"The greatest single cause of atheism in
the world today is Christians...who acknowledge Jesus with their lips,
and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyles. That is what an
unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." ~Brennen Manning
This is one of my favorite quotes ever. It is simultaneously one of my least favorite quotes ever. I first heard it in a song, "What if I stumble" by dcTalk, and have since then looked up the original author of the quote. But every time I hear it it gives me pause to stop and think.
Jesus calls Himself the Light of the World; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; our Savior; He is all of these wonderful things that should bring people to their knees in awe at the mention of His name. But many people, rather than feeling awe and adoration of Him, instead feel revulsion and disgust at the mention of His name.
Why is that? How can it be that we have so soiled the name of Christ, that people won't even step foot into a church, lest they be associated with Him? Being a Christian has become, to many, a list of rules and regulations, a checklist of things that must be done and believed, of which a failure to follow will result in swift human judgment and imminent divine condemnation.
But Jesus is supposed to bring hope, not hostility; He offers peace, not pain; He wants to give us comfort, not condescension. And as "little Christs," we are supposed to do the same. How can we have screwed it up so badly? Jesus said that it is better to be either hot OR cold for Him, than to be lukewarm. Not matching your actions with your words is the worse kind of disbelief. It's the kind that not only harms yourself, but also disillusions those around you.
So I challenge you today, to live what you say you believe. Be the kind of Christian that makes people want to know Jesus. Let your actions draw them to Him, like Zacchaeus was drawn to Jesus. That's the kind of life that we were called to. Don't be another cause of atheism.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
This is one of my favorite quotes ever. It is simultaneously one of my least favorite quotes ever. I first heard it in a song, "What if I stumble" by dcTalk, and have since then looked up the original author of the quote. But every time I hear it it gives me pause to stop and think.
Jesus calls Himself the Light of the World; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; our Savior; He is all of these wonderful things that should bring people to their knees in awe at the mention of His name. But many people, rather than feeling awe and adoration of Him, instead feel revulsion and disgust at the mention of His name.
Why is that? How can it be that we have so soiled the name of Christ, that people won't even step foot into a church, lest they be associated with Him? Being a Christian has become, to many, a list of rules and regulations, a checklist of things that must be done and believed, of which a failure to follow will result in swift human judgment and imminent divine condemnation.
But Jesus is supposed to bring hope, not hostility; He offers peace, not pain; He wants to give us comfort, not condescension. And as "little Christs," we are supposed to do the same. How can we have screwed it up so badly? Jesus said that it is better to be either hot OR cold for Him, than to be lukewarm. Not matching your actions with your words is the worse kind of disbelief. It's the kind that not only harms yourself, but also disillusions those around you.
So I challenge you today, to live what you say you believe. Be the kind of Christian that makes people want to know Jesus. Let your actions draw them to Him, like Zacchaeus was drawn to Jesus. That's the kind of life that we were called to. Don't be another cause of atheism.
Luke 19:1-10
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
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