A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to watch part of CNN’s “God’s Warriors” documentary. I only caught a couple of episodes, but they apparently covered everything from evangelical Christians to followers of Islam.
There was a quote from a New Jersey woman that stuck with me. It went something like this (I’m paraphrasing): “Many people go to church once a week and that is their religion. Islam is not just a religion for me; it is a way of life.”
It would be easy for me to simply write off her comments as legalistic criticisms or a misunderstanding of Christianity. Brutal honesty requires a much more serious assessment of her words. I wonder if this follower if Islam has brilliantly described the problem with much of modern-day Christianity. How many of her “Christian” friends live exactly how she described—visiting church once in a while, but otherwise demonstrating none of the character of Christ in their lives?
Consider Jesus’ description of discipleship:
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
-Luke 9:23
Notice the word “daily.” Jesus did not shed His precious blood so that we could go to church once a week. His sacrifice was made so that we could know God and have a completely different way of life.
What difference does Christ make in your life from day to day? What would this young woman say about my life or yours? Is Christ just our “religion,” or do we live a radically different kind of life because of Him?
We should all make our religion our way of life. It has to be that God is the center of our lives because He IS.. It is also not a sin to go to church only once a week. that is because that is the minimum asked by God from us. but if we can-and we surely can-go to church daily, we should!
Hi Harold. I’m not saying it is a sin to attend worship only once a week. I’m saying that following Jesus is something we should do 24/7, not just one hour a week.