the basic message #E214

11/11/03

We Americans like "models".  Whether it be a "model" home, a "model" employee or a "supermodel", we just like to have some sort of standard to meet.  Who is your model Christian?  Perhaps you've never considered the question- most people haven't.  Before we can begin to structure what the model Christian is, we need to link to the past.  2000 years in the past, to be exact.  You see, many people want to completely re"model" what a Christian is supposed to be, but you and I should know that we can only use the original as the standard, that being Jesus Christ, of course.  While this should be a no-brainer, it's not quite that simple.  Using Jesus Christ as the standard puts a crimp in our various styles, therefore, we have quietly decided that good old Jesus is sort of old-fashioned about life in 2003.  I find it hypocritically funny that high profile church leaders in America love to take pot-shots at homosexuals by pulling up Holy Scriptures to support their position.  If they want to do that, fine, but they shouldn't pick and choose the Scriptures that suit their personal agenda.  The Old Testament is just as damning on adultery and greed, but as long as many "good" Christian leaders themselves are guilty of these two sins, they'll just continue to downplay them. But enough of this- let's consider the model Christian.

First of all, my ideal Christian might be different than yours, and although some variation is possible due to our personality differences, we should still be fairly close overall.  Here's what I'd see if a "perfect" Christian came along:

He would first of all be marked by a calm and peaceful demeanor.  Although the person would be a hard worker, he wouldn't be like so many in our society that are going full-steam continuously.  He would display dignity in action and speech, not using profanities or telling off-color jokes.  In essence, he would be considered a "class act".  He would always be willing to share with those around him that are less fortunate.  This wouldn't be limited to money, rather he would be just as willing to provide his time or other resources needed to help others.  He would be faithful to regular worship- not just to show-off, but to enter into a time of communal worship with others to connect with God as a community of believers.  While a person could certainly be a model Christian and never set foot in a church, I think it's important to gather as a faith community.  He would very noticeably not speak ill of other people or situations.  This doesn't mean that he would lie or misrepresent the facts, but he would simply try to focus on the positive in all that he says.  Remember the old saying, "If you don't have anything good to say, then don't say anything"?  There's a lot of wisdom in that old quote.  He would also go over and above the call of duty in staying married to his original spouse.  This might strike some folks odd, but there is a growing trend for "good Christians" to simply bail-out on a marriage that's not perfect, often times ending up in a marriage not as good as the first.  If he is a parent, then he shouldn't rely on telling his children how to live, rather he should show them how to live.  How could a father have any credibility in telling his son not to cheat on his tests at school while he, the father, is cheating on his taxes?   How can a mother try to raise her precious little girl to be a lady while she, the mother, is swilling a beer and talking like a sailor?  It just doesn't work, folks.

What are some other characteristics of a model Christian?  Mercy is a quality Jesus possessed, but how often do you see that in our society?  Some years ago when the "boat people" were invading America, many of my friends took a hard-line view of the situation.  While talking to one man, I said, "come on, if there was a little boy sitting in the front of that boat with tears in his eyes, could you turn that boat around and send them back?"  His answer:  "In a heartbeat".  That conversation haunts me to this day.  Where is the mercy?  How about this one:  Americans love the death penalty, yet we have seen dozens, if not hundreds of cases in which the person on death row has been found innocent through DNA evidence.  You and I know that we've executed some innocent people in our time, but how many of you are concerned about that?  Again, where is the mercy? 

Few of us would argue that love was the foundation of what Jesus preached, yet how well do you rank in loving others?  I'm not talking about your wife or children- I'm talking about total strangers.  If you're white, do you truly love all black people?  Or if you're black, do you love all white people?  I'm working on that one, but I still struggle.  I think if there is anything that will sentence a person to Hell, it's refusing to try to love others.  I know people who refuse, and you do too.  Maybe you're one of them.  Do you think Heaven will be segregated?  If so, then you will likely never get to find out.  We love to quote, "For God so loved the world", yet we somehow think we're exempt from this very fundamental of what God wants.  Go figure.  Loving others can take on some unusual characteristics when we really think about it.  Here in Louisiana, we're about to elect a new governor.  We're down to the wire on the runoff, and I'm undecided on who to vote for.  On the one hand, candidate "A" seems to be sharp, focused and can likely move the state forward.  The problem is that his governorship will most likely benefit those who are already doing fine economically, like myself.  The other candidate doesn't seem to have as good of a plan to move the state forward, but seems to care for all people.  Her governorship would most likely offer more benefits to the poor, therefore shifting the financial burden to people like me.  My heart tells me to vote for candidate "B", but the logical side of me says to vote "A".  The only thing I can do is take Jesus with me to vote and hope he pulls the right lever.  How often does Jesus get to vote with you?  Let's take it a step further- how often does Jesus get to make any decision in your life? 

You will notice that I've not listed any scriptural references for any of the above model Christian characteristics.  Generally I find that if a person rejects this type of teaching, they will justify their actions whether scripture is present or not.  If you'd like the references for this teaching, please email me at basicchristian@aol.com

Thank you.