The majority of people in America today will say that they believe in God when asked. So why then do so many people act like God does not exist? The same can be said in the church. Many people will say they love Jesus but then live each day of their lives like Jesus does not exist. God is not calling us to believe in Jesus but to believe Jesus. That means we will move past surface level religion to a deep, loving relationship with the God who made us through a personal relationship with Jesus.
In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a ‘Christian nation.’” (Crazy Love, p. 78)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it clear that we simply need to believe Him. In Matthew 7:21-27 we observe Jesus emphasize the necessity of hearing the Word and then living it out in practice. The ones who hear what Jesus says and apply it to their lives allowing it to transform their lives are called wise. They are the ones who are building upon the Rock.
The ones who build their lives upon hearing what Jesus says but not living it out are equated with the foolish man who built his house in the sand. If we build our lives upon trusting our church attendance, or the faith of our parents, or even the label of being a “Christian,” we are building our lives upon the sand. When you consider what you are building your life upon, do you see it as being the Rock or are you playing in the sand?
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