BECOMING OBVIOUS

(Post by: Lilly Hobbs)

Christians seem to think that they have to “hide” that they are a believer when they are around people at school, work, the gym, or sometimes even in their own home. Have you noticed this before?

Maybe, you are familiar with this concept because you have done it before.

Things like not wearing that “Christian” shirt that quotes a Bible verse because you’re afraid somebody will make fun of you for it. Or could it be that you don’t read your Bible on your lunch break, but instead scroll through your news app so that you don’t look like that weird, over-dedicated person of faith? All while making up an excuse in your head that your school doesn’t allow kids to wear that kind of stuff, or that your boss will be upset with you.

To be truthful, we probably all play the pretend game on a daily basis. I’m going to be bold and say that we typically do it without even noticing that we trying to hide that we believe in Jesus.

1 John 3:9-10 has really been working on my heart for the past week or so and I’d like to look at it with you. It says “Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because His seed remains in Him; he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. This is how God’s children and the devil’s children become obvious. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister.”

We could get into so many deep things here, but the main thing I keep coming back to is how God’s children are supposed to become obvious just like the devil’s children are.

I mean, you don’t see the people out there rioting right now trying to hide that they support the organization BLM, Antifa, abortion, and all kinds of evil stuff, do you? Do you know why they do that? Because they want you to know what they stand for. They want to be obvious.

They wear all the shirts and pretty much destroy everything in sight.

My question for believers today is this: What is wrong with us? If we have been born of God, then why are we so afraid to become obvious?

I’ve met many Christians across the country who are fearful that they will be persecuted for speaking up and doing what is right, but what is the point in believing in something that doesn’t require you to take risks? Taking risks proves that you would die for that very thing you believe.

We really like to say that we’re different, right? That people can just “see” Jesus in us. Well, that may be the case for some, and I certainly pray it is the case for The Few. However, I’ve met a lot of Christians who have fooled themselves into thinking that people really can see Jesus in them when the reality is, they can’t. They were fooled when they made that their excuse not to share the Gospel, and they believe that it’s true because they have been faking it for so long.

It’s a mind game that most of us don’t want to fight. We have allowed the enemy to convince us that we are the ones who have to run and hide.

James 4:17 says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

To not sin is to do the right thing, y’all. Let me make this super simple and clear… If it isn’t obvious that we are Christian’s to the people around us, then that is a problem. A big problem.

There’s a song that I’ve been listening to by NEEDTOBREATHE that says,

“I know that I’m found
And I can’t keep from hidin’
I don’t have a choice
But I get stuck decidin’
I am a man in need of
A constant revival”

The Church of 2020 cannot afford to be stuck “deciding” whether or not we will take a stand against sin. We are called to make it transparently obvious that we will do what is right even if it is not the popular thing to do. We don’t have a choice anymore.

I have no doubt that there would be a constant revival if you and I became obvious, fervent, radical lovers of Jesus and were willing to take some risks for the things we say that we believe.

Start proving it by living the Gospel out in your everyday life, no matter what you think other people think.

“People who are not prepared to do unpopular things and to defy clamor are not fit to be Ministers in times of stress.”   (Winston Churchill)

SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

= Do the people in your life actually know that you’re a Christian?

= Has there been a time where you got stuck deciding instead of just doing it?

= What are you going to do differently?