Christian or Less Christian?

I have, in the past few days, met a few friends who've been telling me that they've been criticized (or have been being criticized) and accused in one way or another by a group of people (most being their saved friends) of being "less Christian" or "less saved".

I have so badly wanted – and so desperately desired - to know where such referrals are being derived from, and why they have to be used on such a beautiful creation as I was then talking to. In such a way of wanting to understand, I have realized a few things which I choose to address in this post.

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To begin with, I have been asking myself: so there is a certain group of people who are more Christian than others? Anyway, what is that even supposed to mean: when one declares for all beautiful Heaven and unveiled earth to hear, “I am more Christian…!!??”

In certain contexts, this may not be debatable at all, but in other numerous ones, it is incredibly unscrupulous as far as Christian doctrine is concerned.

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It is true that the phrases more Christian and/or less Christian come from an urge within a people in Christianity who want to think that various attributes, factors and loyalism within the Christian life contribute to more or less spirituality amongst saints; and that various actions and deeds make one to be more or less pious/righteous as compared to a few others around them - who knowingly or not are the yard stick for such attributes.

I don’t deny that every Christian should possess certain habits and attributes to prove to the world and saints alike that they are now born again (Matthew 3:8 (ESV) Bear fruit in keeping with repentance and Ephesians 4:1 (ESV) I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,), but it is not true that all of us are able to achieve the same level of spirituality overnight. Also, putting in mind the kind of backgrounds we had before coming to Christ, and the different places where all we are from, it is impossible for the work of regeneration and transformation to Christlikeness to happen at the same rate within every Christian. The apostle Paul in Philippians 3:12 (ESV) “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” gives witness to this. We grow differently yeah, but we all seek to become like Christ in the long run.

From my observations, it is not normally spiritual maturity that is being measured in most cases when one is being referred to as more Christian or less Christian but an adherence to certain rules created by some of us and which we so wish to subject others to - weak and strong alike. It is then that we are justified to say that we are masters yielding a dogma which we use to enslave whosoever does not know, follow or obey it. This is evidentially seen in the Colossian church during Paul’s time when he warns them against such people; Colossians 2:8 (ESV) See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. But again if it is spiritual maturity that is being “measured” by such a people within us, and that spiritual maturity makes one more (or less) saved (or Christian), I reiterate that even THAT (the spiritual maturity) is a relative thing.

For instance, we may find masters of such a law claiming that once a lady wears a pair of trousers, even a very decent one in any case – and of course you may wish to debate the word decency as used here, which I don’t mind - or once a gentleman plaits his hair, they immediately cease to make any spiritual sense and become less Christian, less saved or worse still, apostate as they refer to them.

And these masters will want to make it a rule within a given congregation that if any lady wears a trouser, or a gentleman plaits his hair, they have denied the LORD. And if, they (these masters) are given more room to spread their yeast-like gospel (pseudo-gospel), even the weak and the new to the Christian walk will not attend church services in such a congregation or church for fear of being judged, prejudiced or maligned by them. Such a dogma is created to intimidate people into thinking that spirituality in a Christian context is a product of works/deeds and not of the work of grace by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the very thing the apostle Paul addresses in Ephesians 2:8 (ESV) > For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast…

But I want to speak out boldly and say that in any case where these masters would so much want to use spiritual maturity as the determining factor for anyone to call another more or less saved or (more or less Christian), the following should be considered;  

a)      Spiritual maturity is a relative thing. It is different things to different people all over the Christian world. Only God has the right gauge for who is spiritually mature and who is not. We may blabber all we want, but this is the truth. (I share below a few signs of spiritual maturity.)

b)      At different stages of spiritual maturity, we all tend to view life through different eyes, thus the tendency to think of others as less or more saved than others at these times. This is a proven truth. (One who is still growing spiritually will abhor certain things about people of which they will tolerate once they are at a certain level of maturity.)

c)      It is not they that “know” and quote scripture that are counted righteous before God, but those that are doers of that Word which they have heard. Just because one quotes the Word, talks about it, prays and fasts a lot and so forth and so on, it does not qualify them as being more Christian than others: Romans 2:13 (ESV) For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified; James 1:22 (ESV) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

