A lot of people enjoy eating at a buffet. You can get what you want and not the things you dislike. At a buffet if you don’t like veggies, you don’t have to get them. Although it may feel good for a moment, you will eventually regret that decision. Some people take the idea of a buffet way too far, there are a lot of Christians that like to pick and choose in the Bible. Some may want to only read about heaven, and ignore the fact that hell is a real place. Some may want to take parts of the Bible and twist what it says. For example, “Oh if Christ is always with me then that means life will be easy” or, “if God wants to bless me then He will give me all the money and health I could ask for”. One that I’ve seen acted out and not necessarily spoken is, “God calls other people to be preachers (or teachers, volunteers, etc.), He wouldn’t call me.” There are a lot of buffet Christians out there who either pick and choose the parts of the Bible they like, or they try to sugarcoat everything and make the Bible revolve around them. I’m not saying that I am perfect, I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but that doesn’t make them right.
We as the Church as the Bride of Christ have to take a stand and preach what the Word of God says. There is a real place called hell, and sin will send people there. There is also a real place called heaven and that is where God wants us to go. He wants us to be in heaven with Him, that is why He gave His Son to take our punishment. I’ve heard of people saying, “how could a loving God send someone to hell?” How could someone refuse the loving God that gave His own Son so that they could go to heaven? God does not want to send anybody to hell, but as a fair judge He will do what must be done. If someone chooses their sin and to break His law over going to heaven, He will honor that choice. We have to warn people of the consequences of their sin. Christ said that those wanting to follow Him must take up their cross to do it. He told us He will be with us, not that life would be easy.
It won’t always be easy to share His Word, it won’t always be easy to tell somebody about Jesus. It won’t always be easy to pray in public over a meal, but God will give us the grace and strength to do it because in those moments seeds are being planted and nurtured for the sake of Christ. God will help us to do His will, but we must take that first step, and He will even help us to do that if we will just do it. The time for a cozy Christian is over, we have to speak up about our faith in Christ. If someone doesn’t want to listen that is their business, but that should not deter us from our responsibility. You can call me crazy, you can call me a right-wing nut, you can call me a Jesus freak, but I refuse to be called a lazy Christian. Christ will call His bride away soon, and I want to make sure I do all that I can to share God’s Word so that hopefully somebody will accept Christ into their life. There is a friend of mine named Billy Wayne owner of Lamplight Theatre that once said, “Isn’t their soul worth that one awkward moment?” I’d like to add to that, isn’t just one soul worth all of the awkward or uncomfortable moments we may face as we follow Christ? “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,” Colossians 2:6. We are to be rooted into Christ, and built up in Him. Our lives when we accept Him are to revolve around Him, and as we accepted Him by faith, we are to walk by faith in Him. God Bless!