Sorry I've been gone for a while.....

It's just that life gets in the way sometimes, you all know how that is.

Lately though, I feel God has been trying to tell me something, and I thought here would be a good place to let it out.

Are Christians getting lazy?

I ask this because I notice our churches getting more lavish, but our charities lacking.  There once was a saying that asked "If you were brought into a court and accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"  This is a profound question I have come to believe.

Christians nowadays are very good at "talking the talk".  We say the right words, we buy the t-shirts, we share all those "share if you love Jesus" pictures on Facebook.  I have since come to realize that is not enough.  I guess  I have always known that, it just finally "God-smacked" me, as a preacher I know once put it.

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be required" Luke 12:48

God does not want us to merely say the right things, or listen to the right music, or watch only the newest "Christian movie" (Don't get me started on those).  He expects more from us, because he has given us "much" namely his son.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying we have to "earn" Heaven, that can't be done.  What I am saying is that we are Christians, and we should bring the light of God into a dark world.  What should we do?  The Bible is clear:

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father,inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 34:34-40)

Jesus is calling us to do the right thing, he is calling us to more than prayer.  Don't get me wrong, we should pray for people, they need it.  But if it is in our capacity to do more for them, we should do it.  And, doing more does not mean inviting them to church on Sunday, sometimes that needs to come later.  There is a quote often attributed to St. Francis that goes:

"Preach the Gospel everywhere, and when necessary use words".  Sometimes it is more important for us to show people Christ, than to tell them about him.

So I call on my fellow Christians, go out into the world! Do the things God calls us as Christians to do, not because you will get something out of it, but because others will.