Christians: Saving or Stumbling People

Jesus Christ saves yet many stumbles at His exclusive nature of salvation. In this article, the writer looks this words ‘saves’ and ‘stumble’ in a way that relates specifically to the moral and ethical lifestyle of Christian that can lead or repel people away from Christ. Having a conversation over a cup of coffee with a wife of a distinguished theological professor in Korea, she, pointing from the book of Acts said that theearly Christian Church were revered and feared even though they were socially ostracised and persecuted. The outside community had a deep respect for the Christian faith and principles though they did not join them. And it was the same case even of the early Korean Christian Church as the unbelieverstoo had a huge respect for the Church even though they were not Christians. But now, the scenario has changed where the Church has failed to maintain that standard of reverence and holiness. The whole scene has pretty changed ever since Churches have been caught with financial rackets and scandals. The very word ‘Church’ has become a mockery to God and Christian faith and principles. She sustained that the Churches has lost God’s glory and reverence. It was with regret and pain as she expressed this to me. I felt that there was a genuine concern that she observed about many Korean Churches. Although the perspective is purely subjective, it seems that this is a major scenario which we can observe in almost every part of the globe. In the ancient history of Israel, there came a point in the life of the Jews that God’s glory abandoned Jerusalem Temple and subsequently the Holy City was besieged. The exile to Babylon was their story. Yet a faithful young man by the name of Daniel was found to be praying facing Jerusalem three times a day. You see, the glory is gone yet Daniel had hoped to see a destructed, doomed temple to resurrect from its stalemate condition. It was with this faith and hope that he prayed now and again. After decades, Daniel’s prayer came to fruition. Daniel never went home again yet his prayer began the engine of restoration and revival. Now, with this in view, many faithful Korean believers are praying for the ship of the Church to take another direction in the path of restoring God’s glory in the Church. Late Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson once commented this famous statement, “Historians of religion like to say that Christianity was born in the middle east as a religion, moved to Greece and became a philosophy, journeyed to Rome and became a legal system, spread through Europe as a culture-and when it migrated to America, Christianity became big business.” And I would add, “America sold this Christianity to Asia and most of the third world countries.”Thanks to many of the past American missionaries but today the proclamation of the gospel by scores of contemporary evangelists has changed immensely. The focus on building earthly kingdom, possession, wealth and materialism is a very cheap gospel.It sounds very appealing but it’s not the true gospel. Christianity should retrieve from this menace of selling this cheap gospeland proclaimto people the truth of Christianity that it involves complete surrender and commitment. There can be no enculturation or syncretism with the worldly affairs or pagan practices. Ifyou want to buy into real Christianity, it will cost you everything and if it does not cost you everything then it’s a façade of everything that’s proclaimed to be true. Therefore, the need of the Church today is to review, examine and explore the true essence of what a Christian Church should correspond to and return to the true Biblical Church. Prayer: God, open our eyes to see things the way you see. Help us discern the false prophets in sheep’s clothing and may you reveal your glory in your people and the Church, Amen.

Vebu Khamo Seoul Christian University