Wow....that sort of looks like....Christianity

Last night I had a conversation that unexpectedly left me with a mixture of feelings that I certainly couldn't have anticipated. I had just went to buy the shirt, tie, and shoes that I needed for a wedding I will be in on Saturday, and while I was in the store picking up the suit that I just got altered I got a phone call. My aunt/friend/sister/(fill in the blank) called me with some great news. She had just been informed by her bank that they approved her contract for a home. I was extremely happy for her. The conversation started off with us just talking about how it all seemed unlikely when we first spoke about it a few weeks ago and how grateful we were to be seeing this door open up. As she continued to speak, I was honestly awed. She began to talk about some of her current expenses. She talked about her school books that would cost her around $500, about some things she needed to take care of for her son in college (including his car payment), she had spoken to me earlier about having to buy him a suit for a special event he was attending. She also spoke about a person at church that needed money for rent and how she gave her whole check from her part-time job to help them out. She spoke of how her phone was off because she didn’t have money left and how she even had to search her pocket book for change to come up with a dollar a few days earlier….she had been basically living off of her change for a few days. She spoke of the expense of the home inspection. The whole time she continues to re-emphasize “This is what God calls us to, a life of caring for each other and trusting him for our needs.” I’m listening to her and almost tearing up because of how recklessly she’s doing it!


Here’s what blew me away: I wish I could describe the mixture of joy and contentment that radiated from her over the phone. And she’s not trying to convince herself that God will supply her needs. She has made a habit of sacrificially giving to others and trusting God for hers. She doesn’t make a ton of money. She doesn’t have much expendable income. She is a woman with an ordinary job and an apartment, no car, and a son in college. While I was listening to her, so many feelings and thoughts flooded my heart: joy, conviction, gratefulness, happiness….


The thought that gripped me was simply this—“Wow…this is awkward. It sort of looks like…….Christianity.” Let’s be real here, Christians and unbelievers alike would say she is not using wisdom. They would say she lacks prudence. They would say ‘Take care of you first.’ But this is Acts 2 in the flesh. This is what I see in Philippians when Paul is writing from jail and speaking about Epaphroditus saying ‘But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.’ A man who was ill, but overlooks his pain and was hurt deeply for others. Christianity is soooo counter cultural!  There is no place in the world where this behavior makes sense.  This is foreign to the unbeliever and the common American Christians actual life, but this is indeed Christianity: Sacrificial and radical rather than safe and comfortable. This is what the blood of Christ accomplished; power to change the orientation of a heart so much so that it finds great joy and pleasure in suffering for the sake of others and the name of Christ. This is a life that displays the exceeding worth of Christ. A life that says “I value Christ more than comfort, security, and safety. I trust Christ more than the cultural norms and prudence as defined by the world.”


I think the thing that always stands out about Acts 2 is that Peter didn’t tell these people to sell what they had and make sure everyone’s needs were met. This was the new orientation of the hearts of these people once they saw the exceeding value of Christ as described in the Gospel . All of a sudden everything else paled in comparison and no one had to tell them to give anything away. They treasured him and his people. I’m sure some of these people were selfish and had all kinds of crazy lives before this, but look at the change God worked in their hearts and their uncoerced response.


I was so broken that by the end of the conversation I asked to pray for her…but I felt like I did more confessing and repenting than praying for her. I had to ask myself some questions. The last thing I wanted to do was waste this experience that God, by his sovereign grace, allowed me to experience. In light of what the Lord just showed me, how must I live? What needs to change? What needs to go? I see clearly that I’m living a life that doesn’t make room for the needs of others. I sort of came to a point of asking myself, how can I cut my expenses by about 10-20 percent in order to be able to take care of the needs of others? I know that is a large percentage and it may seem extreme, but this is the reality of scriptures definition of what the faith looks like when it's lived out and not simply agreed with. This is SACRIFICIAL living. It doesn't cater to convenience.  Instead it leaves me no choice but to transfer my source of pleasure from "stuff" to Christ.  I want to find my greatest joy in his pleasure, no matter the cost to me.  I want to live a life that tells the world "Christ and his purposes are more valuable than my comfort, safety, security or convenience." And I want Christ to do a work in me where I can say it and mean it joyfully. This is what we were put on the earth for. To joyfully serve Christ and glorify him in our sacrificial service to others.