A look at the modern Christian

But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

 "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn." (Matt 11:16-17)

I wrote in the Prologue about the questions of beliefs and their perceived consequences.

What does the contemporary Christian believe?
Why does s/he have those beliefs?
Of what consequences are those beliefs?

These are important questions because they can tell us what drives a particular Christian - you, me or whoever. They could explain the kind of salt and light that we are.

This post is about the modern Christian. What is such a creature all about and what tune is s/he playing? More importantly, what would be the result if we were to deconstruct him/her?

The Christian is all about faith [in Christ Lord Jesus]. Without it, you or I would be like a ship in a storm with no anchor - an aimless, directionless destiny at the mercy of all kinds of forces. 

Faith, however, is not just a personal matter. Rather, it has a deeply spiritual and physical outflow beyond even the reaches of the believer. Without over-complicating the matter, the key question is - what kind of light and salt are we? If we are the Christian that we ought to be, surely there must be elements of light and salt in our testimony.

When James declared that faith without works is dead, it is a recognition of the outflow of the personal faith beyond the believer. James recognised the importance of a [do-ing] outflow that is observable, godly and socially-conscious. That outflow is what was described by the Christ as being the light and salt. The Christian must be a social agent of godly change! The caveat is that in doing so, s/he must regard such work as glory to God rather than self.

If we are to elevate God in our outflow as light and salt then it is imperative than we ensure that every aspect of our be-ing and do-ing has sound scriptural basis, free from all kinds of doctrinal interpretations and errors that are so pervasive today.

There is still a strong need to be just like the Bereans - verifying all that we read and hear against what is in the scriptures. It is the only scriptural basis to ensure that our beliefs, thoughts, words and actions align with the Holy Spirit's illumination of the Word. 

Back to two of the fundamental questions that I rephrased earlier. Our reasons for the beliefs that we hold may appear to be rooted in the experiences that we have had. Similarly, we may have our own perception of the consequences for those beliefs e.g. What would happen if we do not believe them? What must happen if we are to be true to those beliefs?

The truth is that both of these human perceptions are illusory. The true underpinning for both the reasons and the consequences are completely rooted in God's Word.

For if we must be the light and salt that Christ commanded, we need to ensure that our be-ing and do-ing are exactly as He taught and [He] continues to illuminate through the Holy Spirit. To do otherwise would be similar to displaying an authentic brand but losing the substance upon which the authenticity of that brand is based.
 

Portrait of the Christian

I wasn't into Star Wars initially. Sure, I had seen the films because of my interest in Science Fiction and partly from idle curiosity. However, when George Lucas announced that he was working on the prequels to the popular Star Wars film, I suddenly became interested.

I wanted to find out about the story of Anakin Skywalker - how he got made (into a Jedi) and how he became re-made (into the fearsome Darth Vader). Since then, it has been an almost common occurrence for the film industry to want to tell the story that made the story.

What makes a Christian? What are his/her unique features? Does the secular view of the Christian match what the scriptures' description?

If we are to be successful in this exercise, there are 2 features that we need to identify clearly - who must a Christian be and what s/he must do. While these two are somewhat intertwined, they are still nevertheless distinctly different. Be-ing is the internal state which may not necessary have outward projection for casual observation. Do-ing represents the outward projection(s) that may be observed.

Be-ing
Who a Christian must be can be grouped under the collection of Jesus' teachings which Oniwaasu will summarise as "Belief in Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Saviour". Passages such as -

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).
"Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.....and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29).

- to name only a few, hang off this immovable, non-negotiable pillar of salvation. It follows that if anyone wants to be like Christ (i.e. a Christian), this belief has to be part of their be-ing. If we miss this, we would miss salvation and eternity [with Christ]


Do-ing
What are the things that Jesus commands His followers to do? The point here is about activities that are observable. It was in Antioch that this observation led to the coinage of the term - Christian. The first-generation Christians were observed to behave like the crucified Christ. However it is important to separate Man's observations from the actual directions given by the resurrected Christ. Rather than simply re-capturing the observations that were made in Antioch, it is much better to refer to what Jesus actually said about what His people must do.

