Jesus our model
Accepting Jesus as our model is surely the goal of every Christian
We certainly have a Greek nature, as I have argued elsewhere, and the New Testament pointedly highlights that the “Greeks” (or Gentiles/ Heathens)constantly seek their worldly wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:22) at the expense of God’s revelation. Our Greek nature is inherited via our opposition to God and it is imbibed through the worldly system in which we live. By contrast, we have to embrace our Hebraic natures. It is God’s desire that we are transformed into Jesus’ likeness, which means that ideally the World should see us as an assembly of ‘little Jesuses’. This is a Hebraic imperative, flowing freely from Scripture, yet has been overhauled by the Greek insistence on argument, in preference to action!
As Christians, we are called to‘buck the trend’. For every William Wilberforce there’s a Jefferson Davis, the confederate President who said that slavery was established by decree of Almighty God. For every Mother Theresa there’s a Creflo Dollar who insists that poor people are under a curse. For every pontificating coffee shop philosopher glorying in his own wisdom there’s the faithful church volunteer dishing out food for the poor. We must not just be out there doing God’s work, but be seen to be doing it, so that Jesus gets the Glory. We must demonstrate “the gap”, the difference between those who represent the Kingdom of Heaven and those who are bound up in the World.
Here’s a way we can start to shatter a typical stereotype bandied about by the media, that of the sourfaced, judgemental Christian. Here’s a famous quote from Hosea to get us started: For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6). Jesus considered this important enough to reinforce:
… Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13).
How many Christians do we know who busy themselves doing ‘good works’, usually in a very public, visible manner, in order to demonstrate ‘living out their faith’? We have all done this at certain times, me included. There is sacrifice involved, of time or money or reputation perhaps. I’m not knocking this if the motive is pure, that is, it arises from mercy rather than sacrifice. If the motive is to perform a sacrifice, then self-righteousness can be the real motive. What God prefers is that the act is motivated by mercy, love – an outpouring from the heart.
The reason I mention this is that those watching can usually read us. It can be in facial expressions, body language, or in words spoken. They can tell if it’s ‘look at me doing my Christian duty’. I don’t really want to do this but I’m trying to show you what Christians do. This doesn’t impress, and can paint a picture of a demanding God driving His reluctant troops forward. What they should be seeing is Jesus, acting out of love and mercy, an individual exhibiting the fruits of the spirit … love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) …
… rather than the fruits of their labour … grimaces, puffing and panting, self satisfaction and pride.
Many Christians are happy to perform acts of (self) righteousness yet, in their daily dealings with others, show none of the spiritual fruits listed in Galatians 5: 22-26. They compel people to wonder, ‘is there really anything different about this person. What’s so special being a Christian?’Let’s remind ourselves:
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with everincreasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
If we are to truly contemplate the Lord’s glory then aren’t we glimpsing the face of Jesus and wondering whether others see the same when they look at us? The best we can do is examine all of the popular Christian stereotypes and boldly declare ‘not on my watch!’
We have mentioned the sour-faced judgemental Christian. This one has been answered. We need to perform our acts out of love and mercy, not duty and sacrifice, with spiritual fruits to the fore. We must also learn not to judge, but leave that to the Holy Spirit working through the conscience of others. We are to accentuate the positives in our own lives as a yardstick and pray that we may provoke some to jealousy.
Then there’s the stereotypical soppy cleric with buck-teeth, dog collar and little grasp of the real world. Think of the Rowan Atkinson vicar in Four Weddings and a Funeral or Derek Nimmo (for really old ‘uns). This has been the face of liberal ineffectual Christianity ever since the early days of radio. It is still around and these people are reeled out to make pronouncements on such hot topics as same-sex marriages so as to assure the world that the Church has “moved with the times”. The reality is that they have probably long lost any role they may once have had in the Kingdom of Heaven. If this describes you or anyone you know then, be assured, there is still hope. God doesn’t give up on anyone and will give you a fresh start … as long as you get right with Him. What a witness it would be for the public to see the power of repentance and restoration in action!
If you are pure and upright, Surely now He would rouse Himself for you And restore your righteous estate. (Job 8:6)
A current media stereotype is that staple in the world of Soaps, the fallen vicar. Invariably handsome young clerics, they are seduced by the flesh and abandon their calling at the drop of a hat (or a fetching pair of bloomers)! Sadly these stereotypes have become an increasing phenomenon in the real-world Church, such is the allure of our permissive society. We can be assured that every instance will be heavily trumpeted in the mainstream media. This is a terrible witness, especially if the story involves cover-ups or even complicity by Church authorities. The only way to counter this is to ensure that all clergy have a functioning accountability system that can detect these things before they have gone too far. Of course anyone caught up personally in such a drama has to weigh up the fleeting ‘pleasures of the flesh’against the reality that, despite the illusion of ‘cheap grace’that seems so popular in parts of the Church, God is not to be mocked:
Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Then there are those wicked charlatans who haunt our television sets on “Christian TV” should we tune-in during one of their ‘financial appeals’. The ‘prosperity preachers’ peddle empty promises fed by a mangling of Scripture. Yet the Bible has clear warnings against this:
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:9-11)
It is unbelievable that folk are still taken in by such nonsense, particularly those who ignore the sound advice of once bitten twice shy.The only people who benefit financially are – obviously – the ‘preachers’ themselves, as evidenced by their millionaire lifestyles! What an awful advert for the Christian faith.
Even in our earnestness to evangelise, we can feed the stereotype of insensitivity and inappropriateness; that Christian with a loud hailer or portable amplifier at the shopping centre or on public highways and bye-ways. They position themselves in such a way that you cannot avoid them (even if it’s just hearing them) and the message is often a continuous stream of scripted monologue, interspersed with Bible verses. Notwithstanding the amazing work of the Holy Spirit who can use every situation to convict the heart, the delivery mechanism is, arguably, inappropriate for our postmodern generation. We are dealing with a generation unfamiliar with and unimpressed by the Bible, so no amount of shouting is going to convey the truth that this is the actual Word of God. We need to consider Paul’s words:
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23)
Paul became all things to all men, in order to get the Gospel across in the most appropriate manner. So must we.
Finally there’s perhaps the biggest stereotype of all. It’s a tricky one as it is probably closest to the truth for many of us and we have all, at some time, exhibited this characteristic; it is the intolerant Christian. This is the perceived enemy of that plethora of Cultural-Marxist narratives and the intolerant Christian can never win arguments against those suckered into the postmodern politically correct mindset. Unless we want our witness stopped in its tracks against accusations of ‘homophobia’, ‘racism’, ‘islamophobia’ etc., we need to rethink the way we interact with this World gone mad. All these stereotypes do nothing but harm to the Kingdom of God, marring the image of Jesus that is meant to shine through us into the World. They mostly demonstrate when the World, the flesh and the devil are given a foothold, and are a warning to all of us to be always on our guard.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
This is an abridged extract from Steve’s new book, Into the Lion’s Den, available at all good Christian bookshops or from the website www.sppublishing.com