Acts 4:1-4; Acts 14: 19-20
Over the years I have had a number of people who were searching for a church to tell me something very revealing about their concept of Christianity. Those who said such things were good Christian people and the thing they were desiring is something that is very difficult to find in today’s world. Genuinely devoted Christians would say: “I just want to be a member of a “New Testament” church. I understood what they were saying and my heart would go out to them in compassion because I sensed that they were truly desiring a closer walk with the Lord than they presently possessed. For one to say that they want to be in a “New Testament” church reveals to me that they don’t understand the New Testament church at all.
The essential elements of Christianity have not changed and never will but the way we practice our faith has slowly abandoned characteristics which were present in the New Testament church. Several things should be considered to make my point. First, it took much more dedication to be a member of a New Testament church than it does today. Those people didn’t simply walk an aisle and “invite Jesus into their heart.” They were more committed to their belief than we can ever imagine in our present day. The early Christians were Jewish people who had to have faith in Jesus but they also had to be ready to give up everything in order to be a Christian. It cost them their jobs, their families and their method of worship that they had known all their lives. Their friends could not understand them and they lost them also. Becoming a follower of Jesus caused their whole lives to be turned upside down (Acts 4:1-4). They essentially had to start over in many areas of their lives. It was not easy to decide to become a Christian in the early New Testament Church when their whole life was interrupted by their new found faith in Jesus Christ. They gave up all they knew to be a Christian and the churches were filled with people who had made such commitments. Even a casual reading of the New Testament will reveal the level of commitment it took to be a Christian in the early church.
Preachers of today quote and expound upon passages of scripture that came from the pen of the Apostle Paul without ever realizing the depth of commitment of the life of the man from whom those words originated. Think of the times Paul was persecuted, jailed, beaten and stoned but he kept on keeping on (Acts 14:19-20). We read his words today and it is easy for us to do so. People listen to sermons and make notes to be studied but then they essentially continue to live a Christian life which is only of a shadow of what Paul’s level of commitment and dedication were.
In addition to what has been said, let me add that our present-day level of Christianity is only a shadow of what we were like in as recent a time as the 1700’s and 1800’s. A preacher by the name of George Whitfield traveled from Europe to preach to vast crowds in America. Now, he didn’t have the beautiful sanctuaries of today. He preached in an open field to as many as 10,000 people without the aid of electronic voice amplification. People would come from as far away at 150-200 miles to hear this great man of God preach. He was not a showman who held their attention with antics but a man who was rather dry in his delivery. He read his sermons from a manuscript. He did not have a dynamic sermonic delivery but the people came in horse and wagon or by horseback to hear him. They also stayed a long time at the meeting. Those meetings sometime lasted several weeks hence the term “camp meeting.” They couldn’t come all those miles for a sermon or two, so they, along with many others set up a camp and stayed until the preacher moved on to another area of the country. They “camped out” and stayed a long time to hear the Word of God.
In today’s world, it is hard to get people to drive a new automobile only a few blocks and consistently come to church and worship the Lord. It’s like pulling hen’s teeth at times. But, there is no problem getting them to buy expensive tickets, drive many miles and attend a University of GA football game even if it is raining “cats and dogs.” They aren’t going to let a little rain keep them from the game! Those same people, calling themselves dedicated Christians, will find a way to rationalize staying home from worship if there is a heavy fog hanging low on Sunday. I recently watched a Georgia football game and it was raining. Was there an empty seat in the stadium? Why, NO! Every seat was filled and everyone had made provision to deal with the rain. Happy as larks they sat through the rain to watch some fellows try to keep the other team from taking a ball across an imaginary line called a goal line. Now, I love football but that’s an honest description of what they were all dedicated to. I’m sure that all those people were eager to be in church the next day to worship the Lord of Heaven aren’t you? But yet, everyone wants to go to heaven and, somehow, they think they are going to get there.
We have had too much easy-believism preached to us over the past years. And, people are willing to become a Christian if it can be rooted in easy believism. If it won’t interfere very much in their everyday lives then they will make room for it. We should not “make room” for Christianity in our lives. It has to be the center of our being with everything else standing in the shadow of our commitment to the Lord. Our jobs, families and other aspects of our lives are very important, in fact, essential to our lives but they should all be governed and influenced by our first commitment and that is to Jesus Christ who saves us and takes us to heaven when we die.
In times gone by, and not very long ago, a committed Christian was one who came to worship and Bible study at every opportunity and that meant every Sunday and Wednesday evening unless some unforeseen situation kept them from it. Four Sundays a month were set aside for the worship of the God of Heaven and nothing was going to interfere with that commitment. Parents raised their family to follow the Lord and taught them the Bible as well as took them to church to worship. Today, a committed Christian is viewed as one who comes about once or twice a month. They might participate in Bible Study on a consistent basis or they might not. Honoring the Lord with His tithe is no longer considered as they have too many things they have to pay for. They no longer see Sunday evening as a necessary time to worship. That has all but vanished except in a dwindling number of places. These people are more interested in the activities for their children than anything else as they look for a church to attend. A pastor has to understand that he is dealing with people who will always be less than he knows they should be according to the Bible. But yet he does his best to lead them into the righteous living the Bible tells us will please God.
The simple fact is that most people live at the Lowest Common Denominator of the Christian life as if God is pleased that they pay him a little attention once in a while. They come to church and Bible study when they want to; give a little money to support the ministry if they have any left at the end of the month and all the time, they are setting the wrong example for their children who will probably turn out as their parents did in their relationship with the Lord. I am thankful for those in the Church who are faithful to the Lord. They have a positive outlook, a consistent Christian life and an attitude of commitment to Him. They love their Christian Brothers and Sisters and support their Pastor. God gives us those people and they are the ones who keep the Church moving in the right direction.
I would encourage all who consider themselves as Christians to commit themselves to a consistent, dedicated relationship with the Lord through the Church which the Bible tells us is the spiritual Body of Christ on the earth. He will come back one day to receive His own to Himself. Being more than “a least-common denominator” Christian will bring great rewards here on planet earth as well as when He comes to gather His people to Himself and consummate the age.
If you are going to identify with Christ as a Christian and then unite yourself to a Church to serve Him, then do it with commitment and dedication. To do anything else gives a very bad witness concerning your faith in Christ and your relationship to Him. I urge everyone to be more than a “Least-Common Denominator Christian.”
