The Mouth of CHRIST

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. - Matthew 15:8-9 (NLT)

Do you want to know what makes being a Christian most difficult? Well here's my answer, and strictly my opinion. I believe what makes being a Christian most difficult are other people who publicize themselves as Christians in public but their private actions and public words don't match the truth of God's Word. Based on this verse I think Jesus may have felt the same way. Jesus was quoting Isaiah 29:13 from the Old Testament when he said these words in Matthew 15.

How did we get to the place where so-called Christians can proclaim Christ but deny the moral & spiritual absolutes of his Word? I think it starts with the abandoning of absolute truth. What is truth for a Christian? Truth is whatever God says; therefore the Bible IS absolute & ultimate truth. Anything that contradicts Biblical truth is not truth; it's a lie! Will the Bible contradict my opinion? In most cases, absolutely! And in those instances, what's suppose to change; my opinion or God's Word? My opinion is supposed to adjust to the truth! When I try to change truth to fit my opinion I will always become like the people Jesus and Isaiah were describing and our view of absolute truth becomes subjective. This is when Christians start saying things like, "I believe that some people are born with homosexual tendencies.....or.....In some situations it's ok to tell a lie if it doesn't hurt someone else." And those are just the beginnings of our spiritual delusions.

Why is this my choice for what makes it most difficult to be a Christian? Simple. It's because these people encounter people who aren't Christians, they spew their version of truth, then mislead people and misrepresent God. The end result is a person who now believes a diluted truth, thus making it harder for them to be reached with the accurate and honest gospel message. The Bible says that we as Christians are supposed to make up the body of Christ. The illustration in scripture is that of the parts of a body coming together and working together for God's purpose with Christ as the head. My complaint is that we've become the mouth of Christ instead of the body of Christ. We want to talk a lot but what we often have to say doesn't line up with God's truth.

What's the solution? Before you brag about your Christian status consider this checklist for faith. Do I read God's Word and talk to him daily? Am I committed to joining other believers for weekly worship & teaching? Am I doing life together with other believers through small group settings? Am I using my talents & abilities within the church to serve the other believers? Am I passionate and active in reaching the unsaved both locally and globally? If you can't answer these questions affirmatively, then you are neglecting the most basic of God's commands for Christian life. Thus, I plead with you.....STOP verbally proclaiming your Christianity until you are physically willing to live out God's commands. St. Francis of Assisi once said, "Preach the gospel at all times--if necessary, use words! Well said!

Have a great week!