"Little Christian-boy"

There are people who take and don’t give. We meet them almost everytime. Those are people who use their advantages against other people, use their relatives to achieve their goals, or simply don’t help, when everybody works hard. They rather sit in the corner and wait until the work is done and then they start to use the products. How can we call those people?

My dad was always good at speaking less, but able to say his negative feelings in a few words, when he had hard times. One of the cases was his brother, who fit to higher showed definition. My father went angry at that time, however, with cool easy look he said about him: „He is such a little Christian-boy.“

He used the word a little Christian-boy, because he knew about his angriness and prejudices about the christianity and he imagined some Christians as people who take, but don’t give. We won’t discuss, whether it was right to call his brother such a word, or whether we could speak about us like he did – for us, the important thing is a word “Little Christian-boy“.

I am glad, that we can have such a beautiful idiom, because we can find the whole group of those little Christian-boys, sadly, even belong us, servans of Christ.  We are not comfortable with people who say those things, but think: Are they right? Did anyone of us take without giving?

It is not about giving and recieving love. We are counted in everything God prepared for us. In our role in his great plan. One of my friends once told me: “When Jesus returned to the Father, he commanded to his disciples to spread his word. He has such intentions with us, too. People won’t know God if nobody tells them. We cannot just sit and wait until something happens. God counts with us, he has no plan B.“

I also acted as a little Christian-boy. Not only once happened that there was some work to do at home, everybody was busy, except me sitting on the armchair and enjoying the comfort of doing nothing. I am ashamed now, but when I think about it, lots of us avoid “job“. It is not just about sharing the gospel, but about every service for God, which we sometimes don’t want to do, becuase we are too lasy or ashamed.

Another friend of mine, who heard this idiom told me: “I imagine a little Christian-boy as a man who lives with his Sunday service and does not care about anything else.“

These all were examples of behaviour, which we could briefly call “little Christian-boy.“ I dare you to think: Are we similiar with anything of this? Do we want to change this? Will we take Christ’s cross and will be search for our faults?

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.“

Romans 12:1-2

Two shirts

He [John the Babtist] answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Luke 3:11

Ever since I became a Christian and started to be interested in the bible, I saw this verse as some comandment of sharing with each other. I guess, if you put the bible into the hands of unbeliever, even he would get it that way. Recent events made me think about this verse deeper.

My good Christian friend experienced very often deep spiritual crisis. It always took him a very long time to get through it. In those very crisises I heard him saying: “I don’t know how and I cannot get through it, but I wish I could sacrifice to people, give them all I have got, help them.“

If we look at Luke 3:11 again and think about it: Who has two shirts – who has an abundance – let him give what he has in addition to one, who has nothing. There is no “Who has nothing, let him give it all away.“ God himself wants us to be generous, love other neighbours – but only if we have an abundance. We cannot force a homeless to give somebody his only one coat (and it is sometimes everything he owns). Same way, as Christian experiencing a living relationship with God, i tis very generous when we pray for others – but we also need to pray for ourselves. We need to have the solid stand in Christ, later we can help with construction in another place. How we can help somebody, when we cannot even solve our own problems?

On the first look this encouragements seems a little bit selfish: “Care only about yourself, and then about other people.“ But I think it is not selfish, only practical. Even the old proverb says “To love other people you need to love yourself first.“ Same way with other things. I tis nice when you give money, but we cannot give our money away in order to make debts.

So whoever is dressed, let him give what he has in addition. And whoever is fed, let him give away the rest of his meal.

Who did he die for?

Among unbelievers there is often a talk about why is Jesus’ death so important and what unique is about it. Even I as a Christian don’t realise fully the meaning of this sacrifice. I mean yes, Jesus died for our sins and he saved us, but I cannot exactly imagine, how important it was.

Who would you die for? If it was your life or somebody else’s – who would you put your life for? A family? Parents, brother, sister, you sons and daughters or you wife? For those definitely yes. Would you die for your friends? Probably. Would you die for that homeless who lies outside your house on the bench? Maybe. Would you die for politicians? Or maybe in different words, would you die for a criminal?

It is very difficult to decide. Jesus’ death was unique in that he didn’t die only for those who were closest to him, but he died also for those who hated him. He was able to die both for good or bad people.

Next very unusual issue about Jesus’ death: ressurection. Yes, of course – many people believe in ressurection. However, let’s try to think deeper what was it all about. Imagine Jesus’ death by his eyes. You look at the people around you from the cross, you close your eyes a you are off the game for a while (because you fall unconsciousness). What could Jesus do during next three days we don’t exactly know, but then he suddenly “woke up” to his body. Completely healthy, even when he had holes in his arms and legs (Luk 24:39).

This isn’t just a theological talk, this is really serious. Imagine how he suffered and then he just „jumped out“ to his Daddy. Just to tell him that everything went by the plan. And after that he came back.

The death of Jesus is unique, because it is the very first time we meet something such special and unusual – and some of us consider it as a matter of course in the same time.

Praise if I win or if I lose

Have you ever hated God? I mean as a Christian. Have you ever been angry 

with him? When was it? What situation did cause it? Mostly we don’t berate God – if we have money and if we are simply happy. What if we lose this? Then it is a real challenge of loyality. 

Look at biblical Job. He was OK, rich and had everything he wanted (Job 1:3). However, then he lost everything, including family and friends. Everyone left him. But he stayed loyal and God gave him his reward. When we are with God, it doesn’t mean everything will be easy. Trust in God is important next to the strenght to fight the challenges.

In the movie Facing the Giants the american footbal coach leads his team through the prayer: „God, give us strenght. If we win, we will praise you. If we lose, we will praise you.“ They win a few matches, but then here comes a defeat. But team fill their promise and praise the Lord.

It is not important how hard challenges are, but how much we bet into this and how much we let God lead us through this. Therefore – if you win, praise the Lord. If you lose, praise the Lord.

Faith as a confidence

A life of a Christian is often hit by hard and ugly tests. Paul the Apostle says that the tests are for our own good:

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Hebrews 12:7,8 (KJV)

It is the faith, which helps us pass the tests. Our faith does not consist of only the belief in God, but it also consists of the trust in him. Only he knows our path and only he leads us through the most effective path – the path of fullfillness. It is up to us if we fully trust him or we turn away from the path.

It is like to be a blinder and have a guide, who will lead us to the finish. You can’t see where you put your feet, you can only feel it. So if you feel the dust, you know you’re going through a safe place and then we are satisfied and we do not grumble. However, sometimes the path has to go through thorns (there is no other way at this time) and then we feel how thorns cut into our feet and we feel we cannot go any further. It is very important to realise that the path we are going through, even the most thornful, is still the best way God prepared for us. Any other way would be longer and after a while even more painful.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Psalms 23:4 (KJV)