Is Christianity still relevant today? II
Today’s reflection is a continuation of yesterday’s article: Is Christianity still relevant today? This is my attempt to answer the questions that surfaced in one of the Alpha courses my esteemed church leader is involved with.
- Why is it challenging at a lot of times to hear His voice / guidance / advice?
God can and is willing to speak to anyone whose heart is open to Him. He is actively looking for ways to communicate with men so that they may walk in the ways of righteousness and prosper. However, the difficulty lies in men not always registering His voice (Job 33:14). Hence, God is always exploring various avenues to get men’s attention. He speaks through thoughts and intuition, dreams and through godly people.
For one to hear God accurately and converse with Him has very little to do with technique. But more so, it has to do with posture of the heart, the pace of life as well as one’s level of maturity. Nevertheless, most people prefer to call upon God on a demand basis for guidance, for they are not willing to know Him as Lord but only as a divine counsellor.
Having said, God desires to commune with those who are agreed on the fundamentals of life. God said, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed” Amos 3:3. Consider the way people choose friends, they prefer those who have similar values and beliefs. However, God actively reaches out to those who are humble, and those who hunger for His fellowship.
The posture of the heart
When it comes to communicating with God, the posture of the heart is the most important element. God rejects those who are proud and evil except to warn them of the consequences that lie ahead. The following questions test the posture of our hearts:
- Do I respect authority and the rules that undergird the community?
- Do I revere God and seek His face?
- Do I put the interests of the community or organization above my personal benefit?
- Am I sensitive to the needs of my parents and family members?
- Am I humble and transparent concerning my weaknesses?
- Do I heed the voice of my conscience?
- Am I trustworthy and reliable?
God is drawn to one whose values and beliefs resonate with His; He desires fellowship and will share His deepest thoughts with him. In an adjacent passage, God said, “Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets” Amos 3:7.
The pace of life
Those who rush from place to place, and who cannot endure a moment of tranquility and solitude cannot have a profound conversation with anybody much less God. It is hard to read the road signs if you are speeding down the street. Similarly, it is difficult to make out what God is saying if you are accustomed to rushing through life. The pangs of anxiety, the impatience, and the headiness of adrenaline, dull our sensitivity and sensibility towards God’s still small voice. Start each day by asking God for two things that needed special attention. In doing so, we regulate and synchronize our pace to the tempo of the Spirit and hear His voice more clearly.
Level of maturity
While an adult can converse with a teenager, but it is never the same as communicating with a fellow adult because of differing levels of maturity and depth of experience. Similarly, for a less mature person, his conversations with God are mainly focused on personal needs. Whereas for a mature person, they talk about issues that concern the society, as well as his role in the future plans of God. The depth and complexity of each conversation differ from person to person in accordance to their maturity. By reading and meditating on the Bible regularly, we increase our level of wisdom and maturity to engage God in a meaningful way.
- Why Christians are so centric to try to get together themselves only? * exclusive. Can they be more acceptable, easy to mingle with?
Christians, like normal people, tend to gravitate towards those who are likeminded. When a person becomes a Christian, he adopts God’s ideals and lives according to God’s principles and goals. He changes the way he converses with others, the way he clothes and packages himself, as well as the places he frequents. His passions and desires starts to change for he no longer seek the riches and pleasures of the world. Hence, Christians naturally bunch together in order to find fellowship because they are likeminded.
However, such a behavior may give a false impression of a holier form of living that belongs only to Christians. Having said, there are many non-Christians who share similar values apart from recognizing Jesus as Lord. Therefore, I exalt Christians to make values of love and mutual respect as the medium to connect with “likeminded” people of other faiths. Christians should seek commonality with people through moral values like: justice, charity, wisdom, and a shared identity as a people under one nation. Christians must recognize that they do not have all the answers to abundant living. Christians must also learn to appreciate and learn from the wisdom of other religions.
In the days of the gospels, the Jews kept themselves apart from the community at large. However, Jesus mingled with people especially with those who are considered as sinners, and dishonest tax collectors. Jesus judges not according to one’s religious affiliation, social status, moral status or race, but the posture of the heart. Likewise, Christians must learn not to categorize people as Christians or non-Christians but to cherish their sincerity and contributions to the society.
- What if my whole family are Buddhists, they will feel betrayed for my exploring or accepting Christ?
Family members are concern that if you change your household religion, you may also change your familial allegiance. However, if you position your decision to explore Christianity as a means to better the lives of the family, they will soon realize their fears are unfounded. A Christian is in an ordained position to contribute to the family in the following:
- in breaking the curse of sickness and poverty in Jesus’ name,
- in providing words of wisdom and direction through the prophetic gift, and
- to bring peace and prosperity into the family.
Knowing that family members are actually looking for familial allegiance and not for religious conformity, the Christian should carefully consider how he should behave when it comes to communal worship of household gods. It is important to note that a conversion in a family should result in a blessing not a curse, peace and not chaos. Thus, much patience is needed for the Christian blessing to unravel and grow. Hence, the Christian must do all to explain to the family elders that his decision is for the blessing of the whole family and not for personal gain.
- Why Christians need to go through prosecutions?
Not only Christians go through prosecutions, but those who stand for the truth. Lukewarm and worldly Christians are seldom prosecuted because they have no convictions of their own. The devil will prosecute those who seek to establish justice and mercy in the family and society. Christians are prosecuted in many parts of the world because they are perceived to be incorruptible. Some of them having declared their allegiance towards Christ are ostracized in the civil service because they refuse to participate in the chain of corruption.
- Why should one choose Christianity over other religion?
If the goal of life is to become a better person, then, Christianity is not the only avenue to achieve it. Buddhist and Taoist teachings contain much wisdom for living. However, if the goal is reconciliation with God, deliverance from the curses of sicknesses and poverty, and to overcome the lust of the flesh, Christ is the only way. Nevertheless, on the day of judgment, all true worshipers of the God regardless of their earthly religious heritage will converge at the throne of Christ.
- How can I know when God is speaking to me? Eg. whether a person is enlightening me by coincidence or whether it is through his / her that God speaks to me.
When God speaks to you, there will be a resonance within your conscience or a sense of enlightenment if you will. A sure way to ascertain if it is God speaking or if it is just a “coincidence” is to draw reference to the Bible. God speaks primarily to reconcile men to Himself and to turn them to the ways of righteousness. The word of God will stir within your spirit a desire to draw near to God, a sense of unconditional love, a desire for repentance and a hope towards a prosperous future.