?Im Not A Christian, But I Play One On Sunday

After more than three decades of church ministry, I have come to one unsettling conclusion. Actually, I've come to more than one conclusion, but this one is the most depressing.

That conclusion is simply this: all who say they are going to Heaven are not actually on the right path, going in the right direction. Most, of course, have the best intentions, but good intentions don't make up for going in the wrong direction.

Our government insists advertisers adhere to what they call "truth in advertising." I would like to insist on something I call "truth in testimony." By that, I mean what people say about themselves should be the truth. If this could ever be enacted by Congress, some people will have to say, "I'm not a Christian, but I play one on Sunday."

I've always thought of it this way, if you're not a Christian on Saturday night, you're not a Christian on Sunday morning, which may be the ultimate test. Christianity is not a time-sensitive lifestyle turned on Sunday morning and expiring by nightfall.

Christianity is not like St. Patrick's Day, where for that one day everyone is Irish. Also, Christianity is not like a part-time job you take to make ends meet.

For example, take a guy who was in my office one day last month. I never saw him before and didn't know him from Adam. He saw our church, he said, as he was driving by and thought he would stop in and visit. "You have a real nice church here, reverend," he praised.

As soon as I saw him, I knew what he was after. His job was to see how much of my money and the church's money he could put into his pocket. My job, of course, was to make his job impossible.

I've played this game before and, not bragging, I've become rather good at it. Not that I have not lost my share of games, for I have. But after losing hundreds of dollars to scoundrels, I've learned how to play the game.

The key to winning is never letting your guard down, and more importantly, never allow your opponent to suck you into his sympathy scam. One man actually brought with him a little girl he pawned off as his daughter.

Looking into her big brown eyes my hand automatically went to my wallet. I'm sorry to say I lost that one and later found out the little girl was not his daughter.

This man in my office, let's call him "Ralph," had a different scheme. He was trying to impress me with how good a Christian he really was. Although he may not have been a good Christian, he sure knew how to tell a good line. All along, he was trying to impress me that he really knew God.

I could tell Ralph knew God about as well as I knew the President of the United States. It was then an idea hit me.

While he talked to me, I was trying to figure out how I could convince him that he really didn't know God. Sure, he knew a lot of things about God and could quote a bushel full of Bible verses as though that would impress me. Entrance into heaven is not contingent upon impressing some preacher.

I knew Ralph really did not know God personally. My problem was to persuade him of that fact.

It's almost like someone who smokes cigarettes trying to convince someone who doesn't smoke that they don't smoke. The smoker does not smell the smoke but the non-smoker smells it right away. Similarly, I can readily tell when someone doesn't know God personally.

As we were talking, an idea came to mind. Ralph was sitting across my desk from me and between us was my telephone. So I said to Ralph, "Do you know the President of the United States?"

Ralph looked at me a little perplexed with this question out of the blue and said, "Sure, I do. It's George W. Bush."

"Great," I said pushing the telephone towards him, "use my telephone and call him for me."

He laughed and pushed the telephone back.

Thrusting the phone back toward him I said, "You do know the President of the United States, don't you?"

He laughed a nervous little chuckle. "The president of the United States is George W. Bush." Then he shoved the phone back toward me.

"You know him?" I persisted. As he nodded in the affirmative, a worried look embraced his face. I could see he didn't quite understand what I was getting at.

"Ralph," I explained, "you may know who the President of the United States is and you may know a lot about him. But you don't know George W. Bush enough to call him on the phone."

People who say they know God only know things about God. People who say they know Jesus Christ only know things about him. If you don't know God enough to reach Him when you need Him, you don't know Him at all.

I like the Apostle Paul's testimony. He said, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;" (Philippians 3:10 KJV.)

A friend of mine has a favorite saying that he likes to quote; "Either Jesus is Lord of all or he is not Lord at all." That about sums up the whole matter.

About The Author:

©2005 Rev. James L. Snyder.

Reverend Snyder is currently ministering at the "Family of God Fellowship" in Ocala, Florida. More of his articles are available for reprint at his website: http://www.godspenman.com/ Rev. Snyder is available as a guest speaker. He writes a weekly column and is the author of "You Can Always Tell a Pastor; But Not Very Much " available at: http://www.jamessnyderministries.com/

---

KABBALAH OF LOVE: The Secret Power of Ego

The Key to True Love...Do you long for love?Most of... Read More

Creating Our Own Emotional Chaos

It's amazing how - even when we're working from a... Read More

Dear Lord

As I sit here and ponder my existence my heart... Read More

Bringing Heaven to Earth: Looking for the Good

Everyday I am challenged to find the good in things:... Read More

Globe Unity

Most of us think of what a wonderful world this... Read More

Kachina Doll

To a shaman a kachina isn't really a doll or... Read More

Spiritual Clarity

Who is the more spiritual person? The woman out on... Read More

The Mystery of Purpose

Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?"... Read More

Livin On A Prayer

When I was a child, I thought as a child,... Read More

New Hope For Global Peace

In a recent article entitled "Some Evidence of How We... Read More

A New Beginning

Sometimes showing up for life can seem like a major... Read More

3 Little Prayers That Strengthen Relationships

My mentor, a brilliant Ph.D, with a powerful marriage counseling... Read More

E=mc², Emotional & Physical Gravity

The word "gravity" is a word coined by Sir Isaac... Read More

Using Psalm 23 as Spiritual Affirmation

INTRODUCTIONSpiritual affirmations are positive, statements of intention, that facilitate manifestation.... Read More

White Sun - Tao of Heaven. Showers of Wisdom ( Part 2 of 3 )

People rarely live up to a hundred years of age... Read More

A Short Journey to Your Divine Self

By invoking an external God to whom we look for... Read More

Your Artistic Talent as a Weapon

Your creative gift has power.God was the first and still... Read More

Some Evidence of How We Are Spiritually Connected

It has long been surmised that emotional trauma can lead... Read More

Create Miracles in Your Life

Until recently, miracles were usually credited to a supernatural power.... Read More

We Are Not Our Personalities

As a Psychiatrist I spent most of my life training... Read More

Sing Psalms, Let Joy Resound: A Case For Exclusive Psalmody

Ephesians 4:4-6 indicates that Christians ought to practice one single... Read More

Watch Your Language!

I have a big mouth. If you have read my... Read More

What is the Evil Eye?

The Evil Eye has been around since the beginning of... Read More

The Healing Power Of Forgiveness

Forgiveness breaks all bounds of repression and depression. It liberates... Read More

Learning to Listen

The second verse of Amy Grant's song, "Angels Watching Over... Read More

Sure! Ill be a Millionaire! Discover Wealth and Prosperity with the Angels of Abundance

I was in the bank's vault. The Brink's armored truck... Read More

A Scary Thought For Some...

What could be a scary thought for some? How bout'... Read More

Mind Walls

Walls as a blockade seem to be an integral part... Read More

Coming to Jesus

2 Corinthians 6:17-6:17For God so loved the world, that He... Read More

The Many Waters, Lauretta Lueck

The Many Waters explores the universe and sifts through the... Read More

How to Hear from God

We want to hear from God so that we may... Read More

Love, Honor, and Obey

Let's take a look at all these aspects. The bible... Read More

Affirmations for Emotional Hygiene

Last week I talked about the need to practice emotional... Read More