Christians Don't Have it Better than Anyone Else
Let me tell you about George (not his real name). George is a gentleman that I work with. He and I get along very well, and I really enjoy my conversations with him. George was raised a Roman Catholic. He is married with two kids, but he told me recently that they are not actively practicing their religion. In fact, he has not been to church in quite a while, and doesn't think he will ever go back. When I asked him why, he said to me that when he took a step back and looked at the lives of Christians and the lives of others, he didn't see that the Christians' lives were any different than anyone else's. He told me "Christians don't have it any better than anyone else."
Now, I am not sure what George's definition of "Christian" is, but when I asked him what he meant by "better," he told me that they don't have anything that non-believers don't have. And, of course, this is typical of non-believers (and all too often, believers): confusing the quality of someone's life with the quantity of the things they have or don't have. And I don't blame them for thinking this way. This is exactly what worldly wisdom tells us all. But here is my question: do we Christians encourage this kind of thinking by the way we share our faith?
We have all seen and heard the "health and wealth" preachers. They tell you that if you believe in God, He will bless you with good health and lotsa stuff. If you believe this to be true, I have some news for you: it isn't. It is a lie.
And we need to make that clear to everyone in our own mission field. Yes, I thank Jesus for providing everything that I have, but I do not want to give anyone the impression that Jesus gave me "stuff" just because I believe in Him. I do not want anyone to believe that Jesus will keep you from getting sick, if you just believe in Him, and reserve the illness and disease for the unbelievers. I do not want to give the impression to anyone that because I believe in Jesus, I am exempt from the sufferings and the trials that are common to every man and woman that ever lived.
Because that is not what Jesus promises us. He doesn't ever tell us that anyone who believes in Him will have it any "better" by these standards.
No, we have it better, because we have Him. Even though we struggle to pay our bills like everyone else, the difference between us and them is we have Him Who for our sake became poor. We have it better, because even though this body will get sick, and break down, and eventually die, we know that He was broken and He died for us to guarantee that we would yet live. We have it so much better, because we have a Savior Who is no stranger to pain and suffering, and Who has been tempted in every respect as we are yet without sin, so that in us could be revealed a glory that our sufferings in this life are not even worthy to be compared with.
So, George is right. We don't have it any "better" than anyone else by his standards. We don't have more money, nicer houses, better cars, better health, less stress, less suffering, or less tears.
But George is wrong. We have it infinitely better. Because we know Who gave us what we have. And because we know what is on the other side of our suffering. And because we never cry alone. So we can and should - and we MUST - proclaim to the world that we do, in fact, have it better. But we can't tell them why. We can only tell them Who.
Now, I am not sure what George's definition of "Christian" is, but when I asked him what he meant by "better," he told me that they don't have anything that non-believers don't have. And, of course, this is typical of non-believers (and all too often, believers): confusing the quality of someone's life with the quantity of the things they have or don't have. And I don't blame them for thinking this way. This is exactly what worldly wisdom tells us all. But here is my question: do we Christians encourage this kind of thinking by the way we share our faith?
We have all seen and heard the "health and wealth" preachers. They tell you that if you believe in God, He will bless you with good health and lotsa stuff. If you believe this to be true, I have some news for you: it isn't. It is a lie.
And we need to make that clear to everyone in our own mission field. Yes, I thank Jesus for providing everything that I have, but I do not want to give anyone the impression that Jesus gave me "stuff" just because I believe in Him. I do not want anyone to believe that Jesus will keep you from getting sick, if you just believe in Him, and reserve the illness and disease for the unbelievers. I do not want to give the impression to anyone that because I believe in Jesus, I am exempt from the sufferings and the trials that are common to every man and woman that ever lived.
Because that is not what Jesus promises us. He doesn't ever tell us that anyone who believes in Him will have it any "better" by these standards.
No, we have it better, because we have Him. Even though we struggle to pay our bills like everyone else, the difference between us and them is we have Him Who for our sake became poor. We have it better, because even though this body will get sick, and break down, and eventually die, we know that He was broken and He died for us to guarantee that we would yet live. We have it so much better, because we have a Savior Who is no stranger to pain and suffering, and Who has been tempted in every respect as we are yet without sin, so that in us could be revealed a glory that our sufferings in this life are not even worthy to be compared with.
So, George is right. We don't have it any "better" than anyone else by his standards. We don't have more money, nicer houses, better cars, better health, less stress, less suffering, or less tears.
But George is wrong. We have it infinitely better. Because we know Who gave us what we have. And because we know what is on the other side of our suffering. And because we never cry alone. So we can and should - and we MUST - proclaim to the world that we do, in fact, have it better. But we can't tell them why. We can only tell them Who.
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