To My Facebook Friends
To My Facebook Brother in Christ….
I write to tell you that which no one has ever told you: You are backslidden. Backslidden, to me, is sliding backward from passionate to ho-hum. Abundant evidence is in your postings. I tell you this because I love you. Because I love you I am willing to risk your wrath.
Tell me, do you think backslidden christians know they are? (“The heart is deceitful above all things.”) How does one determine if he/she is lukewarm or fervent? The answer is not how often one attends church. Or how faithful one is to the collection plate. Or being nice. The answer is evident in the words one speaks (or writes). (“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”) Is your speech peppered with Jesus? Paul both spoke and wrote “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” The ho-hum avoid His name.
I tried to warn you about following the crowd (“Cursed is the man who trusts in man”) and, it seems, I became your adversary. Later, you did get seriously hurt by those you revered. Such is not uncommon…. a Pastor Whoever once announced a special meeting whereby pastors in Kelowna would be apologizing to the people they hurt.
I know your pain. I have been shunned, slandered, shamed, mocked, betrayed and isolated – by those distant and those close. Several times I have been publicly belittled by the preacher as I sat in the pew. Worse, loved ones have been punished for the sin of associating with me.
I have been wounded but not damaged. It seems you have been wounded and damaged. It has been said adversity makes one either bitter or better. I fought off bitterness, this by God’s grace. Have you, my brother in Christ Jesus? Relationally, my Jesus is “closer than a brother” and your Jesus is faraway, almost out of sight. Or so it seems.
Christianity is meant to be more than a sport, more than a social venue, more than a place to display spiritual wares. Healthy christianity is pursuing the Christ we captured. It is branches abiding in “the true vine”. It is a love relationship with His and our Father. So….
So how does one regain the richness of relationship once held? The answer is simple, very simple…. Talk to Jesus! Talk to Jesus! Talk to Jesus! That’s it. Talking to Jesus, consistently, is the answer to every problem…. because Jesus is the answer to every problem…. and speaking to Jesus brings Him near.
The church of Christ is so messed up because christians don’t talk to Jesus consistently. The backslidden are backslidden because they stopped talking to Jesus consistently. The world is perishing because christians are not talking to Jesus consistently. Talking to Jesus draws one closer to Jesus. Ignoring Jesus pushes Him away. (Jesus: “I wish you were cold or hot.”)
I, sincerely, wish you well.