Chameleon Christianity
“You are the light of the world. A town built 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 others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
My husband and I had an interesting experience this week. We met a new neighbor - someone that we share many common interests with, but as the conversation continued, I realized that our core values were definitely not the same. However, instead of being unapologetically us, I found that we were trying to match his demeanor in order to find common ground. He wasn’t doing or saying anything wrong, but I found myself affirming or finding commonalities with him that I wouldn’t normally be down with. My husband did the same thing.
After the neighbor left, I felt gross. I told my husband I sensed some red flags, but I couldn’t pinpoint them. It wasn’t until a couple of hours later that I realized what the flag was: compromise. And, it wasn’t in him - it was in us. It might seem aggressive to say compromise, but it was certainly the spirit resting on our conversation.
I’ve started to notice among believers how we so easily compromise in the name of “winning people over.” We hide the name and person of Jesus behind ideologies, theories, programs, movements, sermons, and “facets of God” in order to be deemed acceptable by the masses. It is easier and more palatable to talk about mercy, love, grace, Fatherhood, and the shepherd (just to name a few), than to talk about the judge, the refiner, or the One with fire in His eyes. We cannot just expose one side of Him and ignore all others. It’s the fullest form of deception.
A movement will die if Christ isn’t at the center. A sermon is merely a pep talk if it isn’t pointing to Jesus. Evangelism is just conversion to manmade beliefs if we aren’t introducing people to the Bridegroom. It grieves me that we are trying to modernize Christianity by taking Christ out of it, even if it doesn’t seem like it. His name may turn people away, and that’s ok. It did 2000 years ago, too. People were introduced to his actual person and still crucified Him. It’s on us to demonstrate who Jesus is to the people around us. We cannot hide. We have to be a light on a lampstand, a city on a hill, the salt (not the sugar) of the earth.
I cannot stop thinking about Matthew 10:33, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in Heaven.” I think this scripture is hard to stomach because it can cause us to pause and take responsibility for our words, our ministries, and our private conversations. Jesus isn’t saying, “If you put Christian as your religion on Facebook, I’ll tell my dad you’re cool to hang out.” He’s saying that if we don’t claim Him and every piece of Him, he will deny us before His Father in Heaven. This should be sobering. It should make us uncomfortable. It’s weighty and it’s serious. We cannot go before people and say, “Keep sleeping with each other, keep stealing, keep cheating, keep slandering, because Jesus loves you.” All sin is a denial of His person and vice versa. Denial of His person is sin.
Of course Jesus is full of mercy and grace. Of course His love covers a multitude of sins. Believers can be restored through repentance. This is about placing the person of Jesus as a banner in our hearts and over our lives. It’s time for the Bride to come back to the Bridegroom.
So how do we restore communion with Jesus? In James 4, it says “God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” There are over 40 scriptures that point to God shining on humility. We go low. We ask to know Him. We spend time in His presence. That’s where repentance and restoration are built and maintained. Only then can we uncover and discover what it is to live a life consecrated and holy before Jesus. I’d like to encourage you to grow in relationship with Jesus; to know Him beyond an idea or theology. Fall in love with Him. You’ll never want to turn back. Out of your love for Him, you’ll chameleon to the person of Christ instead of the world. It’s time to let your lampstand burn.
