FAITH IN THE BAY

My wife and I recently celebrated our 9th anniversary in San Francisco, California. To be honest, I was a bit anxious leading into the trip. As a “Bible belt” Christian, we have been artificially pitted against one another in the battle for moral supremacy. The media would imply neither side can coexist due to mutual intense hatred. This portrayal led me to believe my worldview was under attack and I would face some aggressive energy the moment I arrived…

Ok, turns out we weren’t met with any hostility and I felt silly for feeling timid in the first place. The whole experience or, lack of, did in fact make me think of my conviction and witness. I believe that sometimes just the courage to stand on who God has called you to be despite the surrounding culture is how we witness for God’s kingdom. If there’s one thing we universally hate as a society, it’s a hypocrite. If you claim to be one way and sway the other way whenever the wind blows you lose all credibility. Once a person passes the test of authenticity, you can earn people’s respect even if they disagree. I’m not saying as a believer you won’t go through persecution, ridicule or outcasting. I’m saying if you stay true to your convictions you might earn the respect of those you aim to win to the faith. 

Lately my conviction has been God’s call for holiness and how our pursuit of Him makes us looks different to the culture. We’re called to be a peculiar people and from countless examples in the Bible doing so led the pagan nations to be curious about and eventually recognized the God of Israel. I’m often guilty of trying to soften my faith to make it more palatable to outsiders and it never works. Maybe today some of you need to come out the closet (excuse the pun) as a Christian to your friends. Maybe some of you need to dive deeper into what it means to be a Christian so you do look different to your friends. All I know is, the culture needs a true representation of who God is through His people. 

I definitely had my assumptions about going to San Francisco but when I arrived and engaged the city I had one of the most enjoyable experiences. Maybe if we engage the culture as an authentic body of believers, we can provide an enjoyable experience for those desperately in need of our God.