To add to this, every generation of these masters of a modified gospel has had its own way of defining “the more Christian” Christian, “the less Christian” Christian and of what is right and what is wrong. But they have altogether failed because whatever we think is right today, was so wrong a few decades ago. If those who existed then were to be put in today’s society, they may faint and die from “the supposed level of abomination that is present today.” It therefore indicates that this should not be the way we measure any society’s or congregation’s righteousness (that is if righteousness is something measurable by man), because man’s definition of what is or what is not righteous changes over time and within contexts (geologically, environmentally, culturally and socially.) Only God’s definition of holiness and righteousness is immutable.

For instance, when my dad was my age, the very musical instruments, types of singing and a dressing code we are so proud of today were termed as an abomination then.

Pastor Francis Chan is wrong in the following video when he says that lukewarm Christians are not saved: "Are Lukewarm Christians Saved". Salvation and being lukewarm are two separate things. Being lukewarm does not steal away one’s salvation, it only makes one a worldly Christian – the one the apostle John talk about in 1John 2:15 (ESV) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; meaning that we cease to walk in God’s love when we become lukewarm, not that our salvation disappears at the point we become worldly/lukewarm… (Oh, I know this is a million times debatable, but that is my take.)

They once were saved before they became lukewarm, right? They are Christians, right? They are lukewarm Christians, not lukewarm pagans, right? It is true that they are not devoted to Christianity as to make them devoted Christians, but that does not mean that they are not saved. They have become cold to the voice of the Spirit of God – they are disobedient children of the same house, not disobedient children of another house.

If we were to say that every born again person who sins ceases to be Christian the moment they sin, it would be like saying a child ceases to belong to a family just by eating from another family (that is if eating from another family is denied in that family in the same way sin is denied within Christianity.)

It is not like I am trying to defend a state of being lukewarm but that I am trying to open our eyes to Truth. A child that has wronged the father does not cease to belong to the family unless they are snatched away or adopted by another family; that is if God is the father to the child and the child is completely adopted into another family, that is when the child ceases to be Christian (a child of God). Based on the above argument, it may therefore be right to say a Christian is lukewarm but not less Christian, but it not right to say that lukewarm Christians have lost their salvation. No.

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Below are my various views on this matter with Biblical references where it deems necessary;

1. The church or Christianity is for the lost, for the lonely, for the misfits, for the outcast and the maligned, for the rich and the poor, for both the so-called acceptable and the unacceptable in society; it is for everyone in this world, for all seeking to embrace the Savior unto perfection – becoming like Him both in word and deed. The person called a Christian is derived from all kinds of people all over the world, and anyone qualifies to be called thus so long as they accept to terms and conditions I mention below in point number 9 below.
2. Christianity is a process of increasing sanctification – no one becomes perfect overnight, nor do we become like Jesus with the twinkling of an eye after confessing Him into our lives! (Philippians 3:12 (ESV) Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own; Romans 12:2 (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3. Being spiritual and being spiritually mature are two very different things. Being spiritual is relatively anything from adhering to worship towards a deity to having rules that govern a manner of worship; but being spiritually mature has to follow the rules in point number 7 below.
4. These two: a born again person and a Christian are one and the same thing; and we should put in mind that both refer to the changed person as a result of what happens in point number 9 below and not just lip service and a form of godliness. 
5. In such cases as when referring to a given person regarding the services they offer to the church or the community, I would suggest the following (using a rapper as an example); there is actually no difference between "a Christian rapper" and "a rapper who is Christian", "Christian rap" and "rap that is Christian". This is because even if the singer is a follower of Jesus Christ, there should not be an issue with whether he/she is “a Christian rapper” or “a rapper that is Christian”. If the transformation due to the presence of Christ in their lives is evident, you can call them anything you want, but that won’t change who they are. This is addressed a bit in this article.

