My intention is to live my life, as literally as I am able, in obedience to the red letters of the Bible, that is, to the words of Jesus.
My perception is that that makes me different from most church people here in America. In my opinion, most church people live, to one degree or another, to be good church people, not to obey Jesus directly. What that means depends on the church a person identifies with.
I don't say that I live the red letter life well, only that that is my focus, my goal, my intention.
When I talk about being a follower of Jesus among the people of the world, I talk about it in those terms. And, no one accuses me...to my face, at least, of hypocrisy.
People who know me well know, of course, know my shortcomings and some of them are rather quick to challenge me on my faults others will question me, if not challenge me.
Here's my observation. It occurred to some time ago:
People who know me superficially, and pick up on the red letter thing, often give me more benefit than I deserve and project Jesus traits on me, even when those traits are not present in me.
That suggests two realities to me.
1. People still are aware of the genuine Jesus story, and,
2. They are looking for it, and not churchiness, in people who self-identify as followers of Jesus.
This convinces me, more than ever, that the most effective evangelism is of a gospel that is lived out sincerely, if not perfectly, before it is preached.
And, most mere church people, I'm afraid, don't show Jesus in their way of living. They show church.
And, church no longer inspires.
Yes. Amen.
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