Am I a Fake?

Last night’s LF talk was from Luke 12:1-12 and it asked the really big question Am I a Fake Christian?

Here are a few cuts from that.

Opening Story: (I decided not to publish a link to this blog)

bye kids. tired of church and its abuse of people’s lives. tired of God and what he allows his commissioned followers to do in his beloved son’s name. tired of bad dreams and newsletter scraps from churches gone by. tired of compliance-based "christians" selling real estate in heaven to which they don’t have the deed. tired of finding myself fighting back tears during worship, not because of what Christ did for me, but because of whatever flashback hits me triggered by a hymn, a verse, or the way someone looks at me. tired of being a failure in the eyes of so many. tired of the quiet dark speculating time during the night when i consider whether it was a mistake to leave youth ministry. tired of preaching to the choir and stroking ego’s as a means to an end that i’m not that sure of myself. tired of hailing a new class of "emerging" celebrities. tired of pretending things are ok. tired of apologizing in my sleep to hundreds of former youth across the country for being part of the machine that is truly full of *edit*.

and tired of the church as it stands.

— when God wants me back he can *edit* well ask.

            

This is the way he describes himself:

No longer a Christian. I thirst for the experiential faith I knew before seminary, before the propositions and peer-pressured altar calls. When passion was stupid but somehow right. When I prayed for someone out of sheer compulsion, not because I was paid for it. When I didn’t care what anyone thought, except my best friend and my dog. The cold wet grass of camp, after a late night of teenage theology swapping. When future and potential tumbled out and was replaced anew with every breath. When Jesus was my savior, not my attorney. With faith as a child. I feel it once in a while and it is glorious. I want more. I want more.

My question for you is the same as it was for him? Did he have faith at all?

I think what helps me not attack Andy, like most of my other “Youth Ministry friends” have, is that I can see myself doing the same thing… bolting. Sometimes I wonder if I have “enough faith” to withstand the peeks and valleys of a life with Jesus.

The reality is that there will come a time in each of our lives where we will have to decide… this faith in Christ… is it worth holding onto?

Or will I bolt?

Will I pretend to not know him?

Here’s the reality… I think that for most of you… that decision needs to be made now.

When life gets tough… are you going to get goin?

And here are the takeaways. You can know you aren’t fake or a hypocrite, that you are an authentic Christian by observing these 4 things from Luke 12.

– Be authentic(v. 8)

– Be transparent (v. 11)

– Be public (v. 2-3)

– Be sincere (v. 6-7)