6. It is actually abnormal to think a lady as Christian just because they dress in a certain way which we observers think is good. It is also wrong to think that because she wears in a certain manner, she is diabolic. (Are catholic nuns more holy and righteous before God than Joyce Meyer just because they wear “good clothing”? Who is this that determines what good clothing is anyway?) In this line of thought, it is also feeble of mind to think of all men who plait their hair, wear studs, have bling (sic), do tattoos and so forth and so on to be “less Christian” on the account of what we see. Heaven may tell you something else in the long run, by the way.
7. A spiritually mature person has the following abilities;

a)      The ability to distinguish good from evil: Heb 5:14 (ESV) “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

b)      The ability not to judge except for offering positive rebuke/criticism and bearing with the weak in spiritual matters. Rom 14:1 (ESV) As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions; Rom 14:10 (ESV) Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 1Corinthians 13:6 (ESV) it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

c)      The ability to love others as they love themselves in all things Matthew 7:12 (ESV) “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

d)     Spirit filled Romans 8:9 (ESV) You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

8. Nothing makes anyone pure or impure except for what they conceive that yields whatever comes out of them. Mark 7:18-23 (ESV) And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” ( Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person”; Acts 10:15 (ESV) And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”
9. We are qualified to be Christians through the confession we make (Romans 10:10 (ESV) For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved) and birth by the Holy Spirit into the family of God after the confession is made (John 1:12-13 (ESV) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God and Romans 8:9 (ESV) You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.)

Conclusion

Here is C S Lewis’s take on who is the person that should be called Christian (from Mere Christianity):

“Far deeper objections may be felt-and have been expressed- against my use of the word Christian to mean one who accepts the common doctrines of Christianity. People ask: ‘Who are you, to lay down who is, and who is not a Christian?’ or ‘May not many a man who cannot believe these doctrines be far more truly a Christian, far closer to the spirit of Christ, than some who do?’ Now this objection is in one sense very right, very charitable, very spiritual, very sensitive…

“Now if once we allow people to start spiritualising and refining, or as they might say ‘deepening,’ the sense of the word Christian, it too will speedily become a useless word. In the first place, Christians themselves will never be able to apply it to anyone. It is not for us to say who, in the deepest sense, is or is not close to the spirit of Christ. We do not see into men's hearts. We cannot judge, and are indeed forbidden to judge.

It would be wicked arrogance for us to say that any man is, or is not, a Christian in this refined sense. And obviously a word which we can never apply is not going to be a very useful word. As for the unbelievers, they will no doubt cheerfully use the word in the refined sense. It will become in their mouths simply a term of praise. In calling anyone a Christian they will mean that they think him a good man. But that way of using the word will be no enrichment of the language, for we already have the word good. Meanwhile, the word Christian will have been spoiled for any really useful purpose it might have served.

“We must therefore stick to the original, obvious meaning. The name Christians was first given at Antioch (Acts 11:26) to "the disciples," to those who accepted the teaching of the apostles. There is no question of its being restricted to those who profited by that teaching as much as they should have. There is no question of its being extended to those who in some refined, spiritual inward fashion were ‘far closer to the spirit of Christ’ than the less satisfactory of the disciples. The point is not a theological, or moral one. It is only a question of using words so that we can all understand what is being said. When a man who accepts the Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much clearer to say he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian…"

Although there is a measure for spiritual maturity; although we should be careful when we use such a measurement against others so that we may not come out as thinking of ourselves as "more spiritual" than others, because by so doing, we may end up sinning.
(1 Corinthians 8:1-3 (ESV) Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God; Romans 12:3 (ESV) For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.)

Bonface Morris.

Date Night (Continued)

This post has been continued from here.

"So how was your week and, er, and your day?" he begins.
"The week has been fine. Yeah, it was a bit demanding but generally quite okay..."

“That’s good to hear… Mine has been busy, but not so exhilarating. In fact, I have just been finishing up today on some stuff I had begun in the middle of the week with one of my buddies. On-going stuff, you know…”

“Yeah, I get it. It happens to me too. Quite a lot.”

