Forgive me if I'm late to the party, but I just became aware of a Christian preacher named James Murray who leads a congregation in Australia called Abide Church. A peripheral scan of their webpage indicates the church has multiple campuses, but again I know next to nothing about it.
What I do know is that a clip Murray just posted to his Instagram account is one that resonated with me, and is a message Christians the world over need to hear.
There's so much discussion, so much debate, so much dissension among believers about the emphasis that churches put on showmanship, lights, sound, staging, that it was beyond refreshing to hear the minister of a church that clearly strives for excellence in all those areas hit the nail head like this.
His caption said it well: "Christians and church people are often impressed by a polished service, unchurched people are impressed with holiness."
I've been thinking about that so much recently, dwelling on the words of the Apostle Peter who detailed the best form of evangelistic outreach there will ever be when he wrote to us:
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)
When we believers set Christ apart as Lord of our hearts - when we put the Holy Spirit at the helm of our ship of life - He will steer us in directions and lead us in ways that are so unlike the ways of the world. We will talk differently, respond differently, hope differently. Our affections will be turned outward to others instead of being self-serving. Our loves will be properly ordered, and all we do - ethically, morally, financially, politically - will be calibrated according to what best serves and builds His eternal Kingdom.
Living in such a way will undoubtedly produce questions among the worldly because it is so foreign, so strange to the life they have always known. And when their questions come, we are prepared to give an answer in gentleness and with respect. Not an answer that exults in our superior way of living, but one that celebrates Christ and what He is doing to change our own desires, our own focus, our own passions.
That's the reality of the Church that I think is so often lost on those who aren't part of it. It's a gathering of jaded individuals, saved by Christ, imputed with His righteousness that is buried beneath a varying degree of worldly baggage and sinful predispositions. Church is not a sanctuary of perfection, it's a gathering of works in progress. Not our own work, mind you. We surrender daily, and the Holy Spirit works tirelessly to draw the righteousness of Christ that we have been given out of us, until it begins to spill over into every area of our life. It's a life-long process, but one that is always worth it because God's conception of our existence is so much better than what we could fashion for ourselves.
I sometimes worry as I survey the embittered, polarized landscape of American society how dedicated we Christians are to this approach. At a time when we most need to be allowing the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and transform us into the image of Christ, I fear we are too often resistant because we actually prefer worldliness - the feelings of "owning" and defeating others we view as enemies rather than suffering and sacrificing to free others who are captive to the actual enemy of mankind.
Again, maybe this is just me that needs this reminder. But it's worth saying out loud: holiness matters.
Sanctification matters.
Faithfulness matters.
They are the Christian's only hope for the lasting change we want and the world needs.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Not the Bee or any of its affiliates.
