“For to this you have
been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so
that you might follow in his steps." I
Peter 2:22
Quoted in a forgotten song and published in a
book which gathers dust on a shelf is a weighty axiom from Brennan Manning. He asserts, "The greatest single cause
of atheism in the world today are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their
lips and then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what
an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” And, my brothers and sisters in Christ, this
declaration is regrettably all too accurate.
The standards and practices of Christians have
left the church and its congregations without a creditable response to this statement. For this reason, our young are being
questioned. They are being
challenged. They are being grilled. Why do you follow an ancient antiquated
message ignored by modern refined intellectuals? Why do you accept a faith that is obviously
rejected in the actions of its adherents?
How are our children and youth to respond? Do many of us not make decisions that refute
our faith claims? Do we not often rely
on our own selves? In the classic novel,
In His Steps, Charles Sheldon’s
characters are confronted, after singing the hymn All for Jesus, with the question, do you really want to give it all
to Jesus? They are challenged to pledge
themselves to “…earnestly and honestly for an entire year, not to do anything
without first asking the question, “What would Jesus Do? And after asking that
question, each one will follow Jesus as exactly as he knows how, no matter what
the result.”
If each of us were to follow the example of
Jesus… to dive deep into His Word and find out exactly how to live in his
steps, how would this change the social order… how would it changes the life of
the youth who gather within the church walls.
How much more prepared would each one of us be to answer the questions posed
by our society?