She now remembers that she has not gotten the full details of where he works and what he does. So wisely, she navigates around the topic… 

The waiter comes in with her drink, asks if she may need something else, and after she reiterates that she is okay, they continue with the conversation… 

“But I can help you sometime you know; just a little - that is if you think I can be of help…”

“Oh, (he smiles frailly), some of this stuff we do ain’t cool for people like you.:”

“Oh! What? Ati it ain’t cool for guys like me? Kwani what’s the work about? Because the only thing I’d really really mind doing is one which involves me staying up the whole night; because I really DO value my sleep.” (She had decide to avoid being too formal in her manner of speech in order to create an atmosphere of freedom between them.)

“Hah, it may involve that – staying up all night yeah, but not entirely…”

“Not entirely!? So I am in danger of losing my sleep day-on-the-end - that is if I come to offer help?”

“Yes and no. You may only be required to work deep in the night in the name of killing datelines; apart from that, you’ll be cool.”

“Okay, I won’t mind that if it puts food on my table and a little cash in my pocket for myself and a few others…”

“But I also think you guys take it too seriously when we ladies look the way we do – it entirely doesn’t mean that we can’t navigate through life and work on a few weird projects so long as they are genuine, decent and give us a honest way of achieving our goals. A lady is gotta be a lady, you know”

“Yeah, I get it, but you guys dent our minds and make us imagine things.”

“Things? Hah. What manner of things?” she quips.

Curiously, she is now slightly leaning on the table and is feeling freer as the conversation proceeds. He too is relaxing in his world and is feeling like she should be the kind of lady he is looking for – having a great degree of intelligence and an ability to both stimulate the mind in conversation and keep the air less ionized.

“I’ll talk about it in length sometime. What do you wanna take for dinner? They have everything in order”

She picks the menu and gazes at it (knowing at the back of her mind that it is just for formality). At this time, he is staring at the countenance of her face, the enjoinment from her hair, to her eyes, to her cheeks, her chin and down to her neck... his heart races profusely...

 

“Mmmmh, please make the order for me. I’ll be okay with whatever you pick.”

He now stretches his neck and looks around to spot the waiter who had previously served them. He sees him bending near the counter, wiping a table right below it but a meter or so apart. The waiter notices his gaze and comes back to take his order – and because it was a pre-prepared dinner, and that he had proposed a few possible meals, he picks out two out of the five possible ones he had informed the restaurant that he might take...

“I hope you love the place…”

“Yeah, the place is cool… in fact it is a lot better than I had anticipated.”

“Have you ever been here by the way?”

“Not really, but we have a tendency of analyzing every place in town by face and service value with the girls… and comparing what I had heard and what I am seeing, it is way better than what our analysis had depicted”

“You mean you and the girls do this a lot huh? I thought it was only a dudes thing…”

He now wishes to add in “I hope I can meet the girls soon” but hesitates because it may not be a good idea considering that it is only a second date…

                                               

“Yeah, girls gotta do what they gotta do.”

“So I guess you may propose to me some great places to visit with my buddies, right? We prefer places that are less noisy, more natural and with an artistic sense and amber. You know of any within town?”

“Hah, yeah; and we’ve been to several too.”

“Mhhh, it seems you guys know to have a good time, yes?”

“That’s what we are here for: live for God, serve people, serve the nation and have a life.”

The next part of the conversation is detailed with names of restaurants and hotels in the proximity of town and the kind of services offered. Meals are served in the course of this airy conversation of bits and lengths of auric descriptions. There are unlimited exchanges of smiles, glances, gestures and thoughts making an observer like myself admire the date...

The air is warm with sounds of calming music in the background and mixtures of smells from desserts and foods, nature and cocktails. There are a few waiters walking around receiving orders from various clients, making the place void of disturbance and commotion. Their table is exclusively located - far from the entrance but where they can see everyone coming in and going out. It is well set, and from her observation, their services are okay.

Photo courtesy of www.3dlabz.com

She steals a glance at him as he is looking away with a fork in hand...

"He is a great guy! Oh yes he is: much better than my memory had imagined him earlier on..."
"Maybe this one will work" she continues in her mind.
"Yeah, our first date was rather unprecedented" she continues... "It was almost hurried, and almost not hurried… and although I liked it, it was harder to understand by face-value what type of guy he truly is... Today, this moment right here feels more relaxed, organized and planned for… this is…”

“By the way, are you into music?” he asks, bringing her back to consciousness.

