Why does the Church sometimes look so different from the outside than it does from the inside? Shouldn’t it be the same reflection no matter where you are standing?
When looking at the Church, why do so many people see an angry mob instead of the face of Jesus Christ?
When the world looks at the Church, why do they often see so much of us … but God … not so much?
- 2 Corinthians 4:6–7 (NIV84)
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
[Why is it that there are so many churches that are “the friendliest church in town” … in the same town? And how could it be that someone could visit such a church and, well, not find it so friendly?]
I always have looked at James 1:22ff from the perspective of an individual and that is correct. But the last few days my thoughts have expanded to groups and since individuals make up groups it seems the truth would apply to the group.
So let’s look at the irony of the life of a person who immerses himself in his religion and yet has no clue what he looks like to the world around him.
- James 1:22–24 (NIV84)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
I must not only listen to, or hear, the word, but I must do what it says. If not, I am deceiving myself. And the picture James presents is this: I walk up to the mirror and take a good look, but as soon as I step out of the bathroom and walk down the hall, I forget what I look like.
The tragedy of the person who doesn’t love Christ through his or her obedience to the word of Christ:
- Listen to the word only
- Deceive myself
- Take a good look at myself
- Walk away and immediately forget
Here is what has stood out to me over the last few days. Individuals make up our local church fellowship. What if the individuals in our church fellowship are only hearing and not doing?
Then they don’t know what they look like …
Then the church (that particular fellowship) does not know what it looks like.
- I am not talking about rote legalism, but love expressed to God through our obedience to the truth of the Bible. This is the path that God chooses for me. Legalism is the religious path that I choose for myself.
Or on a grander scale the church in the U.S. may not know what it looks like to a watching world. I’m thinking moral stands, ethical issues in courts, and maybe even the stir around Chick-fil-A.
We – evangelical Christians – are taking a stand with the owner of Chick-fil-A on the high moral ground of the sanctity of marriage. And we are right. God knows we are right. We know we are right because the Bible taught us these things. And we are going to shove our morality right back in their dirty, little immoral faces.
We are making a statement. This is who we are. This is the face of good, moral Christian people.
Why can’t “those people” see this because it’s pretty clear to us?
Maybe not. We can be right on the morals and still be deceived. Our country seems to be experiencing more than just a drought from our lack of rains but maybe even a dryness of our souls as professing believers in Jesus Christ …
Is pushing back with a moral agenda something Christ would call us to, or something we have called ourselves to and mounted our own charge in the name of Jesus?
Is it possible that “the world” is seeing more of us as opposed to the reflection of glory through the face of Jesus Christ from clay pots? Do we possibly fall short in obedience and submission to Jesus our King and thus we don’t see ourselves or our world as we should?
We are the face of Christianity to most, and maybe it isn’t so pretty. Maybe we don’t look like we think we do. Maybe we have put on our morals and have forgotten to put on the armor of Christ.
Maybe we have forgotten who we are and what we look like.
This was certainly the case of a particular church that Christ addressed in the Book of Revelation.
Laodicea Bible Fellowship Church …
- Revelation 3:17 (NIV84) You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
This was one impressive church, at least in their own eyes: Rich, wealthy, sufficient.
But Jesus said: wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
They were clearly deceived. They listened to each other more than they listened to God.
I haven’t really written this to anger anybody although I’m sure that it will.
But as the Church of Jesus Christ if we pursue a life of obedience on the path of Jesus Christ, we will see ourselves, our world and our God much differently. And we will trust God with much more.
Maybe we would have less fear mongering and less moral-sabre rattling and more filling of the Holy Spirit of God.
Maybe when they looked at the Church they would see the face of Christ and not an angry mob.
