Being GOOD Christians: Part 1

This is the desire of all those who follow Jesus, isn't it, being good?

Thinking of a Christian I often picture the clean-cut appearance, with a pressed shirt and tie. Mr. Always Smiling, and his wife tending to the 3.2 kids while ironing and making dinner. Really, Mr. and Mrs. Always Smiling Christian look a lot like the American Dream with a Bible in it's hand. Their kids don't watch bad TV shows or movies and go to Christian school. These people look like great role models, removing themselves from the temptations of the world and appear to be living a life very untainted by sin, to the point you might not even know sin existed.

Of course there are other depictions, such as Mr. Pull Over Christian. This is the Christian that pulls over when someone has a flat on the side of the road. This guy is willing to get his clothes dirty and sacrifice half an hour to make sure that you can get that tire changed or put some gas in your empty tank. I'm sure there are many out there who are very thankful for Pull Over Christian guy.

Then there's Ms. Prayer Warrior. She is always willing to make time for you in her prayer routine. This motherly figure makes you feel like someone cares, and you KNOW she is always praying. It seems like she must do nothing else other than pray for others and spend time with her little Schitzu (usually both at the same time).

Hip Teen Christian is becoming a dominant force in the land of Christian stereotypes. This dude uses music, extreme sports, and popular movies to build his witness. The older Christians in his church, like Mr. Always Smiling Christian don't appreciate his ways too much, and suspect he's going down a dangerous path, but the dude is just trying to be like Jesus. He intertwines his life with the lives of those around him and popular culture. Because of Jesus he's not of the world, but he is most definitely in the world. In fact, you might not even know he is a Christian until he invites you to youth group sometime.

Those are some stereotypes that I feel I have earned the right to use, being in the church all my life. I have fallen in more than one of those categories, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Those who read this blog and know my sarcastic and critical tendencies are waiting for me to rip each of these descriptions to shreds, as to why they have no idea what a life toward Christ really looks like. I'm not going to do that, although I will give some advice in a little bit.

Each of these people have an understanding of great value. Mr. Always Smiling sees the value of purity and the joy of a close family. Mr. Pull Over Christian can grasp the idea of "Do Unto Others" and knows that by sacrificing he is really expanding God's Kingdom, something much more important than being late to wherever he was going. Ms. Prayer Warrior knows intimately that God listens to the prayers of his people, and although she feels she has limitations in her capabilities, prayer is an incredible tool that she can and will use to the best of her ability. Hip Teen Christian is someone who sees Jesus as someone who reached out to those beyond church walls. He wants to build trusting relationships with others so that he can have the opportunity to share and show the testimony of how Christ changed him.

All of these members are part of the body. When you bring them all together, the body looks pretty balanced (although I have excluded many parts, but just for an illustration). And this is a common understanding, I think. Certain people have certain gifts given to them to use, so it all evens out in the end and we are a complete body. This ought not negate our responsibility to be complete in our spirituality. In verse 7 it says, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." All should benefit from spiritual gifts, and the spiritual gifts of some should generate spiritual fruit from all. The fruit of the spirit does not act in the same manner as the gifts of the spirit, where each gift is not given to all, but to some. The fruit of the spirit is for all, and all Christians should be partaking of all of the fruit.

28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

- 1 Corinthians 12:28

This verse is speaking of very specific gifts that make everyone valuable and no one complete without the other. You can say that even in other spiritual manners: grace, peace, love, charity, suffering, prayer, etc. some will have more of a natural inclination towards doing and being these virtues, but that does not exclude any from striving for all of them. In my experience people live a life of saying, well God has blessed me with being this way, so this is how I will serve Him. Since when is the easy and natural things in your life what God automatically calls you to?

Moses - Exodus 4:10-17 - God calls Moses to do something beyond what he feels is his natural ability. Moses complains, showing little faith in God and in himself, which kindled his anger against Moses.