“Yeah, I sing. I love great music too. Great music.”

“You sing? I have not imagined you singing… Have you ever sung before an audience maybe?”

“I sing in church.”

“Oh, that’s cute. I mean, that is really great… So I suppose you have a preferred music style, right?”

"Yeah, I am into Afro-fusion, folk and soft rock, all Gospel all the way..."

"We seem to share the same taste in music then... like that song playing ion the background is one of my favorites"

She listens keenly and hears Francesca Battistelli's "If We're Honest" playing in the background... 

"Ooooo! That's my girl right there!" 

You see, she is not that into dating. She believes in one thing: God will bring her her guy, and she’ll like him, and they are going to have a life together. she hates dating and dropping guys because that is not her game. Frogs (that's what they call previous guys in relationships, right?)or whatever, she doesn’t believe she has to kiss so many of them in order to meet the right guy. Yeah, there is a RIGHT guy, just not a Mr. Right. BUT there is the RIGHT guy. This is what she has always and relentlessly preached to her friends: there is a RIGHT guy, but he may not be the fairy Mr. Right. Frogs? No, frogs are not her problem, staying focused on what she needs is where the point is.

The evening moves on well and three hours down the line, they have known a good chuck of each other. He has talked a bit about his personal life and she has shared a few things about hers.

..............................

As they realize that their time is well spent, he requests that they leave.

She picks up her bag and he then leads her to the door-side. 

He then picks up his phone and calls his deals buddy to bring him his ride.

As they wait outside the restaurant, he holds her hand as they together they gaze at the city lights.

It is now 8pm and a cool breeze is starting to wave through the streets making the weather chilly and dense. The city is incredibly different at night - almost as if it is a different place from what they always see during the day.

After 5 minutes or so, Sam arrives and hands over the car keys to him. 

He opens the door for her, closes it behind her after she is seated and drives her home.

After they arrive, he parks the car across the road, helps her cross to the other side and requests to escort her to the gate, which she apprehends but later gives in to his prodding.

While nearing their estate gate, he holds her hand, looks into her eyes and quietly tells her, “I had a great time today; I hope you won’t mind us meeting again…”

She blushes. “I had a great night too, we’ll talk later. Please text me to inform me that you arrived home well and safe... Good night”, she responds.

He watches her after the gate is opened until the security guy closes it again... and he remains standing for a while contemplating his next move... Should he meet Sam before going to his place? "No." He decides to head straight for his place.

 

………………………………..

She opens the door, throws her bag with the keys at the table, takes off her shoes and runs straight for her bedroom holding her phone in her hand. 

For the time being, she doesn't change into her night gown. She doesn't have to. She doesn't feel like.

She clutches her pillow tightly. So tight that if it was juicy, the sap would ooze out.
She is so happy and terrified at the same time. She wants to scream.
Momentarily, she puts the volume on her sub-woofers slightly higher than she always does during the night. Volume notch 5. Alright, she doesn't want to wake her neighbors up - those nosy neighbors. 

"Allow me to love you like in the movies but as God wills…” she had expected him to say as he held her hand just a few minutes ago. She had expected him to quote the words in the movie they had been talking about. She had wanted him to. So much.
She had wanted to so badly jump and (so badly - oh yeah) kiss him.
He had made her feel goofy. Goofy? Yeah, goofy.
So she picks up the phone and decides to call Jane.

“Hi pumpkin!”

“Heey! Why the excitement? It is the date, huh? Thitima ya mapenzi imekunyeshea, huh?”

“Haha, I can’t probably give you the whole story right now. Let's meet up on Monday at lunchtime maybe? or tomorrow after church? Girl, I need to give you the whole story.”

"Tomorrow is cool with me."

“Okay, that’s cool. Sleep tight, pumpkin.”

"You too sweetheart..."

…………………………….

He never talked about the date, except for telling his buddy Sam: “I think I am almost getting someone to replace you half the time I am free… I think.”

His friend Sam had just laughed.

He knows a few things about love and relationships, and so within his mind he wished his buddy all the best. But he'll talk this over the way guys do.

"New found love and old wine are one and the same thing", he thought.

Bonface Morris.