As mentioned in the previous post, Jesus' key directions on this issue are 2-fold -

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them....,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:16-20).
"You are the salt of the earth....You are the light of the world....Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16)

From these 2 passages, we can summarise what a Christian must do as the following -

• Evangelism (calling all to repentance and baptism in the name of the Triune-God)
• Teaching the gospel as demonstrated by Jesus
• Good works, for the glorification of the Father [not to the do-er]

Of these, the 2nd point appears to be divisive yoke among the modern-day Church. What message did Jesus preach and pass on to his disciples to carry forward? The answer to this question lies not in a deep, complex theological exegesis but in Jesus' own response to the question about the greatest commandment.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind....Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40)

This means that all of Jesus' teachings - His divine grasp of the scriptures, fervent prayer, submission to the will of the Father, fasting, resisting the wiles of the devil, calling all to repentance, caring for the poor, loving the neglected, miracles etc.. -, are grouped into these 2 summary teachings. Also under these is the apostolic teaching on the fruits of the Holy Spirit.


Faith, in summary
These be-ing and do-ing are the un-mistakable portrait of the Christian. They make up the story before the [Christian] stories. Be-ing in its tiniest tangible form must lead to a certain degree of do-ing. Be-ing is the existence of faith, while do-ing is a demonstration of that faith.

Therefore, the essence of the Christian portrait is the existence and demonstration of faith in Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour, as directed by the Messiah.

Many have been observed to be do-ing like the Christ commanded - in whole, in part or erroneously, but are not necessarily be-ing what Christ directed. It also follows that there are those who are be-ing as directed but not do-ing in whole as directed [by Christ].

Oniwaasu finds that in this simplified model, possibly, lies a problem.

Tasteless Salt, Dimmed Light?

"Papa, it's broken! You need to fix it." These are statements that my 2 daughters occasionally tell me. This is always in a case when a particular toy or device is not working correctly or as before. Whatever it is, I am immediately called on a mission - "Papa Duty", to attempt a fix - to the delight of my 2 young girls.

There are 2 passages in the scripture that outlines the mission objectives that Christ gave to His disciples and the embryonic church. The first is the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 while the second is the calling in Matthew 5:13-16 to be the salt and light of the world.

These are calls for those who would follow the resurrected Christ to be evangelical, calling all people to repentance, teaching Jesus' simplified fulfilment of the rather complex, unattainable mosaic laws, [to be] useful in highlighting the true purpose of this existence, preserving godly order and acting as a guide to Christ. These objectives are the first "Mission Impossible" ever given. In fact, it would have remained impossible, were it not for the Pentecost.

Despite the intense, persistent and sometimes lethal persecution, the early Church flourished far beyond the composite abilities of its leaders. Were the early Church and its leaders flawless? Far from it but it is clearly evident that the noise arising from its flawed nature was far less in comparison to its work towards the mission objectives.

If we compare the workings of the present-day Church & the Christian against these mission objectives, an interesting but complex picture emerges which requires simplification [for this medium]. There are elements within the body of Christ who are working tirelessly according to the mission objectives - teaching the undiluted gospel while at the same time useful at being the practical salt and light of their communities.

However, the noise arising from all kinds of scandals, bankruptcies (morally and spiritually), excessive love of money, pursuit of political influence and its [the Church] apparent ineffectiveness in the community, is becoming too loud to ignore.

I went to the cinema recently to watch Man of Steel - the latest release in the Superman films. One of the film's pleasurable moments to me was to watch the fictional, almost indestructible superhero go to a Church for guidance when he faced a moral crisis.  

