“He Looks Like a Christian” Syndrome
By Joel Repic
I remember this past summer I was visiting another congregation. One of the members was trying to describe to me what a person looked like who had been standing outside of the church building. They said, “Well, he looked like a Christian. He looked like someone who would go to church.”
That got me thinking…exactly what does a Christian look like?
Don’t get me wrong. I know there are certain behaviors that should absolutely characterize those who claim the name of Christ. We should exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in a way that is supernaturally different from those who do not follow Christ. Our lives should be full of the love and peace and joy of Christ.
But physically, what does a Christian look like?
At Crestmont Alliance Church, we have begun to reach into pockets of the community that are new for us. We have entered uncharted territory from our perspective, but this is a very exciting process. It is exactly the kind of Holy Spirit-ordered risk we need to be involved in.
I believe a day is coming soon in Aliquippa (in fact, it is already here) when God is going to call people to Himself that we might not expect. They will not be churched people. They will be full of the Holy Spirit, but they will not be full of knowledge about the cultural nuances of how to “act” in church. They will be effective in ministry on the streets, but they might seem offensive to some Christians who value more than anything else the externals of tradition and religion.
I think that sometimes we make better church members than disciples, and sometimes we desire people to look like us more than we desire them to look like Jesus. But God is more interested in building His Kingdom through drawing people to look like Himself than He is in building our comfort zones by making people to look just like us.
God is drawing people into the community of faith here in Aliquippa, but they are people who won’t look like us. It might not be very comfortable for any of us, but it will be exciting. May God help us to remember the priorities of the Kingdom as he draws Samaritan women and lepers and Gentiles and sinners to Himself.
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