Samson - Judges 13-16 - Samson is a man whose strength was his means of bringing about judgment on the captors of Isreal, the Philistines. He had killed thousands in his life, with impossible odds stacked against him. The Spirit of the Lord would come upon him and give him incredible strength. He was a man of pride, who could not be hurt. He did all of these things with no sacrifice to himself. In the end though, he learns humility from his pride, through weakness that he had never known. His final act is an act of sacrifice, where he will have to give his own life, and in doing that he destroys more Philistines than he had his entire life.


Isaiah - Isaiah 6 - Isaiah is a man who, by his own confession is not the pure man he wishes to be. He knows he is not worthy to be in the throne room of God, and not worthy to do the works of God. By the cleansing of his sin and a removal of his guilt Isaiah can respond to God's call of someone to send in His name, "Here am I; send me!"

Jesus - Matthew 26:39 - Jesus himself, who was lacking nothing, showed a preference to stay with his disciple and the ministry that had been established. But God's will showed that Jesus had to die on a cross for the salvation of all man, and Jesus made his will one with the Father's.

God does not use His followers in the way we might have Him. Since we know these stories through to completion, we know that all works out well. But if we had been there at the time, or even more, the person God called to do things contrary to our natural abilities, how could we not question Him? God's choices often times make no sense from our understanding. It's in this same regard that we must take up all of the fruit and all of the virtues of the Spirit and live them out.

8For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

- 1 Timothy 4:8

We are called to godliness, not in just some areas, but all areas. The book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom, which shows how to live, how to be good. Wisdom encompasses all we are to do, it shows the truths that were created from the beginning, and it brings us to life. When it comes down to it, Wisdom is the chief attribute we should strive toward, because through It we can can understand and work toward the others.

22 "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, ^[b] , ^[c]
before his deeds of old;

23 I was appointed ^[d] from eternity,
from the beginning, before the world began.

24 When there were no oceans, I was given birth,
when there were no springs abounding with water;

25 before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,

26 before he made the earth or its fields
or any of the dust of the world.

27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,

28 when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,

29 when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

30 Then I was the craftsman at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,

31 rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.

32 "Now then, my sons, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.

33 Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not ignore it.

34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.

35 For whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the LORD.

36 But whoever fails to find me harms himself;
all who hate me love death."

- Proverbs 8:22-36

We must move away from consciously accepting an unbalanced spiritual life. Once there is a decision to follow Christ, there is automatically a decision to follow the ways of Wisdom. Jesus said he was Life and Wisdom says she is Life, so logically they must be one in the same. A Christian must be seeking, aware, and available. Seeking Truth in every facet of life, being aware enough to notice Truth when it shows itself, and being available within yourself to apply what is revealed to you, changing wherever necessary.

Mr. and Mrs. Always Smiling and Hip Teen Christian could teach each other a lot about following Jesus. Both are correct, and both are not totally correct. Hip Teen Christian needs to learn that there is a difference between being available to people in society and surrounding yourself with corrupting influences. The Always Smiling's need to understand that Christianity isn't a perfect little bubble, but it's a place of getting out there and bringing light to darkness.

Pull Over Christian and Ms. Prayer Warrior could also teach each other much. Pull Over Christian needs to learn sacrifice doesn't just need to be a physical action, but it can be taking time away and caring enough to pray for someone, even when no one is watching. Ms. Prayer Warrior could learn to be imaginative in how she helps others. Exploring new ways where she is capable (whether she realizes it or not) to physically get out there and make a difference in someones life.

Obviously all of these stereotypical individuals can influence the others where they are lacking, but I just showed the most stand-out examples.

We have the Spirit, we have the Bible, and we have each other for a reason. All should be bringing us to a place of greater wisdom: greater spiritual understanding and a more complete living out of godliness. It is by the wisdom of the Bible, the revelation of the Spirit of God, and the testing in life of both that we are able to learn what is good. So let us strive to know good.