FINISH STRONG

Isaiah 3:1-5:30; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 22:28-29

“You have heard the case; you be the judges. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?”

“These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

“Only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.”

When was the last time anybody read a story about someone doing the right thing because they followed Christ? Aside from the odd ballplayer giving credit to Jesus after a particularly fine play or game, I cannot remember the last time I saw a good deed outside the church that anyone associated with the Lord. Don’t misunderstand; I’ve seen any number of stories about good people doing good things. But the Son never enters the picture.  It seems the only time one hears of Christians is when one who claims to follow Jesus comes up short in the commitment department in the face of temptation. A cynic could fairly conclude that people outside the church are kinder and more ethical that those inside it, and that’s very sad.

Just this week, our newspapers have been full of unsavory details concerning the alleged sexual improprieties of a local community leader. This 43 year old man has been arrested on charges of having illicit relations with a 14 year old girl. Fortunately, the media has not mentioned his church or religion or if he even is a believer. Oh, but once upon a time, he lived a very different life. Ten or so years ago, this same man was very closely involved with our church’s drama ministry. I was privileged to serve as director of a play in which he was cast as, ironically, Peter. At that time, he was one of those young people who gave old goats like myself hope for the future. He was kind, creative, generous and thoughtful as a person could be. He became an integral part of our ministry and went on to do other shows, even as I moved on to other things. We eventually lost touch, as people do, and I had not thought about him in years, until last night, when I read about his alleged crimes. Jesus wept. I was stunned and disappointed.

Folks, we – certainly, I – let one get away. It looks like a brother headed for the Kingdom took a wrong turn somewhere and had no one to help him find his way back. Maybe he ended up rejecting the things he’d learned with us. Maybe life just caused those things to atrophy and fall away from the man and politician he eventually became. In any event, while I have no idea if he is truly guilty or not, just the claims involved give rise to two important points.

First, if we are to truly disciple others, we need to bring them all the way home. I never challenged this young man about his position with Jesus. We talked a lot about being inspired and following the Spirit, but no one to my knowledge ever put him on the spot. If we care enough about people to bring them to Christ, we owe it to God, them and ourselves to close the deal. It’s not enough to leave them on the front porch and hope they will walk through the door. We have to bring them all the way inside. We do everyone a disservice when we do not actually put the question to those we minister to. Finish strong. Discipleship is not done until the new disciple is absolutely secure in Christ, and discipling seekers of his own. Bringing someone into contact with Christian ministry and not asking them where they are with the Lord is no better than quitting a marathon half a mile from the finish. All our good intentions count for nothing.

As important, though, Christians need to get serious about living as re-presentations of Christ. We need to take more responsibility for our actions and understand others will see them in the light of our claim of faith.  It’s no good to claim to follow Jesus yet live like we know nothing of Him. If our lives do not lead to the Lord, there’s really little reason to bother to claim we follow any religion at all.

Jesus was painfully clear. He will never be our Savior until we allow Him to become our Lord. We are only His friends if we do as he commands. He expects us to finish strong, as disciples and as His children. Christianity is not a get out of jail free card. Nor does it give one license to live as he or she pleases. Stay the course. Push through the distractions and temptations. There will be a final judgment. We will be held accountable. And we better start taking seriously that Jesus will disown us in the next life if we disown Him in this one.