“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world…” John 17:15
Growing up, I came to realise there was a certain wariness Christians had towards the world. In the late 80’s and early 90’s there was a conservative section of the church that emphasised abstinence from all things ‘secular’ to a fault. If you want an interesting look into that world you can check out Katy Perry’s movie – in many ways it pushed her to pursue pop and abandon her parent’s convictions.
As far as the Bible goes, however, Jesus never wanted people to be separated from the world. In fact, he says later on in the passage above “I have sent them into the world”.
There should not be any kind of divide between Christianity and humanity. Making a decision to know Jesus is one of the most human things you can do. Relationship with God was the original design for our beings.
Divided by differences
But unfortunately religion has sought to highlight the differences in people rather than be more intentional in connecting with them. The result is a fractured society – with one side ‘playing church’ and trying to live up to the standards religion has assigned to the label ‘Christian’, while the other side is desperately looking for love while being rejected by the very people that are meant to give it.
This struggle has frustrated me for over a decade. Being in a Christian school that was a ministry of the church my parents were part of, I was constantly in a ‘Christian’ environment, but saw no relevance in what we did. The fear of certain people in authority of things that seemed ‘worldly’ also made us as children extremely fearful of those who did not share our beliefs – or completely rebellious in many cases.
What would Jesus do?
Jesus was intentional about hanging with people that weren’t religious. He ate with tax collectors (corrupt Jewish leaders that cheated their own people in the name of Rome), prostitutes, beggars and thieves. This upset the religious people of the day because Jesus cared more about those who needed help than those who were doing ‘all the right things’. The problem lay in their focus:
- Jesus focussed on others
- They focussed on themselves
Knowing Jesus means loving people despite of their beliefs, actions, status or difference to you. I have met many people who simply want nothing to do with God because of how they have been treated by ‘Christians’ who have the wrong focus. The goal is not to quarantine yourself until Jesus comes so you can go to heaven. That is a pretty sorry way to live. The goal is to love and express God’s heart for EVERYONE while you still have the opportunity.
If Christianity has left a bad taste in your mouth. If you have been offended or alienated by people claiming to know Jesus, I want to apologise. No matter how much they may try to deceive themselves, no one is perfect except Jesus himself. I hope people’s human fault won’t be the barrier that keeps you from knowing the most relevant force of love you will ever encounter. Jesus cares about you and wants you to know it. If you want to know what true Christianity is truly about, click on the link to find out more.