My friend was having one of those days. One of those days when you think you've pressed snooze, but instead you've turned off your alarm and end up oversleeping. Where you spill the last of the milk on your favourite shirt, get every red light and your colleague congratulates you on your pregnancy (you just love pizza).
So I messaged her. I told her that I was sorry that she was having such a stressful day and that I was praying for her. I reminded her of a few of God's promises, because hey, we all need reminding, red lights or not.
I reminded her that God would sustain her, in her tearful state at the office. That He would carry her through until the moment her head hit the pillow that night, and renew her strength for the following day.
I reminded her that though she felt like a miserable little island, she was not, that God has promised to never leave nor forsake her. That He saw her despair and had grace and mercy for her.
I reminded her of the eternal perspective (I need this myself, constantly) and the fact that ultimately, life is not about what the world tells us it's about. It's about knowing that God sent His only son to die, so we might be forgiven for the sin we fall into every single waking moment. That we might know our sin and therefore our need for a saviour; that we might seek Him, know Him, love Him and share this, the good news, the gospel, with others.
My friend, probably still trying to conceal her crying eyes in the office, thanked me. "That was nice, you should write that somewhere!" she replied.
"Write that somewhere?" I thought. It is written somewhere. In the Bible! I was confused. Was she unfamiliar with the gospel, or just the scriptures that I had quoted? Was it novel for her to have the scriptures sung back to her in a moment of distress? And if so, why? Why too, do some of us feel uncomfortable when someone starts "getting all godly on us"?
It stuns me to know so many Christians who feel uncomfortable, shocked and offended by or just plain unfamiliar with the gospel.
I once had another friend, whom I would try and encourage, pointing her to Christ and reminding her of our fallen nature and how it was natural for us to want more, to need more than the world could give us.
I would remind her of the gospel. She turned and looked at me once and asked if I practiced saying that. As in, was this religious rant a pre-rehearsed script that I'd found somewhere and decided to endlessly use on her? "No," I said. "It's the gospel. It's the only thing that makes us Christians."
Most loving thing to do
A friend of mine was telling me about someone they were dating.
"Are they a Christian?" I asked, trying to act casual, knowing what a loaded question it was.
I hate that as Christians, our great commission is to share the truth about Jesus and what His death means, and that it is social acceptance, our fear of man, which is the hefty rock that we juggle it with.
"But what if they're annoyed and angry that I ask?" I fretted. "What if it becomes awkward and they withdraw from me? What if they see me as this hyper-religious freak who interrogates them and tries to destroy their happiness? What if they feel hurt by my questions and can't see that they're coming from a place of love and concern, not hypocrisy and bigotry?"
It turns out they're not a Christian, but this isn't a concern for my friend.
I asked more about my friend's beliefs and mentioned the scripture about being equally yoked, meaning marrying a fellow believer, and the fundamental reasons why we would do this. They were stunned by my confrontation, offended by my inquiry and surprised by my Bible-based beliefs and interpretation of the gospel.
I began to question myself. Even writing this, I am conscious of sounding like a super conservative, narrow-minded cult member. But I'm not a cult member, I'm a Christian.
How can the gospel be foreign to Christians?
I feel so uneasy every time my words cause such reaction in believers. Like I've crossed the line by speaking of God and the Bible, or entered "hardcore Christian" or "religious freak" zone. I feel uneasy when friends change the subject or sidestep reflective discussion.
Fair enough if I share the gospel and scriptures with a professing atheist and they respond with disgust, offended by the idea that they could possibly be sinful. Because they often see Christianity as a prehistoric institution, a mythical framework in which gullible people live their sheltered, deprived lives. A deluded way to control the masses, based on rules and regulations to rigidly adhere to. A self-righteous moralism for weak people to cling to. They don't believe the gospel, so they don't want to hear. I understand.
But as believers we need reminders of the gospel, if we aren't to drown in the rapid deceptions of the world: that we are self-sufficient, deserving, perfectly strong beings, here to live our best lives now.
Gospel amnesia, as it's referred to, is when we look to Christ and know what He has done for us and how deeply God loves us, that He is our most abundant provider and protector, and then instantly turn our eyes from Him and forget. I have it every other second of the day. I am very much in need of constant reminders of what I believe and why I believe it, constantly fighting spirit and flesh and forgetting why.
My point is this—if we are Christians, what do we believe makes us so? Is it just a community we ascribe to for a sense of belonging? An extra-curricular gig that serves as our worldview and gives us something to do on Sundays?
Or is Christ the cornerstone on which we build our lives? And if He is, does what we know of Him come from the Bible, or merely our imagination?
Do we find comfort in the truth of the scriptures, or do we settle with sweeping statements like "God is good" and feel content digging no deeper for His essence?
If we don't want to talk about Him, why not? If we are not familiar with the scriptures and concepts such as sin, why? And how? How can we be unfamiliar with the gospel? It is the only thing that saves us. It is what transforms us. It renews us. If we don't grasp this concept, like I did not for a very long time, then what are we basing our faith in God on? Is it truth?
Scarlett Jones resides by the seaside and loves reading, films, craft and quality time with friends and family.
Scarlett Jones' previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/scarlett-jones.html