It’s awkward. You try to shield your unsaved loved ones and friends from the news of another celebrity Christian who was exposed in a scandal or who lived a double life. But they saw it on the news before you did. The entire world knows. Do you talk to them about it – or just say nothing and try to “ignore the elephant in the room?”

By the way, have you wondered if it ever was God’s purpose for Christians to become celebrities? Very few can escape being devoured by the muscled jaws of pride, privilege and power that prey on Christians who travel the globe, pack large auditoriums, autograph books and attract thousands of followers on social media. Very sadly, any of us, yes, any Christian can fall, but some are major targets. 1Peter 5:6-9

But the bad news doesn’t stop with celebrities who fall.  Your heart sinks again when you watch the news and see people who claim to be Christian and they are marching or obstructing access or creating a scene. They’re waving their Jesus signs or placards laced with verses. They seem to shout louder and shake their fists harder when the TV cameras swing in their direction.

You are embarrassed. You are afraid your colleagues will think those are ‘your’ people – that’s how you act on your days off. Those are very real concerns.

When people see some of the craziness and nastiness that goes on under the name of religion and evangelicals – from politics, protests, scandals of every kind – the world becomes very cynical and sick of it all. And that should not be surprising.

Such unbiblical behaviour is probably paving the way for and hastening the day when the world will start identifying ‘us’ as a menace to society, a threat to law and order – a reason to put us on their watch list. Some Christian coalition will then claim they are suffering persecution for Christ – when, in fact, it was their own bad and unwise behaviour that catapulted them into the cross-hairs of public watch-dogs and government concern.

What the world is seeing in the news and online – does not measure up to the Scriptural standards Paul taught the Christians in Philippi – or anywhere for that matter!

Paul said that we are citizens of Heaven, and we are to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the middle of the darkness. We are to reflect the light of Christ and His virtues to a dark world densely populated by perishing people. He taught that we were to display a humble and gentle spirit like Christ.

For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ… Philippians 3:20

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life… Philippians 2:14-16

More and more, you may have to preemptively talk to those you care about and make it comfortable for them to surface their concerns over hypocrisy and fraudulent religious behaviour. You may need to initiate the discussion over something that was just in the news. They know your life and see your faithfulness, but they may struggle with how you can be such a fine person and yet be one of them.

You will gain their respect by telling them you are not a part of that kind of activity and you are as appalled and disheartened by it as they are. Point your friends to other believers they respect – whom they know to be people of integrity and humility and kindness – authentic Christians who are faithful and are definitely not frauds.

Remind them that God has humble, quiet, compassionate, joyful, welcoming, peaceful, scandal-free faithful believers all over the world.  You will never see them waving placards or posting weirdness or nastiness on social media – or ripping you off – or looking for camera coverage.

And when it comes to celebrity Christians who crash, you can share with your friends the old analogy of plane crashes. In pre-pandemic days – around the world, there were 39 million successful flights in 2019, but they only heard about the handful of planes that crashed. We hear about the disasters – not the successful flights.

Remind yourself and them that millions of faithful Christians live their lives in obscurity and then go home to be with the Lord – with their testimony for Christ intact. Successful flights! They lived their humble, helpful, kind, quiet and faithful lives for the Lord in some village or urban center, and then they quietly went home to Heaven. They were a blessing in their community – and people saw the reality of Christ living in them because they reflected the virtues that people associate with the Lord Jesus Christ.

…we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders…” 1Thessalonians 4:10-12

Faustina, Tony, Miriam, Patrick, Georgie, Pearl, Alice, Micah, Jean, Albert, Bonita, Gwen, Fern, Theresa, John, Ione, George, Andrew, Tim, Harold, Fred, Floyd, Jim, Anita, Hubert, Walter, Sam, Blanche, Terry, etc. Some English names and then add to that list names from every country in the world and then multiply it by millions more – and what do you have? A strong majority who never dishonoured the lovely Name of Christ and served Him faithfully to their last breath! Perfect? No! But faithful and devoted to Christ, yes!

,,, lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior…”1 Timothy 2:2-3

There’s nothing more important in our Christian lives than to reflect the virtues of Christ and the values of Heaven – our Home Country. It is our highest calling in life – not to be a preacher, or a Sunday School teacher or a missionary or an overseer – but rather demonstrating to a lost and perishing and dark and broken and sad world – the joyful reality of being an authentic citizen of Heaven and a faithful child of God. May the Lord preserve us all.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

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