Worlds Apart

Christians at Whatever World Assembly are faced with a disturbing dichotomy. As a whole, those who profess faith in Christ are as likely to divorce as non-Christians. Church going teens as likely to engage in pre-marital sex as their unchurched peers.

A favorite creed of Whatever World - ‘name it and claim it’ - reveals a love for material possessions as heartily as their unsaved ‘worldly’ neighbors. Less then 10% give 10% of their income, as the Bible instructs, to church and missions.

"If then you have been raised with Christ,
seek the things that are above,
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Col 3:1,2

Familiar with the same sit-coms, the same Hollywood gossip and the same porn sites, the Christian in America, if polls are in the ballpark, live lives remarkably similar to that of the non-christian.

Whether members of Whatever World believe in God there is little doubt. But that is not the heart of Christianity(that is, back when it was Christian). Indeed, the Bible attributes a God-believing respect found in Satan himself.

“Do you believe that there is one God? You do well: the devils also believe, and tremble!” (Jam 2:19)

No, the core of Christianity is not found in our creed but in our craw. The stuff inside that makes us who we are as apart from who we were.

While in California some kids from Youth With A Mission would take us out in pairs, knock on doors and see if anyone wanted a free Bible. Most would assure us one or two already occupied their shelves.

“Then you know why the Bible was written?” We would innocently ask.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the Bible says for itself ‘why’ it was written. Here, read this.” And we would hand them a little folded card with Bible verses on it. The first verse read, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (Jn. 20:31)

We would then ask if they believed that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of God. With rare exception the answer would be a matter-of-fact, “Yes.”

Then came the defining moment, “In your believing have you received life in His name?”

Sometimes there would be a bright smile and a glad, “Yes, yes I have.” But most often, a pause, a quizzical look and “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

There’s the catch, the transforming difference, the life or no-life difference. Has believing given birth to receiving? Has receiving the Son of God’s grace in your heart and being transformed by that power made a lick of difference!

Is your creed wonderfully stuck in your craw?