unChristian continued…

I grew up in church but it wasn’t until I was in seventh grade and living in a new state that I made a serious decision to follow Christ. It was mostly due to being excepted in the new place by older, more mature youth. Prior to that church my family attended a rather larger church in Memphis, with a rather arrogant youth group…hard to fit in if you didn’t grow up in the church or your family didn’t have money (most of the teens attended the private school).

So here I was in this new city, new church, new friends, and I decided I’m going to be serious about Jesus. Didn’t take long before I was handing out tracts at school and spending my Saturday mornings (and afternoon for that matter) going door-to-door evangelizing the neighborhoods. Sounds funny now because I’m so opposed to such forms in sharing Christ, but that was what I was told a “good’ Christian did on his Saturdays.

I’m sharing all this because the next chapter of unChristian is addressing the issue non-Christians have with Christians – that we are too concerned about getting people saved. Which I agree and disagree - we are called to make disciples, to share our faith. But I think we go about it the completely wrong way, which the book address nicely (again you should read it).

Did you know that most people between the age of 16-29 have at some point attended church or considered Christianity? Most have accepted Christ, but their faith dissolved after 18 months. I don’t believe that they were ever actually Christians. Which makes the job of telling people about Jesus harder. The problem is that they just didn’t see anything real and/or never experience a authentic conversion. I know “who am I to decide who is save or not?” But salvation takes time - it just the beginning at the alter (wherever that may be?).

It the last five years I have begun to see salvation and the whole conversion issue different. I don’t see it as a all out “lets get everyone saved today before they all burn in hell!” First, there is no room for relationship and no distance for a journey. Jesus came to earth and introduce a different relationship. The Pharisee always view it as “get in or your out” approach and many “sinners and tax collectors” chose out - until Jesus came. He sat with them, ate dinner with them, lived in peace with them. He was fully God but didn’t approach them as “I’m not your friend to get you in and I’m your find even though you may chose to remain out.” He was making disciples which starts with believing with your heart and then confessing with your mouth.

I don’t believe handing out tracts, going door-to-door, preaching in public on a box, or striking up a conversation with a stranger so you can invite them to your church Sunday is Christian - what maybe Christian in the way we know it - but not Christ-like or Godly. People desire friendship and with time and conversations people see Jesus and ask — “bang” you realize your making disciples.

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