Quite often, serving God means going where God leads.  Sometimes, that means going to places that you wouldn’t ordinarily go to be with people you wouldn’t ordinarily be with, doing things that you would only do authentically in the name of Christ.  There are (sometimes) many stops along our spiritual journey which take us to different places of interest along the way.  Authentic Christianity opens us up to the fact that God’s plan for our lives can take us anywhere to encounter people who are not like us.  The important spiritual thing in it all is that wherever God leads us, God is already there.  And if we can recognize that God is there, it becomes important that our representation of our relationship with God be as authentic as our God’s love is real to us.  There are typically undisclosed surprises on the way, but God is faithful to deliver us to accomplish God’s purposes.  God’s faithfulness is as authentic as should be our representation of God wherever we find ourselves.

• What do you believe is the authentic Christian response to God’s call to go or do something that may seem unusual to you?
• Does responding to God’s call require denying your authentic human response to God’s request?
• How does a person remain authentically human and authentically Christian at the same time?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, give me the courage to go wherever You would lead me. Give me the faithfulness to be authentic in following Your plan to accomplish Your purposes.

         Authentic Christianity is often disguised by the many ways in which it is practiced.  There is a practice of Christianity that ministers to those who live in the margins of life in material poverty without many of the bare necessities to sustain them.  We should be in ministry to them.  But ministering to the poor in life’s margins is only a part of authentic Christianity.

         The letter to the church from James says:  “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  But if we’re honest, — (1) the church has been found guilty of abusing orphans (especially native/indigenous Americans) as they made attempts to convert them from their native religions to Christianity.  And while there are well-intentioned widow’s ministries, most religious organizations don’t see it as a priority for their ministry.  And it’s very difficult to live in the world without getting stained by the world we work and play in.

         On the other hand, authentic Christianity is a jewel of many facets that shines bright, reflecting the light of Christ to persons everywhere.  Along with the poor, the orphans and widows, Christ invites us to reach out and welcome those who may have the world’s resources at their fingertips but lack a substantial relationship with God.  Those persons live in spiritual poverty eking out their lives spiritually separated from God.  Authentic Christianity invites people from all walks of life to gather in the name of Christ to worship wherever they can, sharing a belief in the One God.  Authentic Christianity at its most vibrant is a faith that includes everyone, those on the journey, those who doubt, as well as those who have faith without question.  That is when authentic Christianity is most authentic.

• When have there been times when you’ve doubted or questioned the authenticity of your or someone else’s practice of their Christian faith?
• What has been your response when you’ve not recognized another’s Christian actions as representing Christ?
• What actions have you taken when your authenticity has been in question by you?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower my actions driven by my faith in You to be an authentic expression of Christian love and hospitality.

         We live with dreams of free from all of life’s challenges.  The physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual pain we go through seems to be a daily burden that we carry.  And for many, what’s left at the end of this life is uncertainty.  We don’t know what becomes of those who die.  And while those of us who believe in God have the promise of eternal life, we’re not certain what eternal life really looks like as an experience.  Even with all of the stories, books, and articles about people who have experienced what are called “near death experiences”, we accept them as just that — “near death experiences”.  There is no evidence beyond what they tell us that death was eminent, real, that they truly died and came back, or that it was perhaps some chemical or bio-physical anomaly that occurred in their body.

         Those of us who have placed our trust and faith in God, however, do live with the promise of a new revival — one in which the challenges of life, death, tears and mourning, will no longer be a part of our living experience.  The new revival will be one in which our disgraces are removed from us, and the promises of God as Savior, Lord, Redeemer and friend, will become real.  Even though it’s stated as a promise, it’s still not something that resonates in our reality, but it is something that we continually hope for.  And because this promise of a new revival comes from God, we trust that God’s faithfulness will act as a continuous new revival within us until the Lord comes with power and grace.

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and faithful God, continue to keep alive within me the hope of a new revival in which Your presence will remove life’s challenges and enable us to rejoice in Your salvation.