This Little Light Of Mine...
A few years ago I went to a Pastor's Appreciation Breakfast that a local radio station so kindly hosted for folks here in the Dallas area. When asked what church I pastored I had to say that I didn't have a church and I wasn't really a pastor. I was a preacher and an 'internet' one at that.... I had this thing called "TruthMill" and you could find it online yada, yada, yada...
After a bit of static punctuated silence on the phone the lady at the station very kindly allowed me to attend and I did so with quite a bit of excitement. Alistair Begg, the person through who's ministry I had received Christ, was going to be the featured speaker and I was really looking forward to meeting him.
As it turned out when he was in the room before and after his talk he was constantly surrounded by people and I decided I didn't want to add to the crowd and just settled myself to praying for him and leaving him alone (I can be a lot to have to deal with for sure). What I really wanted to do was body check people out of the way so that I could rush up and give him a big hug and a kiss on the neck and thank him so very much for being faithful to his ministry because it had borne fruit in me. But, being hauled away by security didn't sound like a grand plan so I just stayed at my table sipping tea and tried not to look too out of place.
In the end I came away with a nice view of Alistair (it's always nice when someone you look up to doesn't turn out to be a creep in person) - and I came away with a basketful of observations. Here are a couple tossed out as food for thought.
The Bible is very clear that Christianity is a transformational thing - and that transformation moves along a very particular vector. Whether the transformation is couched in terms of being born again, of dying to self and being raised with Christ, of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit - clearly bona fide "saving faith" in Christ leaves very distinctive marks on a person who has been truly "saved" (as we call it). Most of us would be familiar with the moral / ethical aspect of this, but there is a lesser realized physical aspect to it as well.
As Jesus Himself said:
Mt 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Mt 5:15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
Mt 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
And of course from the Apostles:
2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2Co 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Believe it or not, real Christians are shiny people. We are actually supposed to reflect God's glory not only in our thoughts and our conduct, but in our very person as well. There is a look to the face, a shine of the eye... It isn't the glaze of a vapid person, but it is the openness of someone who has surrendered their life to Christ and who isn't hindering the Spirit from living in and through them.
I know that some folks will think I'm waxing too allegorical with scripture in saying that. Not to be a snot, but that's what I would have said before I got saved. I don't think I am. I'm different after being saved all the way around, and in this particular way too.
I know I lose some of my glow when I get really, really tired. I've got some blood sugar issues that dog me out sometimes, and when I'm speaking, recording video, or even in a conversation I sometimes have to concentrate fairly hard because I am most certainly not a social person or a public speaker... far from it. But to hear my wife tell it, and she should know, the difference between the old Scott and the new Scott are as different as night and day... and that's my wife talking. That is pretty reassuring especially from the person who knows me best.
Well, at the Pastor's Breakfast my glow detector went off for Alistair, and it went off for the very kind radio station folks (lots of servant hearts there for sure). But it didn't go off so much for the gathered pastors. I'm probably not telling anything to a critic of Christianity that they don't already know, but while there were a few 'bright spots' in the crowd, most of the folks looked like they were weaned on a decayed pickle - or something worse. Seriously.
Here we were all being treated to very good, very free food with a great speaker and there were folks (most of them) that were just dour, unhappy, bitter, and LIGHTLESS.
And while I was contemplating the discrepancy between someone who says they are literally indwelt by God, and the outward appearance they portrayed - another thought hit me: what about their poor congregations? If this was their example of exemplary Christianity, what state would they be in?
That was a rather depressing chain of thoughts, but what is worse is that I know I'm not the only one to notice and travel down that mental road. Most people have probably heard of the 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Listen to what he said regarding this phenomenon:
What distinguishes us [scientists] from the pious and the believers is not the quality but the quantity of belief and piety; we are contented with less. But if the former should challenge us: then be contented and appear to be contented! - then we might easily reply: 'We are, indeed, not among the least contented. You, however, if your belief makes you blessed then appear to be blessed! Your faces have always been more injurious to your belief than our objections have! If these glad tidings of your Bible were written on your faces, you would not need to insist so obstinately on the authority of that book... As things are, however, all your apologies for Christianity have their roots in your lack of Christianity; with your defence plea you inscribe your own bill of indictment.from Nietzsche's Assorted Opinions and Maxims,s. 98, R.J. Hollingdale transl.
Just a note to my fellow Christians here: while Nietzsche voiced this observation from a standpoint of rejection concerning all things Christians - he wasn't wrong.... not by my observations of what passes for Christianity anyway. Nor was he wrong about such people inscribing their own bill of indictment.
In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul had to address the religious Jews at several points - but at one point in particular he had this to say to them:
Ro 2:24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
And he was of course dead on right. Because of these religious people's behavior, God's very name became a laughing stock and a curse word among the nations. Why? Because these religious people claimed a relationship with God they really didn't have, and they claimed an effect made upon them by God that they didn't really show.
If the atheism is removed from Nietzsche's statement, he and Paul sound a bit similar don't they. They do, and for a very good reason: because the observation made by both men (in Paul's case by the Holy Spirit) is a valid one.
Quite frankly, people watch us. One wonders what kind of impact could be had on people like Nietzsche if everyone who claimed the name of Christ were really saved, or if the people that were really saved resolved to actually act like it.
Take a peek in the mirror and ask yourself something: if you had a sign hanging on your neck that said: "here before you is a born again Christian - dead to sin, alive to holiness, and indwelt with the very Spirit of the holy God of justice, righteousness, love, and truth - doing good to those that hate them - going the extra mile - turning the other cheek - loving all with the very love of Christ"... would your general face and overall demeanor go with the sign? If not, why not? God has empowered it, why aren't you exercising that power? Is it because you are rebellious and focused on yourself, or is it because you really don't have the Spirit of God inside you?
Can you imagine if Christians truly loved the lost like Christ loves them? Can you imagine if Christians reached out with the grace of the cross to those that hate us? What a different world it would be if we acted like 1st & 2nd century Christians rather than what we are now.
If you have God's light inside of you, it's very easy to let it shine: you just give up what you want and latch on to what God wants. It's that simple. Our children get it don't they? "This little light of mine - I'm gonna let it shine..."
But if you don't have God's light inside of you, please don't say that you do. You are working against God Himself and as Nietzsche so declared - inscribing your own bill of indictment.
The world is watching, and so is God. So either pray for God's help and act like what you are, or pray for God's grace and truly become what you have proclaimed to be, or bail out entirely. Those are the only valid options.
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