A Father in the Lord

Our corresponding emails today reminded me of him of how he is a father to me though we meet only for a week but the feeling that he left to me as a son remains forever. And what’s better is what I learned from those 7 days I am doing the same then. And the ‘not that good’ is why I just met this man that time. I wish I met him when I started my Christian walk.

I have been a Christian for 9 years and become a follower of Jesus for another 9 years. To have said that, becoming a Christian is easy – just go to any church you want out there and be faithful with its rules to maintain your Christian life. It’s easy, coming to church once or twice every week, either be a full-time worker or minister, part-time or even just a simple Christian on Sunday’s – a ‘Sunday-goer’ as we call it. I have no idea where did we got these themes. I wonder if Christianity is going to church Sunday-after-Sunday, week-after-week, month-after-month, year-after-year both now and forever, amen…makes you like Jesus. Does Jesus ever went to a ‘church building’ on holy days? We see Him more on the streets raising the dead!

On the other hand, following Jesus happens outside your four corners of the church. I once bump into a site about an atheist named Casper who was paid to work with a ‘resigned’ pastor of a church. Their ‘mission’ is to roam around 3 churches per week and the job of Casper is just to tell the pastor what he’d think about the church whom they visited. One time after the service he told the pastor, “Is this what your God tells you to do? I have read your Bible and I can’t find these liturgies in there.” To get rid of your religious routine you must get out of that religious edifices. Though getting out of the box is easier than getting the box out of your  brain, but it’s a good start. Following Jesus is all about ‘in everything you do….you do it for God’s glory. ‘Everything’ can’t be happening in your church eh? ‘Husbands loved your own wives..’ ‘Wives submit to your own husbands’ ‘Father do not provoke your children into anger’ ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord…,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ These commands can’t be happening inside the church building. They must be somewhere in your home and in marketplaces!