Monday: Does being a Christian mean judging and retreating from the rest of culture? What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? (1 Corinthians 5:12) In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) The Bible teaches Christians to be in the world and refrain from judging their neighbors, but not be defined by or in love with the world. Culturally speaking, Christians don t all fit in the same category. On one hand, most of us have met Christians who look no different from their non-christian neighbors. They act the same way and talk the same way, blending in with their surrounding culture. On the other hand, many of us have also met Christians who act as if they ve been raised on a different planet. They are so out of touch with their surroundings, they hardly even know how to communicate with those around them. Neither of these categories wholly reflect biblical teaching. The Bible teaches a more challenging way. The apostle Paul taught that those who have a relationship with God should resist immorality, but not totally disassociate themselves to do so (see 1 Corinthians 5:10). He teaches that Christians should not apply the standards of their faith onto the world, judging those who do not share their faith and do not live up to those standards. Rather, those who claim to know God should actively bear witness to his love in the world. Their life should be life of love and willing service to those around them, born in them through a relationship with the Living God. 1. Where do you see the type of love described above lived out around you (both by those of the Christian faith and others)? How does it affect you and others to witness such love? 2. How does it change your opinion of what it means to be a Christian to know that it is meant to be a life of loving engagement and not one of judgment? Seek out relationships with those around you who live a life of loving service and ask them what compels them to live in such a manner. Decide on what kind of influence on the world and legacy you want to leave: one of selfish retreat or active loving engagement. Write down three steps to take to move toward your goals in this area.
Tuesday: Is it possible to be eternally separated from God? Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Matthew 25:46) But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:8) When we turn our back on a relationship, we risk losing it entirely. A teenager in the throes of rebellion walks out of his parents home, shouting, I wish you weren t my parents! I hate you! I never want to see you again! The relationship is severed. His parents are left with two choices: 1) attempt to force their son to return, see reason, and obey; or 2) lovingly pursue him by being available, allow time to run its course, and hope their son will return. The son also has two choices: 1) He can cool down, recognize his rebellion, and return to the house to continue to grow in his relationship with his parents; 2) or he can continue on his way, hardening his heart, until death claims one or the other and ruin all hope of a restored relationship. By his actions, it is as if he were never their son. The God of the Bible reveals himself as a Father who does everything he can to get his rebellious children back. He provides the way to restore that relationship, and he seeks us out but he does not force us back into this relationship. If we continue to spurn his advances until the end of our lives, we will have severed the relationship entirely and when we die, we will carry that separation into eternity. 1. When you have struggles in human relationships, what is the best course of action to take? 2. Just because a relationship is restored doesn t mean you don t have questions, doubt, and even conflict. How does the security of a relationship allow you to wrestle with those very things? Take stock of where you are in your relationship with God and others. Move into relationship, even if that means some struggle and growing pains (remember, there is hope of growth with this type of pain!). These struggles are light when compared to the pain of ultimate loss.
Wednesday: Is Christianity too narrow in its view of truth? Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:14) We all believe in truth. We just disagree about what that truth is. Many people today suppose that all truth is relative, but nobody really lives that way. We all know that when a traffic light turns red, you re supposed to stop. When the doctor tells you to take two pills a day, that doesn t mean you ought to take four. But when Christians claim that there is only one truth, people get offended. There s a disconnect in our culture between truth claims made at the everyday level and those made at the ultimate level. Some argue that when it comes to the questions that matter most in life, anything goes. To impose one s own personal views on someone else is to be intolerant and narrow-minded. The irony in this is that insisting that someone can t impose their beliefs on another is really just another way of imposing one s own beliefs! Our culture has thus become a virtual tyranny of tolerance. It is true that Christianity makes claims upon every person. Those claims are genuinely different from the claims of others. But Christianity also demands that we respect those differences rather than minimizing them or treating them as if they don t matter. That is tolerance in the truest sense. 1. What, in your mind, are the non-negotiables of life? For example, It s never okay to kill another person, or Everyone has a right to privacy. 2. What foundation are those non-negotiables based upon? Try living for just one week in a manner of complete tolerance towards any and every action of your fellow beings. This includes anything you read in the news, see on TV, or experience in your personal relationships. Decide whether or not this is a sustainable practice.
Thursday: Is it possible to like Jesus but not Christians? This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:16) Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (1 John 4:20) If we approve of and appreciate Jesus teachings, although we may not like other men s actions, we are challenged to love them as he did. If you read through the life of Christ in the Bible, you will observe that many people followed him. Everywhere he went, there were crowds. More than once he had to get into a boat to avoid being crushed as people filled up the area where he was teaching. Jesus condemned hypocritical religious leaders and stood up for the poor, oppressed, and ostracized. He healed the sick, raised the dead, changed the lives of many of his contemporaries not to mention his legacy that has gone down through the ages. But those who call themselves Christians often do things more closely resembling the lives of those Jesus condemned instead of those he protected. For good reason, Ghandi once said, I love your Christ but not your Christians. However, the Bible states, If someone says, I love God, but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? The message of Jesus is to love brother, neighbor, and even enemy. If we choose Jesus, we choose the challenging path of love. 1. What is it about Jesus that you find most attractive? 2. What is it that Christians do that you find most offensive? Study the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Observe the way he responds to enemies and friends alike. List three ways you would like to act like Jesus. List three things you found difficult in what you read.
Friday: What happens when I die? Week 4_ Is Christianity Too Narrow? Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. (Hebrews 9:27) Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. (John 11:25) The Bible teaches only two destinations for humans after death. Each is dependent on our response to the gospel of God s grace. Most of us, at some point in our lives, have attended the funeral of a loved one. It can be a time of profound grief and loss, as well as a time of serious questioning and soul-searching. The loss of a loved one makes us think about our own mortality. We know there will come a time when each one of us will face the inevitability of death. We naturally wonder what happens next. According to the Bible, there are only two ultimate destinations for us: we will either enjoy eternity in God s presence in a renewed heaven and earth, or we will suffer eternal judgment and separation from God (see John 5:28 29). It can be a frightening thought that our short lives on earth can lead to such radically different outcomes. But if what the Bible says is true, it should cause us to think about what we are doing with the lives we ve been given. Our final destination ultimately depends on how we respond to the offer of God s free gift of salvation. It s not a gift we have earned, but it s ours for the taking, if only we believe in Jesus. 1. If eternity hangs in the balance, can we really afford to ignore the claims that the Bible makes without investigating them? 2. What hope can we find in what the Bible offers? Though it may seem a morbid task, reflect on your own mortality for a moment. Decide whether or not you are ready to face death. Then write down what you would need to do, know, or believe to have peace of mind in this area.