The Problem With Faith

Lesson: Learning how God loves through me

Today, I had a conversation with someone that honestly left me very troubled.

As Christians, I believe God places people in our path who are in desperate need — of faith, of love, of challenge, of grace, of connection, what have you. I firmly believe God’s divine intervention has strategically crafted the circles we find ourselves in because oftentimes we have something they don’t have. We know something they don’t know. We can offer something they need. And “they” can be anyone. Christian, atheist, or otherwise.

Our Tainted View of Faith and Love

Now, here’s the problem I see. We tend to look at the “theys” in our lives without a strategic thought of who and what God might desire for us to be in their lives.

"Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone… To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some."

- 1 Corinthians 9:19-22

Those are very strong words from the Apostle Paul who wrote the bulk of the Christian Bible. Just imagine saying those words to an actual person, “I’m making myself a slave to you. I’m willing to become whatever you need me to be in order for you to have your greatest need.” Wild concept!

Here’s the opposing side — the side most of us fall on. Faith is a purely vertical concept by which we attribute to God whatever he wants from us (belief, obedience, trust, joy, contentment…), and he, in turn, attributes something back to us (maybe it’s a blessing, maybe it’s connection, maybe it’s peace — anything we see as good).

This sounds like:

• “I’m praying God sends you people who…”
• “I’m praying God blesses you with…”
• “I’m praying God gives you comfort…”
• “I’m praying God provides…”

This concept sounds very Christianly. I mean, it rightly indicates that “every good and perfect gift comes from God” (James 1:17). But the reason this poses theological tension is that it isn’t consistent with scripture.

God’s Vertical Love Expressed Horizontally

This concept certainly doesn’t describe the God Moses knew. The God who, upon seeing the misery of an enslaved people group and hearing them cry out to him, decided to “come down to rescue them,” not by asking for a vertical representation of faith with the promise of a vertical response of deliverance, but by sending a horizontal representative, Moses, and promising to equip the one through whom he’d chosen to do a great work.

I've seen and heard their suffering and prayer, "therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that YOU may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. I will certainly be with you," and in response to YOUR work, "You will all worship God” who equipped YOU with the ability to exude MY character.
‭‭- Exodus‬ ‭3:10‬, 12 ‭

I can give tons of examples of how our inclination is at odds with the work God is calling us to, but I’ll stop with the pinnacle calling of every Christ-follower. The Great Commission — the words directly from Jesus that both ignited and sustained our faith to this very day.

YOU "Go, and make disciples," YOU baptize them, YOU teach them… And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
‭‭- Matthew‬ ‭28:19‭-‬20‬

The Gap Between You and Your Heart

I don’t address the readers of this blog often. Partly because this is a tool for me to process my life unfiltered, and partly because I figure most people aren’t reading these long posts anyway.

However, I want to ask you (whoever’s made it this far) a very sincere question. Who are you in their lives? The “theys.” The people in your day-to-day context. Maybe the ones you don’t know well.

As you pass by and hope for the best for them, and as you send up a short prayer for God to do something for them, have you given thought to who you need to be in their lives? Not IF you need to be, but WHO you need to be? Knowing that the answer to your prayer will likely not be divorced from an active representative of God.

And as someone with consistent proximity, that representative is very likely YOU.

I see you, I need you but I don’t know your name
I touch you, say I love you, but that’s all you get for today
It’s easy, so easy to tell you it’s gon’ be okay
When I don’t walk in your shoes, haven’t been through what you’ve been through
Instead I push you away
Sunday everyone looks like You
But if our lives are cold inside tell me what’s the use?

If I say I love Jesus, but you can’t see my Jesus
My words are empty, if they can’t see Jesus in me
No more excuses, I give myself away
Because I may be the only Jesus they see

Too busy, forgive me, I’ve got problems of my own
It’s easier to say your help is on the way
But I was your help all along
(Every Sunday) We’re shouting, we’re dancing,
But can the world see a change?
Am I just too selfish to see
The love they need, You put it inside of me?

If I am Your hands and Your feet
And if Your church is built inside of me
Where did we go wrong? We’ve been here too long
We can’t see Your face anymore, it’s not the same anymore

Have mercy on us, Jesus
Please forgive us, Jesus
I lost my purpose, if they can’t see You in me
See I lied too long, and I change it all today
Because I may be, because I may be…

If we say we love Jesus, but they can’t see our Jesus
Tell me what’s the use if they can’t see Jesus in you and me?
No more excuses, we give it all away
Because we may be the only Jesus they see

– The Last Jesus by Kirk Franklin