Authenticity. So much hinges on that one word. Much of our world is looking for authenticity in something. Authenticity in advertisement. Authenticity in government. Authenticity in leadership. And yes, authenticity in church. A lie can be found in so many places but the truth is rare. If there is one place truth, genuineness, and authenticity should be found, of course, it is in the church. Unfortunately, however, that is simply not always the case.
I have been on a journey of seeking authentic discipleship for myself and for those that I lead for quite some time now. It seems now more than ever that I have found my thoughts echoed by many other church leaders. Whether it be in books that I or my wife are reading or in blogs or statistics, the drive for authentic Christianity and discipleship is a plea coming from every direction. For example, my wife is reading a book on the history of the Baptist denomination. In it, she discovered that a church local to us is the oldest Baptist church in the state of Georgia, the historic Kiokee Baptist Church. In its beginnings, Kiokee was so determined to be an authentic outpost of the Kingdom of Heaven that they practiced and enforced the strictest variation of church-discipline. One could not simply be a nominal Christian and be a part of Kiokee. An individual had to represent Christ, His Kingdom, and Kiokee well in order to maintain membership. Kiokee Baptist Church is still a wonderful church that is genuinely making a Kingdom difference and I thank God for the work they are doing in our community.
Things in general have changed however.
The Word tells us that we should be in the world but not of it. In attempts to be relevant, we have capitulated to the world's standards. We are too afraid of being called judgmental to hold our brothers and sisters in the church to a heavenly standard, and heaven forbid we speak out against any injustice or immorality in our culture for we are sore afraid of being called bigoted or worse. It may be that we have spent to much time trying to look like the world for the purposes of attracting the world. The aforementioned books, blogs, and statistics tell us that what will actually attract the world is quite the opposite. People are looking for truth and we possess the ultimate source. Now we must understand that we will not advance the Kingdom by being Bible-thumpers or those who would seek only to win arguments with what we perceive as our social enemies. When the Bible tells us to disseminate truth, it tell us to do so with love. We must lovingly speak out against issues in our world such as abortion, sexual abuse, anything that stands against biblical marriage, racism, and the like. Believe it or not, those who are coming to our churches want to know how to think about these things in a different perspective. High schools, universities, and mainstream media tell them how to think about these issues rather unashamedly. Their minds are flooded with progressive ideologies that are being promulgated by a liberal socialism that many are recognizing, in unprecedented numbers, as yet another inauthentic vie for their minds, hearts, and their very souls.
In the Word of God, we are told to not only be hearers of the Word but also be doers. This, unfortunately, is another place where the church fails to be as authentic as we should be. A. W. Tozer once said, "If you are not worshiping God on Monday the way you did the day before, perhaps you're not worshiping Him at all." People know when you go to church. They see you leave every Sunday and they know where you are going. They hear you talk about your church. And I have been in church settings where no one ever said anything good about the church...trust me, people pay special attention to the negative things you say. Praise God, Powell (the church I am serving now) does not disparage herself in this way. Whether they see you going to church once or twice a month or they see you going every time the doors are open, what your friends, family, and neighbors are actually looking at is how your church attendance and your devotion to Christ affects your life and behavior. If there is no discernable difference between you and Joe Atheist across the street, what would lend anyone to believe that you or your religion is authentic. How can we be world changers when we look, smell, talk, and walk like the world? Simply put, we will not. I pray for Kingdom advancement but that requires work on my part. It does on your part as well. In the book that my wife is reading, The Baptist Story, Caleb Evans said, "When we pray for the advancement of this kingdom, if we are not willing to do all we can to advance it, our prayers cannot be genuine, they are hypocritical." The last thing this world needs is another hypocrite. I realize that we cannot provide perfection to the Kingdom because we are human and by nature we are sinners. I don't think that the saved have to live in the bondage of the old life to sin but, alas, we still sin everyday. What I do think is that we can and should live in authentic relationship with Christ and repent everyday. Authentic discipleship to King Jesus is radical and will be noticed. Live in a way that makes you a bright shining city on a hill, an outpost of grace, an ambassador of justice, a beacon of hope, and a lighthouse of love. You will be amazed at the impact that you can and will have on this world. People need authenticity and genuineness in a world nearly devoid of it. Where else will they find it if they cannot find it in the body of Christ?
