"I hope that my mom won’t mind, but I am hijacking her blog for a post. I would like to direct this post primarily to the younger readers of this blog; to those who, like me, are facing the tremendous moral pressures and temptations of the time in which we live.
This is the age of easy-believism; when being a Christian costs nothing. It is just another label that we apply to ourselves and it means nothing more than being a blonde or brunette would. Oh sure, there are some stereotypes, but nothing that can’t be proven wrong. With a little effort, the world will see that we Christians aren’t as boring as they think.
Such is the attitude of most of the young people today that call themselves Christians; even in — dare I say it — so-called fundamentalist or conservative circles. They like to throw around Christian terms, put “Jesus” under religion in their myspace profiles, and go on missions trips. But at heart, theirs is a carnal Christianity; a Christianity in name and in resemblance, but not in reality. They look just like the world in their ethical, speech, and entertainment habits, all the while claiming to be different. There is never a thought of self-denial or of giving up anything for God. They want their cake and they want to eat it too; for they think that Christ’s death has atoned for their flirtation with the world. They are silent when they should speak because they fear what might be thought of them. There is no real love for God or it would not be so.
It is the very ease of calling yourself a Christian today that makes being a true Christian so difficult. But don’t be fooled: this is not the first time in history when it has been hard to truly follow Christ. All through the ages, men have made a choice to follow God, and that choice was not comfortable. Hebrews 11 demonstrates that clearly enough. Think of all the great movers and shakers for God that God used to shape our modern world. Calvin, Tyndale, Luther, Huss, Livingston, Spurgeon, and the list goes on. Was one of these men quiet about their Lord? Did they exercise their Christian “freedom” and dabble in the world? No! They shook the world because they feared God more than they feared men and they loved him more than they loved themselves. They proclaimed with their lives that only God matters.
This is not the day and time where we should be quiet, weak, and easy Christians. God calls us to be courageous Christians! It will be hard, but Christ calls us to a hard, rough-and-tumble Christianity which is not daunted by peer pressure or the devil’s far worse things. God will use those who have boldness and who will not deny him by their silence (for silence is denial). Don’t be afraid to be considered a fanatic or a radical. I have feared that far too long, and with God’s help, no longer. Let us go forward together as a generation that is not afraid of the world or our Christian peers; that is not afraid to deny ourselves; that is not afraid to be sold out; and that can proclaim like those that went before us, “only God matters.” Let us see what God can do with such Christians.
-Sam"
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