I have often contended the single biggest threat to Christianity are self-professed Christians. If one is truly strong in his or her faith, the views of secular society or other religious views should not affect one's own walk with God. The operative word being "should not."
I must confess that my own relationship with God has been a roller coaster. I was raised by a very strong Christian mother, who has never wavered from her faith. On the other hand, no one would ever accuse my father of being a man of God. His actions have never shown that he was filled with fruits of the spirit. But ultimately it is not my place to judge him, only God is able to judge hearts.
I made my profession of faith at the age of ten. For the next few years, I was the epitome of what a young Christian should be. I attended services whenever the doors were open and I tried never to let negative words or profanity come out of my mouth. Many people told me that someday I would probably be a preacher.
Unfortunately, as I grew older my Christian upbringing seemed to be placed on the backburner in my early 20's. I went through my party stage and often put myself in non-Christian positions. Granted, I was still considered a "nice guy." I cared for people and tried to always be polite. However, a certain bitterness often ruled my heart. My parents were divorced and life always seemed to be a struggle.I kept so many things inside for so many years. I had several friends but very few seemed to really know the real me.I preferred listening to other people's struggles than to deal with my own problems. Committment was a real problem for me and I could not seem to settle on a career path.
About ten years ago, I made a committment to the field of education and my spirits soared. I loved the profession and I found myself regaining focus with God. However, I still struggled deep down inside because I began to feel a distance from people. People knew me as someone who came across confident with a sharp sense of humor. That was so not me, not really. I desired a strong friendship with someone who really wanted to know my deepest thoughts. The problem was I had only allowed people to know me on a superficial level. Life had to be about more than just going to a ballgame or concert. I found myself during times of prayers, praying less about my relationship with God but the desire to connect with other people.
Eventually I did surround myself with people I still consider true friends. However,I quickly discovered a side of me I did not particularly like. My life had become successful. I had true friends, a decent job, and a college education. Eventually I would get married and become a father. I was respected in my church and I prayed everyday. All of a sudden I thought I had all of the answers. On the surface, I was a strong Christian man but inside I was filled with hypocrisy which totally goes against what Christianity is supposed to be about. We are to love one another and not judge. We are instructed to help one another and show love and kindness to one another. My justification was that very few people showed me guidance when I was finding my way through life, so why should I help other people? I was everything I used to complain about. The good Sunday morning Christian who knew the scriptures. The type of person who had no problem telling others in Sunday School the key to living a good life. Yet, as soon as I walked out of the church, I did not want to be bothered. After all, I was living a "better life" than most. I rarely cussed, did not drink, and I was a law abiding citizen.I was a good "teacher" and generally liked people but I was better at talking the talk than walking the walk.
Yes, I was a good person and believed in God, but you see being a Christian is more than showing up at church a few times a week. It is about more than giving a tithe or singing in the church choir. The last thing God wants is someone who is fake. Someone who is strong with their words, but only is about keeping up appearances. God does not care how successful you are in terms of financial wealth. He does not care if you always wear your best looking tie to church or if you are able to quote every verse of scripture from the book of Jude. God cares about your heart and how you treat and feel about others. He expects us to be different from other people and a reflection of him. The Sunday Morning Christian is the same type of person, Jesus Christ through out of the temple. Remember the parable about the money changers? They were fake people who probably said the right things and always put on a good appearance but did not have a pure heart. Has this ever described any of you?
Flash forward to the present. I am far from perfect. At times, I am judgemental and at other times I more consumed with my own problems, than being a Christian neighbor. However, I am very much aware of my own shortcomings and hypocrisy. I don't want to be one of these people who go through the motions. I don't want to be a Christian who does the minimum to get to Heaven. We all are on our best behavior when we are at church. We try to look our best and act our best. Being a Christian is a twenty-four seven job. The spirit you have on Sunday morning should be real and you should maintain that spirit out in the real world. Do not be fake, do not be the Sunday morning Christian.