There are a lot of things that most—though not all–Christians in America are vocal about. Many of us have no trouble telling people what our favorite football team is. Very few of us would hide the news that our son was accepted into Harvard, our daughter had married into a wealthy family, or that we had received a prestigious promotion at work. If you meet a famous athlete, television star or singer, you tend to drop their name to your friends repeatedly, and at the earliest opportunity. When an election approaches, many Christians put signs in their front yard with the name of the candidate they support. But what about the “name above all names?” Suddenly, we go silent. Has your faith become a spectator sport? The real question, though, is why, and more importantly, what can we do about it?
Has your faith become a spectator sport? There are lives in the balance
That sinking feeling. Some of us wonder what to say about Jesus to a person. We may not know many Bible verses (but that can be remedied.) Or, what gives us the right to say anything at all–are we better than other people? Suppose their way is better than what we have to offer? Some of us may be afraid we’ll lose our friends, that we’ll be painted as some sort of religious fanatic. Or, our friends might be shocked to learn that we’re Christian after we’ve behaved so badly for so long. We may have acquaintances who are in desperate circumstances, in which case we may fear making their predicament worse if we say something. So, we say nothing at all when we could be offering them God’s grace. Absolution. Peace of mind.
A nation of spectators (has your faith become a spectator sport?)
Many go to church on Sunday while others, especially during the pandemic, watch services on television. But what do we do the rest of the week? If all we do is sing praise songs or wipe away tears from our eyes while the minister delivers an inspirational message on Sunday, then we’re missing the point. Why bother in that case? We can feel equally “pumped-up” singing patriotic songs and get warm, fuzzy feelings watching movies such as “Free Willy.”
“Proclaim God’s message, be zealous in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, encourage, with the utmost patience as a teacher.”
II Timothy 4:2
Each of us, given our unique circumstances and with the caveat that we have different gifts and talents, have a responsibility to tell others about Jesus. We might feel more comfortable doing this indirectly by inviting a friend to our church, or by sending an encouraging card or note with relevant Scripture verses on it. Or, we might just do it in person. But the point is we should do it. If we ask God for an opening or opportunity, in my experience He’ll provide such a moment more often than not. Don’t bother praying about whether you should do it, because God has already stated in the Bible that you should. I don’t have ask my supervisor if I need to work when I’m scheduled to. That is a given and a condition of employment.
Peter writes in I Peter 3:15 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” If these past twelve months of the pandemic you’ve been able to remain hopeful that God will bring us through these difficult times, then people around you would have noticed, and some might ask you how you could possibly be so serene and self-assured. Bingo.
Has your faith become a spectator sport? People notice things
If you’ve ever read II Timothy 4:2, you may remember the Apostle Paul writing: “Proclaim God’s message, be zealous in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, encourage, with the utmost patience as a teacher.” The terms “in season” and “out of season” refer to opportune and inopportune times. Certainly most of us could provide comforting assurances and prayer for some who is ill and calls us at 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon. But what if the call comes at 2:00 a.m.? Or during the third quarter of the Super Bowl?
Some of us may not want to witness because of a fear of failure. But whether a person believes or not does not arise out of our persuasiveness or oratory skills. Engendering the seed of faith is the work of the Holy Spirit, who also convicts a person of their sin. All we do is present the Gospel using God’s word, and let the chips fly as they may. People generally know when they are messing up. They don’t need us to point it out to them.
Lights
In Matthew 5:14 Jesus calls Christians “The light of the world.” There are people living in darkness, perishing without hope, who depend on this light inside us in order to get some sense of direction, deliverance. Yet, many of us are ashamed of, or ambivalent about the light, or we try to conceal it from others. The stakes are too high for believers to sit out their lives as spectators. Let’s get off our butts and do something!
Photo credit of header anime photo: Evanfinite (Shutterstock.)
