Okay, we all know them
The Christians who fake the funk
The Christians who phone in their relationship with God as though he had no other options
Gross right?
But what if you are a Sunday Christian and don’t realize it?
Just What Is A Sunday Christian?
A Sunday Christian is a metaphor used to define someone who only goes to church on Sundays, but then does whatever they want the rest of the week
Translation: People who call themselves Christians but give little regard for how God would want them to live, usually thinking they can just ask forgiveness for whatever they do
Okay yes, God forgives sin, but, would you want to be close to someone who constantly did things that hurt and offended you, even though they knew their actions would cause you pain?
In this same way, we should honor our relationship with God with gratitude and joy, not constantly trample on it with the thought that God will forgive us whenever our consciences catch up to us
1 Peter 2:16
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God
Feel Good Assumptions Are Not Knowledge Of God’s Character
No matter who you talk to, most Christians see God as a loving, just being that forgives sin and gives hope to the lost
Yes, this is totally true!
But God is also the one who struck people dead for lying in his presence, and who hates sin so much that he died as a man to overcome it!
Acts 5:1-5
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened
If read out of context, one might think this sounds like something from the Old Testament, since “back then” God handed out smitings, earthquakes, plagues, and sudden deaths like Burger King hands out weird, misguided commercials
But the truth is, most people have no idea how much God hates sin, ie: how much he hates the things they choose over a relationship with him
And, as most Christians don’t like to think, we will have to give account for everything we have done in our lives that we have not laid down fully and walked away from–remember that God gave us the power to completely overcome sin, not just resist it every once in a while or for that first week after we hear a new great speaker
Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account
(Note that the writer of this passage was talking to believers, not unsaved people with no relationship with God)
Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God
Indian Giver Christian Receiver
The racist reference is awful, I am Native American myself, but the point stands: Christians take the amazing gifts of God and then give them away for no good reason!
Okay, so imagine you are Jesus (work with me here)
You humble yourself to become a man, and then give your life as a sacrifice to provide mankind the ability to overcome sin and death through God’s power, and also to have their sins be forgiven
A pretty awesome gift to give all of us right?
But, what wouldn’t be all that awesome, would be to watch people only accept the idea of everlasting life in heaven and clear consciences, then turn and exchange the real gift for the very thing that it was designed to overcome: sin
Uh, not quite working as intended…
The reality is, as much as people talk about Indian Givers, Christian Receivers are even worse!
Christians: The Poorest Billionaires
Imagine someone contacting you one day, with the news that you are heir to a billion dollar fortune, you would be elated and totally happy right?
After getting over the initial shock, you would be so excited to get out there and make your dreams come true and probably the dreams of all your friends too!
But imagine, even with the tingling joy of all that sudden money running through you, instead of running to the bank and cashing that billion dollar check, you decide to just not bother and continue on with your life as if nothing had ever happened. But oddly enough, you still go around bragging that you are the heir to a billion dollar fortune–even though you never touched a dime of it!
Sounds crazy right?
Unfortunately, that is exactly what most Christians do with the gift of salvation they are given
They go around talking about, it but don’t actually have it in the bank–salvation is not something to be taken for granted and requires work to obtain, it is not a one-time instant process
Philippians 2:12
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling
Lemmings Off A Cliff
Do lemmings know they are about to plunge to their deaths off of a cliff as they run frantically?
Who knows
But, any Christian who doesn’t give respect to God and honor him with their lives is running off one
They either see it but go off anyways (ie: marrying people they know aren’t Christians, holding on to sinful things they know are wrong, etc…), or they are ignorant and won’t know what happened when they do a terminal crash landing (ie: not understanding God’s character enough to know that what they are doing is wrong or they just flat out ignore their consciences)
Hosea 4:5-6
You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother—my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children”
Corinthians 4:41
My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me
The Kiss Mask Of Death
The saddest part about being a Sunday Christian, is that they have no idea they aren’t walking a life of peace and unity with God, they worship and pray to a God they don’t know and one who doesn’t know them as friends, just posers
Romans 10:2
For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge
Matthew 7:21-29
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matthew 15:8-9
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men
How Do I Stop Being A Sunday Christian And Truly Know God?
The good news, is that it is simple to not be a Sunday Christian
Some easy steps to get back on the bus:
- Stop leading your life by the principle of: “I can do what I want because God will forgive me”
- Listen when your conscience says not to do something
- Remember that God loves and adores you more than anything, and wants to be intimate friends, not just a doormat who clears your conscience when you choose to do something wrong
- Tithe meaningfully with both your time and money by personally helping others, don’t just drop your excess into the collection plate
- Stay close to good Christian friends who hold you accountable and don’t let you permanently wear a Sunday Christian mask
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