What are you wearing?

~

There once was a young man that became a Christian several years ago. He went to church and attended the youth groups, he went to the outreaches and he helped out in the youth ministry.
But at home when he wasn't at church and when he went in to work he was a very different man. He would cuss and swear with his coworkers, he would go the local bars and drink to the point where he got sick and more often than not would sometimes bring a women or two home for the night. When he was home his life was anything but healthy and clean, he would take a light dose of a drug or two on occasion. Thinking to himself that no one needed to know about the secret sins he would commit.


One day the pastor during the service announced another outreach weekend. They would be traveling down town and street witnessing to people that lived in the area. The young man excitedly went home and waited for the weekend to come. When the weekend finally arrived he got dressed and ready for the big day. He got his Bible ready with all the witnessing passages bookmarked and ready, put on a clean set of clothes and went out to meet the group at church.
When they got to the streets they split up and started their mission. The young man started walking up and down the streets sharing with the random people he met.
At one point he saw a homeless man sitting at the corner of an alley. He walked up to the man and started talking with him, the man kept eyeing him up and down and looking at him almost like he knew him.

Finally the young man asked the Homeless man if he wanted to accept Christ. The man looked him up and down one more time then said, "Let me ask you a question my good sir. You see the rags I am wearing? Do you smell the stench of the garbage I sleep in? What if I told you I could give you a million dollars and buy you your own mansion?"
The young man slightly confused looked at him and said, "Well honestly sir I would have to say you're crazy!"
The homeless man looked at him and nodded, "Well, that's what I'm thinking about you right now."
The young man looked at him in astonishment, but the man continued. "No.. I don't want your Christ. I've seen how you live. You're no different than me. Why should I think your God can change me, when he hasn't changed you?"

~

I want to address a problem that I often see in the Church today. Yes, it's a big problem. And yes, I'll probably get some flack for this post. Oh yeah, and yes, this is going to make a lot of you uncomfortable.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." ~Romans 12:2a

You see, I have a problem with people that call themselves Christians but in their thoughts and actions of every day life they are indiscernible from the rest of the world.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden, 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. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." ~Matthew 5:14-16

We are called to be a light. A light on top of a hill! Shining out so that all the world can look and say, "They're different, they have something that I want!" But when i look around, I see our young people and even many of the adults acting just like the rest of the world. Making them a light that is hidden under a basket. Snuffed out and no good.

That passage up there says, "That they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Huh, so they tell who you are by how you act? Well that kind of throws a shadow over a lot of Christians by how they're acting doesn't it?

So what if that scenario up there was you? What is that random guy seeing from how you act out in the neighborhood? Is he seeing God's light shining through and wondering what it is that makes you different? Or are you tainting his view of Christians?

If there's two things I will always remember my mom telling me when I was little it was always, "There is always someone that is watching you and what you're doing." and, "Remember who you represent. God, your Dad, and the Long family name."

"Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." ~Proverbs 20:11

The way you live your life does not just affect you, it affects everyone around you and how they view Christians as a whole. Remember that as you go out and represent God and the rest of us this week.

God Bless, 

     Ryan