“What am I supposed to do for a whole week at a camp meeting with a bunch of Adventists?” I asked after my wife had informed me that this year we were going, if I liked it or not. She ignored my question and probably thought I was kidding. But the truth was I could not imagine spending a whole week just doing religious stuff, whatever that might be.
I had no problem going to church on Saturday and I had even gotten used to starting worship time on Friday nights. But wasn’t that enough. All the things I would be missing for a whole week, no TV, no rock and roll music, and especially no computers around to keep up with my work and the world. Man, this was not going to be good!
In the last two years, I had listen to and read the Bible a couple of times. Attending church regularly and had even gotten involved in ministries. I pretty much felt that I was a changed guy. My years of drinking and partying were behind me and I sort of believed everything I had been reading and hearing. In fact, over the last year I had even started praying aloud twice a day with my wife. Wasn’t that what being transformed was all about?
As I sat thinking about this upcoming camp meeting, I could take consolation in the fact that a couple of the speakers were people I knew. Elizabeth Talbot had really helped me get into the Gospels with her show Jesus 101, but I was sure I had heard everything she had to say. The other speaker, Ty Gibson, I liked a lot. His sermons were cool to listen to, but every morning. Yikes. Then there were other seminars we were supposed to attend. I just did not know. Hadn’t I already done enough to be called a Christian?
Have you ever felt like this? You are doing all the right things, probably more than all your friends. Isn’t going to church and doing good where you can enough? I felt it was in the summer of 2012. I had reached a place where I think many of us get to, I was a part-time Christian.
The problem is we are warned about being just that. In the book of Revelation, the risen Jesus describes seven different churches that prophesied how mankind would act and re-act throughout history. About one of them, the Laodicean church, Jesus says this: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not recognize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (Revelation 3: 15-18) Powerful words. Maybe even a little hard to hear. But if we are being part-time Christians and thinking that our life is fine, that we have all we need. The truth is we are lukewarm and the Savior finds this condition so bad it makes him want to vomit. Really strong stuff!
The thing is, being a follower of Jesus is a full-time thing. Why, because it is all about relationship, about love. For any of you in a martial relationship, if you went home tonight and said to your spouse, “Honey, I only want to be married to you on the weekend. The rest of the time I would like to hang out with my friends.” You might find your bags packed and waiting for you by the door the next morning or maybe even sooner. So, is this the relationship we should have with our God and Savior? Jesus tells us no and with more strong words found in the Gospel of Luke, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate is own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26) Strong words for sure. But the point Jesus is trying to make is we cannot have any true relationships with anyone if we are not willing to commit our whole life to Jesus first. Be his disciple every day, every minute. And you know what, when I said yes to a full-time relationship with Jesus that is when my life truly changed!
I not only went to that camp meeting, but it was there that the Holy Spirit led me to that full-time commitment to Jesus. I learned that there was so much more God wanted me to know. Morning meetings where I learned to really pray. Ty Gibson’s seminars, where I found out how deep God’s love for me is. And Elizabeth Talbot’s evening meetings were so filled with Jesus that when she called for those who sought to commit all to Christ, I went forward!
Not long after I was baptized. Then I began to learn again. Because, my friends, baptism isn’t the end it is just the beginning. I still struggle every day with this full-time relationship I am in with Jesus. I pray that I will never be found being lukewarm. I want to be hot. I want to be on fire for the Lord. How about you?
Blessings John
9/1/17
Part-time or full-time Christianity…its all about relationship
