks to show that they are Christians at all, or else we might mistake them for sinners, their actions are so like those of the ungodly. "
Don't get me wrong: not all Christians are like this. I try not to be, even though I sometimes am. But it's one of the most impactful and harmful habits in the Church when the people in it are focused on their kingdom rather than God's Kingdom. So how should we live? Like Jesus. What many people forget is that "God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:17). While Jesus spoke about sin and said that sin was wrong and that those who practice sin deserve hell, He also spoke of the hope that He came to give. The only being who has the authority and holiness to send people to Hell is God. So what makes us think we are holier than Him? If the Creator of the universe can forgive the sins of the very people He created and loved, shouldn't we do everything in our power to spread the gospel? It's not the Church's job to think about those in the pews; that's God's job. It's the Church's job to love those who are not in those pews. When we take the focus off of ourselves, those who are hurting will begin to be healed.
If you have been hurt by someone in the Church, or have a stereotypical view of Christians or Christianity, don't focus on that. Focus on Jesus. Because Christianity is just a word; Jesus is the reality. We are called to serve God and live like Christ. It's not about following the rules; that comes when we follow Christ. When we grow closer to Christ and have a thriving relationship with Him, the nasty parts of our lives become smaller. Maybe the reason so many people hate Christians is because not enough Christians love them. It's our job as believers in Christ to love God and love others. And when we do that, change will happen.
