Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

I am slightly embarrassed to say that after taking an overview of my blog and noticing that everything I write about is slightly controversial and/or tough to swallow, I actually considered purposely writing a post on something much more subdued - an easy to read, feel good piece. From the name of my post today -"Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice" - it would appear that I was successful in this endeavor, but don't be fooled, for when I pondered on a delightful subject matter, all I heard was the sound of crickets. The truth is,  as the subtitle of my Blog "My Heart in Text" tells you, what makes it into my blog is what is resounding in my heart at that moment, and my heart is generally not a 24/7 party, y'all.  It is full of hard questions, concerns, passions, etc. and the things that bubble up the most are what make it into writing. Today's post can be blamed on David Platt, as his book Follow Me: A Call to Die.  A Call to Live. is stabbing at my heart, furrowing my brow and just all around causing me conviction.  So...here goes!

Sugar and spice and everything nice - those words do NOT encompass Christianity. Have we watered down the gospel? Is the church responsible for creating designer christians that wear the faith when it is popular, but toss it just as soon as someone snubs their taste? Has the gospel been turned into a feel good movement that has people thinking their commitment (I use this word loosely) will never be tested? Even more scary, when Christ divides the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32), will we the Church, be standing there feeling responsible for their false security? Will some of them point their fingers at me while screaming, "She told me this is all I had to do to go to heaven?" I cringe. Literally - I just shivered inside. How do we share a faith that offers more hope than humanly possible, yet requires a life sacrificed? 

Picture this scenario: lady is sitting on her couch, wringing her hands, needing hope in the worst way. Just then, a salesperson knocks on her door. When she opens it, the salesperson asks her if she is in the market for hope. She can barely contain herself, "Why yes I am!", she says with delight! The salesperson tells her that this is her lucky day, as he has the solution to her problem. He pulls out a large metal contraption then lights it on fire. All she has to do is lay down on the fire and then she'll have more hope than she could ever ask for! The lady gasps, "But I'll surely die!" "Well, yes...", says the salesman, "but you will also surely have hope!" 

Door is slam shut. 

I do not blame this lady, I would slam the door, too. However, this is the Christian faith. Christ says, "Take up your cross and follow me."( Luke 9:23 ) We must be "crucified with Christ"( Galations 2:20 ) so that we may live. So, how do we encourage those seeking ultimate hope to trust Christ with their lives? What could the salesperson have done differently? For starters, he could have laid down on the fire himself. Awkward? Yes. Uncomfortable? Definitely. Would it have shown the lady that hope is possible? For sure!

We are called to make disciples. However, if we want others to follow Christ, we must follow him first - truly follow him.  We must follow his example and follow his lead. If we want others to trust Christ, we must trust him first. If we expect to make disciples, then we must first be true disciples ourselves. We need to pick up our crosses. We need to live out our lives for others to see - yes, even the struggles. If the Church is producing watered down Christianity - the result is watered down Christians. It is our responsibility to be a tree that produces good fruit!



To get Follow Me by David Platt, follow the link below - Enjoy!