| Struggling With Unbiblical Expectations... |
When an adult turns to Christ and away from the errors of this life, they come into saving faith with a lot of baggage, and (typically) a very confused image of what Christianity is supposed to look like.
Their understanding of what is "good" is all messed up by humanistic and secular moralism. Their understanding of God is colored by the things they have learned about God while under the (sole) influence of worldly thinking. How many times have you cringed when a Christian leader has a horrible public scandal? ...they immediately doubt the authenticity of their faith, rather than the authenticity of their supposition How many times have you heard the "golden rule"? How many times have you seen nominal Christians fight like cats and dogs over trivial things, and in doing so shaming that great name that they co-opt for themselves? Frankly, when a worldly comes in out of the rain, as it were, they are soaking wet, and there is a struggle in their faith at first as they have to unlearn all the bogus things that they have come to expect from Christianity and imagine Christianity to be.
What happens when a new Christian is expecting some sort of Christian experience to happen and it doesn't? Let me tell you what happens - they immediately doubt the authenticity of their faith, rather than the authenticity of their supposition. They assume that something is wrong with them because they pray that God heals the sick and raises the dead, and it doesn't happen. They think something is wrong with them because they can't understand foreign languages, or even hear a voice in their head like they assume others do.
When I first came to Christ I thought I could heal people if my faith was right. I was quite surprised, and a little ashamed when I couldn't do it, and I thought there must be something wrong with my faith. Maybe I am not a REAL™ Christian? Then I would toil of how I could be sure I was really, really saved... That is what immaturity looks like. It includes a lot of confusion about what Christianity is supposed to be like, and when our experience differs from our expectation, we immediately presume the problem in in our faith and not in our expectation.
You who are older in the Lord, it is good for you to remember how that worked, and how long it took (and still takes for some of you) to deal with that - to come to the place where you depend on the God of scripture rather than the pop culture version of God that is infiltrating every aspect of the media driven, Christian religion. Remember to gentle with those who are sensitive to their faith - it isn't meant to be a burden to you to help others who struggle, it is meant as a blessing, for in imparting what God has shown you, you are reminded again how far you have come, and how great your Master in heaven is to you.
Grace to you, little ones.Labels: expectations vs. experience |
posted by Daniel @
12:35 PM
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