Where does the ordinary person go to, when s/he faces a moral crisis?  Therapy, counselling, drugs, drunkenness, life experiences and all kinds of self-gratification acts very often are put ahead of a visit to the Church. This begs the obvious question - what, on earth, has happened to the mission objectives?

These seem to be strange times when the Church's efforts at its perceived mission objectives appear to be drowned by its own ungodly noise. Where is that biblical salt that is preserving the saints for the bridegroom and enhancing the true meaning of this life for all who would listen? Where is that light which is undimmed, guiding all along the narrow road, lest they stumble?

I sometimes hear some mature Christians say that their spiritual lives are getting increasingly stale and that they are praying that God's impact in their lives be restored to what it was before - "God, if only you could be like you were in my life before". I hear some lament about how it was easier to serve God in the past than in today's hectic and increasingly godless society.

When the body of Christ is observed through these glasses, I am tempted to borrow my daughters' plea for help - "Abba Papa, it's broken! You need to fix it".

The Ecclesiastes is one of my favourite books of the Bible. Oniwaasu [in my mother tongue], literally means Preacher, which is also the meaning of Ecclesiastes. In the book, Solomon tried to find meaning in the various and seemingly dysfunctional life scenarios that he observed. From trying to find godly meaning in these microcosms of life, Solomon escalated his quest to the meaning of life itself.

Using almost the same approach, Oniwaasu is plotting a course to examine the body of Christ. Is it broken? If it is [broken], does it need fixing? Will it be fixed?

The critical questions that Oniwaasu will endeavour to answer are - Are the mission objectives compromised? Is the salt indeed tasteless? And is the light now too dimmed for purpose?

Prologue: We don't have to be just sheep!

In The Tempest, Shakespeare wrote "What is past, is prologue". This is an indirect insight that reflects human's linear perspective of past, present and a possible future. Irresistibly, the present slips from our grasp into an unreachable past, constantly propelling us to a future that is pregnant with all kinds of possibilities.

Last year, I celebrated a landmark birthday that was much to my surprise bigger and well-orchestrated than anything I had in mind. Perhaps due to maturing years, I tend to be more reflective these days. I have tried to be a good Christian for most of my adult life. However, a good prologue would not be complete without a glimpse of the backdrop that has led me to this slipping present.

I grew up in a fervent Christian home - both my late parents were very active in the church. My father was made a deacon during my childhood and was very much involved in church administration. My mother was a strong member of the church choir and the select off-shoot that became a recording choral group. As a result, I have always known about God throughout my growing years but it was not until the time I was becoming an adult that I started to have a personal relationship with God. It was simply an unexpected development in different perspectives.

These days, I am a husband to my lovely wife, Funke and we are truly blessed with 2 wonderful daughters. In recent years, my periods of meditation on a not infrequent basis would pull me towards the following thoughts -

• What do I believe?
• Why do I believe them?
• Of what consequences are those things that I believe?

Throughout my adult life, I have found God to be like an infinite set of layered mysteries. The more I delve into knowing God, the more that remains to know. No matter how many layers I pull back, there are still countless more underneath!

The question now is "why am I writing a blog?".

Quite simply, a continuous rumbling of my thoughts and processes over the years have led into this decision. The purposes are to inform, share my insights, elicit some feedback and to be educated.

This is a prologue introducing you to my blog, of which, there will be various themes according to the curiosities that God has blessed me with. There will be themes along the line of theology, economic, current affairs, politics, financial matters and my favourite - jideizm, but not limited to them.

I am reminded of a cartoon called 'The Far Side' that I read many years ago. It was that of a sheep among the herd, standing on its hind legs, screaming at the top of its voice, saying -

"Wait! Wait! Listen to me.....we don't HAVE to be just sheep!"
 

When possible, I have always sought to think differently, learn differently, understand differently, all in a pursuit to gain a deeper and better understanding.

Those rumblings that I mentioned before are pulling me in a direction....to do differently.

Welcome to my blog.