Update: Mark at Stones Cry Out also looks at this subject in “Facilitating the Growth of the Evangelical Mind”.

Christianity Today has posted an article titled “The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience” which examines polling data on how well evangelical christians compare to the rest of the world. The author, Ronald Sider, writes:

Scandalous behavior is rapidly destroying American Christianity. By their daily activity, most “Christians” regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate allegiance to money, sex, and self-fulfillment.

“American Christianity has largely failed since the middle of the twentieth century,” Barna concludes, “because Jesus’ modern-day disciples do not act like Jesus.” This scandalous behavior mocks Christ, undermines evangelism, and destroys Christian credibility.

You should go read this article Right Now! Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you to return.

The Bible is not just some “spiritual” book offering fire insurance for those who just want to avoid hell. It is the true story of God’s creation of a perfect earth, the entry of sin and death into the world and the lengths He has gone to in order to rescue humanity and restore us to the perfection He intended. He (rightly) demands our love and obedience.

When a Pharisee asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest, Jesus’ reply was very direct:

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment.”

(Matt. 22:37-38, NASB)

How well are you obeying this “Prime Directive” as well as its natural result?

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

(John 14:15, NASB)

People around us are dying, and not just in a physical sense. Many of them would find themselves in eternal torment if they died right now. And many of them might be saved if only we allow our lives to truly reflect Jesus.

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

(Acts 4:13, NASB)

Are those around you marvelling at the difference in your life because of your relationship with Jesus? Or are they laughing at “just another hypocrite” because we’re too lazy or selfish or self-centered to actually pursue God? If it’s the latter, then we are allowing those people we love to spend eternity in hell because of our complacency.

Look at the people around you. How do you actually see them? Are they just another warm body taking up space? Do you see them as someone who deserves eternal punishment? Or do you see them as God does; someone he has designed with perfection in mind? Someone who, though broken and battered now, was designed to be the very image of God, sharing his attributes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control? What are you going to do about it? Are you going to let your own sin get in their way?

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go speak to my Lord about a logectomy.

(HT to as kingfishers catch fire for the link.)