Extremes In Christianity

Pretending to be a spiritual star on Sunday…but only on Sunday, is not a place where a Christian should be. A healthy prayer life makes the difference; we have the honor to talk to the Owner of the Universe every day of our lives! Why waste such a chance! In the ministry, there are two extreme tendencies. The first one is to isolate yourself from the rest of the Christians, like the monks. Some think that being alone and having more time with God will make them more pleasant before God. Well, it is a very good thing to spend time with God as much as you can; this is the "breathing" of the Christians, I may say. But to separate yourself from others is definitely wrong; our time spent with God is useful only when we use its benefits on others. The ones that lock themselves in a room and study all the day long are no use to anyone. We need to serve God and we need to work with people.

The world is full with Sunday-Christians, those who act like Christians only on Sunday. I know a person that pretends he is a Christian and whenever you meet him, he is always so "spiritual", always talking about God and how hard it is to live a life of faith like only he does. However, his wife will tell you something different; that he doesn’t have anything to do with God during the week. Is that right? Not for us, but for God? Does God deserve something like this?

Then, there is another extreme tendency; that is to have your ministry completely populated. When somebody looks for popularity, God is already thrown aside. That Christian is not the man of God anymore, but a business man, a popular man. This man prays less because he doesn’t care about people anymore. He tries to get their attention, their interest, a sensation in the religion’s name sake. He doesn’t pray because he doesn’t have anything to pray for. His needs are met and are to be met by men.

A fat bank account brings their assurance for the daily bread. Have you never met preachers that try to have the important personalities of the town attending to their church? I did. I met preachers that feel more important than others if they have 1000 believers in their church. Does the number of the attendees count or their quality? Small but very fatal problems attack our Christian churches, and the Christians themselves. The Devil came up with sins that are not seen as sins. Who thinks that pride is a sin anymore. I tell you, not too many!

A good relationship with God keeps anybody strong and healthy from a spiritual point of view. Reading the Bible is old school for many today. The Bible is old, it doesn’t fit in this world’s fashion. How about prayer? Many Christians forgot how to pray, forgot the importance of prayer.

Prayer is the meat in the plate, not just the salt or the flavor. The time spent in prayer has to be a pylon of every day’s work. First is to be the prayer, then studying the Scriptures or going to work or to school. The real prayer is not done in a rush, play or free time. It needs to be the power of life; it needs to enter in that person’s heart and life. Prayer is not even a habit we learn from our parents, not the 15 seconds long grace we say at supper, but is the most serious work of our most serious years.

A weak prayer life will make our testimony weak. The prayer life gives the power that a preacher needs. Every single ministry that brought something good was preceded by long hours of prayer, because prayer was considered a serious thing.

The child of God has to be, first of all, a man of prayer. His heart has to graduate the high school of prayer with A’s. There is no teaching in this world that can compensate for prayer. Honesty, study or gifts cannot replace prayer.

Talking to people about God is a big thing, but talking to God about people is an even greater thing. He who didn’t learn to talk to God about people will never have the real success of talking to people about God. Even more, words spoken by children of God about Him, and without prayer, will be the words that will harm, rather than help.
By Claudia Miclaus
Published: 10/10/2007