A Bad Rap

Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) Says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

When a person accepts Jesus Christ, as their personal Lord and Savior, they become a new creature in Christ. As such, others should be able to see the fruits of the Spirit being demonstrated in their actions, and the love of Christ shining through them.

I've had many people share with me that they have met some Christians that after having had a conversation with them or by having observed their behavior left them with no desire to be a part of Christianity. When I hear anyone say this, it breaks my heart. It is a terrible shame that there are self-proclaimed Christians who go about their daily lives behaving in a manner that is far from Christ-like.

Some of the people I have spoken with that have shared a bad experience with a self-proclaimed Christian felt as though the individual they met possessed a "holier than thou" attitude. Others have shared with me that they view Christians as nothing more than "a bunch of hypocrites." Behaving in any manner that indicates we feel we are better than another human being does not fit who we are as born again believers, and followers of Jesus Christ. I've had some tell me they've had an encounter with a Christian who pointed out to them how horrible the sin they committed was, and how unhappy God was about it. It is important that we remember God's Word tells us that no sin is greater than another, and that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All includes each and every human being in existence. It is also important that we remind ourselves that God created each and every human being in his own image, and that we should never look down upon anyone. I've also heard from people who say they've met Christians who took verses of scripture and threw them in their direction like darts; while standing on their soap box. Some have shared with me that they have had Christians witness to them about Christ whose own manner of living was nothing more than hypocritical. None of this behavior fits who we are in Christ, and none of it is pleasing to God.

In the above verses of scripture we are given the fruits of the Spirit, and these things are what others should clearly see in us. We are to love one another as God loves us, and we are to be of a peaceful Spirit as Jesus left us with his divine peace which passes all understanding before he ascended into Heaven. We should be gentle, kind, and long-suffering following the examples Jesus set for us while he was here on earth in the flesh. We should also demonstrate that we are of strong faith, and be slow to anger. It is important also that we are humble. Remember one of the ways in which Jesus demonstrated the fact that he was a humble servant was by washing the disciples feet. If Jesus Christ can wash the feet of his disciples then we being mere human beings should have no problem following in his footsteps as humble servants.

Behavior of the sort I listed above, demonstrated by self-proclaimed Christians does so much damage, and it is far from Christ-like. It is behavior like this that has given Christianity a bad rap. I encourage you to examine yourself and to be honest with yourself about some of the areas in your life that fail to match up with the fruits of the Spirit, and what being Christian should truly look like. I urge you to make a list of those things, and to go to God in prayer asking him to help you correct what needs correcting. It is vital that we do so because as Christians we are to be witnesses for Christ in the hope that we can lead the lost to accept him as their personal Lord and Savior. The manner in which we live our personal lives on a day to day basis is our greatest testimony, and lost people are watching us.

When others have an encounter with you, what do they witness? Do they experience love, kindness, gentleness, humility, compassion, and other Christ-like characteristics; or do they see someone with a "holier than thou" attitude, standing on a soap box ready to judge them?  How do you treat other people in general? Do others see the love of Christ shining through you? Do they see you walking in God's divine peace? Do they see joy on your face, and in your life? Do they witness you handle storms that arise in a calm, Christ-like manner? Or do they witness you exhibit anger and bitterness when something upsets you? Do you have things in your life that could cause a non-believer to view you as a hypocrite; or does your walk line up with who you profess to be in Christ?

If you have gotten off track and find yourself falling short in living out your Christian life in a manner that makes clear who you are in Christ and that the Holy Spirit dwells within you, then I urge you to go to God in prayer and ask him to help you work on the areas in your life that need work. I encourage you to be a witness for Christ that demonstrates the fruits of the Spirit, and the his love. When we live our lives in a manner that reflects Christ, people notice something different about us, and this true Christian behavior compels them to want what we have. Self-righteous, hypocritical behavior runs people away from the Lord in lieu of drawing them to him; which is what we as Christians should be striving to do. Jesus didn't scream and yell at people, he didn't talk about them behind their backs, he didn't betray his friends, he didn't gossip, he didn't ignore those in need; or act as though he was above them, and he is Jesus Christ. He didn't talk and teach one path, and then walk another. There are many examples of how we are to behave toward others as Christians, set by Jesus himself that are documented within the pages of God's Word. I urge you to follow the examples he set for us on how we are to walk out our lives as Christians, and to be one who demonstrates to the world what true Christian behavior looks like.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!