The Christian Walk
Fun fact! Several years ago, I spent my time working as an extra on various film sets. I had the opportunity to meet lots of different people in all walks of life. It was a really fun year. I quickly found in all of the conversations held in the ‘extra’s holding cells” how comfortably I use church rhetoric and how different it can be from the common language of humanity.
This was a healthy and embarrassing realization for me as I was required to reflect on whether or not my use of christian terminology provided an inviting conversation or not. One conversation, in particular, stands out in my memory regarding this self-recognition.
As I chatted with someone between scenes, I somehow came to use the expression “the Christian walk” to which I got a response of “What exactly does that mean?” as his eyebrow arched in uncertainly and perhaps in mild confrontation. Perhaps I am confessing what a bubble that I am capable of keeping myself in but that moment gently stunned me as I realized that I’d just expected him to know what I was talking about.
I ended up trying to clarify what I meant by the expression more than the lifestyle and I found myself stumbling over my own awkward explanation. I found great opportunity to repent when faced with these questions:
Am I preparing myself more to share Jesus with the world or for impressive theological debates among my peers?
Is my intention to share the truth in love or just keep up with what other Christians know?
Am I pursuing a relationship with Jesus by learning about His character and history or do I just want to know things relating to the subject of Christianity?
Am I too still of a Christian who has been called to GO?
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
I so often expect others to think like me. My assumption left me feeling a bit foolish and distracted from the chance to have a real and meaningful discussion on the most magnificent topic available to us in who Jesus is and what it means in the day to day to follow Him.
Silly me…. the foundational truths are what I must take into real evangelism. The details of doctrine and arguments of church-related things are important in our history but are non-issues when it comes to inviting someone into the family of God. I pray so hard that I never make this mistake again. I now stand confidently in my answers to the reflections I asked above.
As a human filled and enveloped by the Holy Spirit, we are going to sound different than the world. That is not a bad thing at all. We should look different than the world in our actions, too. I really love being challenged to dig further into the beautiful depths of scripture. It boils down to the questions:
What is our motivation? and What are we going to do with what we learn?
We must be able to help others understand that we have been entrusted with something wonderful to share. Christians, we are not part of an exclusive club with secret code words. The details matter and the big picture matters. May our foundational beliefs be secure within us and may we, as believers, function out of our genuine love for Jesus Christ. I hope that we will be relentless to talk about the One we love and invite others into a relationship with Him because He is worthy!