Christians Gone Crazy II

What is the Impact of This Crazy Behavior?
It is good to prepare our minds with a survey of the consequences of ill-advised behaviors. Just as Proverbs describes the tragic outcome of bad moral choices, so should we regularly consider the negative impact of our displays of disobedience. This certainly encourages us to avoid the path of scandalous sin but also encourages praying for those who taste the bitter fruit of their spiritual failures.
Shame to Christ – The great tragedy of theses crazy escapades is the discredit they bring to the Savior’s holy name. Christ’s reputation is tarnished and disgrace has marred the work He died to establish. Some will use the bad behavior of believers to discount the claims of Christ. As Nietzsche stated, “I would believe in your redeemer if you lived as if you were redeemed.”
Delight for Satan – The enemy always rejoices when he can trip up or throw down a Christ-follower, knowing he has ultimately broken the heart of Jesus. No one sets out to make Satan smile, but this is the true effect.
Shattered Relationships – Sin is described as the violation of a relationship – first with God, then with countless others who expressed confidence in the straying individual. To wander into the weeds of wanton behavior always involves the choice to hurt and violate the trust of people who love us.
Painful Earthly Consequences – Of course, depending on the area of sin, there are various consequences. Adultery can destroy a marriage and family. White-collar crime lands a man in jail. Drunk driving can result in fatal accidents. Genuine sorrow may evoke forgiveness from the family of the victim but it will not bring a life back.
Lost Eternal Reward – Ultimately, any earthly consequences are but a vapor compared to the loss of eternal joy and reward in the everlasting presence of the Lamb. Rewards in eternity are granted to the faithful who serve with pure motives and persevering faithfulness.
What Should We Do About This Craziness?
Humble our Hearts – If you have stumbled in some fashion that has brought open shame to the Lord, your family, His work, and your own reputation – genuine humility is the first step to recovery. Humility is the precursor to real repentance and change.
James 4:7-10 provides clear guidance for the wandered trying to find his way back home via that path of humility in the presence of the Almighty:
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
Humility is also in order toward our fellow man with whom we have been entangled or toward whom we have created the offences. The straying soul would do well to adopt the attitude promoted in Proverbs: “Go and humble yourself; plead with your friend. Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler” (Proverbs 6:3-5).
Learn our Lessons – The immediate season after a spiritual failure is one of the great moments for learning the lessons that result in genuine life change. Ask God to help you apply the salve of divine wisdom to the self-inflicted wounds of sin. Embrace the sorrow that leads to real, lasting repentance, not just the regret of being caught. Failure is a powerful teacher if we are willing to learn, recalibrate our senses, and resolve to avoid any return to the mire.
Watch our Steps – If you have been preserved by God’s grace and your own common sense from scandalous sin, by all means, guard your thoughts, decisions, and deeds by resolute determination to honor Christ and His Word – every day.
Surround our Actions – Spiritual survivors do not go it alone. They have learned the value of accountability in every area of life. They embrace the wisdom of avoiding any appearance of evil and surrounding themselves with checks and balances in the areas of money, morality, and ministry activity.
Trust, but Verify – Realize that saints who just might do something stupidly scandalous surround you – and you could become part of the fallout. Yes, trust your fellow believers – but verify their behaviors through accountability, direct questions, and systems that will not tempt them to blow it in a weak moment. It is better to be criticized for careful scrutiny than to be stuck untangling the spaghetti of shameful stumbles and permanently damaged relationships.
Thank God for the Faithful
In spite of the reality of this craziness – the fact remains that every day millions of Christians remain faithful to Christ and His claims on their lives. For every crash-and-burn story there are multiplied thousands of godly saints whose stories of love, grace, and positive spiritual impact will never make the news.
We want to be among these faithful saints. The secret is that we abide in Christ, drawing our life from His sufficiency in and through us. He will bear the fruit of godly living through us, in spite of the trends and temptations of the day (John 15:5-10). Praise God that we do not have to succumb to crazy decisions and shameful behavior. We can live a life of abiding love for Him and selfless love toward others, which is always a choice for purity and perseverance. We can stand in the promise that He “always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
In closing, I think of how Paul wrote to Timothy about the crazy and perilous days that would come as time unfolds. The culture would be marked by people described as “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). In spite of all this senselessness, Paul reminded Timothy of the sufficiency of the Word of God in his life and offered him the final exhortation he would ever pen to his young understudy: “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you” (2 Timothy 4:5).
He knew Timothy could live a sane and sanctified life by the power of Christ, regardless of the times. So can you.