In Search of a Christian

I've been reading The Irresistible Revolution living as an ordinary radical by Shane Claiborne. I'm only into it 5 chapters and it has really stirred my heart. I'm ready to be an ordinary radical. I wanted to share a portion of chapter 3. So here we go! Enjoy!

In Search of a Christian

I remember when one of my colleagues said, "Shane, I am not a Christian anymore." I was puzzled, for we had gone to theology classes together, studied Scripture, prayed, and worshiped together. But I could see the intensity and sincerity in his eyes as he continued, "I gave up Christianity in order to follow Jesus." Somehow, I knew what he meant.

I wondered what it would look like if we decided to really follow Jesus. In fact, I wasn't exactly sure what a fully devoted Christian looked like, or if the world had even seen one in the last few centuries. From my desk at college, it looked like some time back we had stopped living Christianity and just started studying it. The hilarious words of nineteenth-century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkeegaard resonated in my thirsty soul:

The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament. (Soren Kierkegaard, Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard, ed. Charles E. Moore (Farmington, PA: Plough, 2002), 201.

I knew we were not going to win the masses to Christianity until we began to live it. So I went on a quest. I went looking for a Christian. I looked around hoping to find someone else who might be asking, What if Jesus meant the stuff he said? And I kept coming across dead people. (pages 71-72)

After reading this I connected with it. I see how lots of dead people can talk Christianity, but living it seems to be a dead end. Just the other day I was talking to a stranger, and listening to his words he spoke. Within the first 5 minutes he used the Lord's name in vain and a couple of other choice words that Christians should not speak. In our conversation he claimed to be Christian. How does foul language represent Christ? Are we not called to bear good fruit?

Over time I've become discontent living in "Disneyland America", sad but true is some Christians seem to have forgotten that this is not our home. Are we just passing through or are we planning to stay forever? Instead of seeking Christ we seem to have decided to seek our own desires. Did we forget that the Bible says "this world is passing away"?

Church, let me encourage you. Our lives should reflect Christ. Our walk should match the Word. Let's live in away that shows we are rich in God and poor in the things of this world. Many unbeliever's are looking into the church and seeing no difference between their life and a believer's life, causing them to think why do I need this Jesus Christ? They don't understand that we are born separate from God. They don't understand that Christ brings us home to God. They don't understand that you can't serve God and money, nor love the world and Christ. They don't understand and neither does the church.

Let's take the words of Jesus seriously. Let's be living sacrifices in this fallen world. Christ must become greater; we must become less. Let's get it and live it!

Keep pressing, keep praying, keep growing in the Lord!