Dear reader, I hope that every time you get to read one of these letters you take the time to really sit back and process what God and His Spirit may be teaching you at that very moment. This quite possibly will be one of those letters, but, please don’t be frightened, continue to read on.
I had the amazing pleasure of going on a Zipline this past week, not just one ride from here to there, but a series of different Zipline tracks.
I had never gotten to do this kind of activity, but it really allowed me to think through this mentality of suiting up, click on the helmet, and hook up to the Zipline.
After that, you just go.
No control. Just enjoy the ride.
Afterward, we were brought into a small hut, and we got the opportunity to learn more about one of the Costa Rican tribes that were located in that area long ago, and some of the beliefs that they held onto.
I honestly learned a lot. But there was one thing the guide said that I could not shake from my head.
“We always have a fire burning in our house. Even though the night. If a family’s fire went out it was disgraceful, they were a lazy family, that they would not take the time to keep the fire burning.”
Humor me for a moment.
Take that tribal lifestyle, and reflect upon it as you would your daily walk with Christ.
Our relationship with The Father, Spirit, and Son has often been described as a fire in our hearts/souls in the many Christian circles in which we hang around with.
Yet, have you ever heard the phrase “My relationship with God used to be so amazing, but then the fire went out…”
Well, but who’s fault is that?
It definitely is not God’s fault.
It’s not that Jesus’ blood wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t The Holy Spirit who wasn’t doing His job.
So that leaves me to wonder, are we just Lazy Christians if our fire goes out?
Does that mean we didn’t even have a fire in the first place?
Let’s think about that for a second.
Answer these next questions as honestly as you can be. The only people who are with you right now is yourself and God, so you might as well be honest with The Ultimate Lord of all the Universe.
Do you actually put in the effort to grow in intimacy with God or does someone have to annoy you into doing so?
Does God actually flow into your daily lifestyle? Or does He just pop in on Sunday’s to say “Hello”?
And the heavy hitter, are you deep down just a lazy Christian?
If you know me at all, you’ll know I love questions. Especially hard questions. So let’s go through the “Lazy Christian Quiz.”
After we’re done we can tally up the points, and see how we’re doing.
- Do you intentionally spend time with The Father every day?
- Do you actively study God’s word not just read it like a normal book?
- Do you go out into the world making disciples?
- Do you share the Gospel with all you come in contact with?
- Do you persistently memorize God’s word in your heart?
- Do you have sin in your life you let slide by day by day?
- Do you use your money, time, and gifts for the building up of The Church?
- Do you live your life actively loving, serving, and giving grace to all you come in contact with?
- Do you listen to The Holy Spirit at all?
- Do you obey the actual Ten Commandments?
Out of those 10 questions, I can honestly say 7 of those questions I can answer with a yes.
Now, you and I both know God is not up in Heaven with a scoresheet keeping track of when we do things that are right and wrong.
Jesus destroyed that religious formula with His precious blood on the cross.
So why do I bring up the ‘Lazy Christian Quiz’?
I am a firm believer that most of those in churches across America and throughout the whole world are full of a lot of ‘Good Christians’. But sadly I don’t think they have an active and authentic relationship with our Lord at all.
A while ago I wrote a series of letters titled ‘Housefires’, in which this letter is the fourth installment. But the scriptures that I go over in those letters is Matthew 7:13-23, which I believe is the scariest handful of scripture in my humble opinion.
In these passages, it says “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who is in Heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart for me, you workers of lawlessness.”
I don’t want to be a good Christian. I’d encourage you to do the same, the title and mindset of being ‘good’ is more of a religious way of life and I want to follow Jesus’ example of challenging that as much as I can. He also did say “No one is good, no not one.”
So, you know there’s that as well.
But, I am a Christian, and I will always be one, and we as The Church are called to be set apart, but my biggest desire for you those who call themselves Christians is to not be lukewarm. To not let our fire, go out, to not let it get so low to be barely embers altogether.
It’s not our pastors’ job to keep the fire going. Not our mentor’s or even our parents.
Your relationship with God is on you and you alone.
The Church’s role is to help guide you. But they cannot and should not hold your hand.
This is your life to live. It’s up to you how you’re going to go about it.
I hope this letter makes sense to you, read it over again if you must.
If you hate it or it was a little too convicting for your personal taste, good, maybe you and God need to go talk about it. I’m sure He’d love to hear what’s on your mind.
I must leave now, I need to get to bed to make sure I’m ready to keep the fire burning tomorrow when I wake up, I hope you do as well.
Until next time,
-Mitchell
