Nearly every time I have conversation with someone who is not a Christian about the Christian faith they say something like, “You’re not like other Christians.” I take that as a complement. Although, recently it has begun to raise some questions in me.

It seems like a lot of my friends who aren’t Christians don’t want to become a follower of Jesus because of their perceptions of “Those Christians.” Many of them don’t know any of “Those Christians.” They know me though and tell me that I’m different from “Those Christians.” So if that’s the case why let this caricature of “Those Christians” impact so much of your worldview?

I know this to be true: Most Christians are like me. Most of us are aware of our brokenness and most of us are wounded healers. That is, we come alongside not as those who have finished the race but as those who are fellow sojourners.

We see on TV and the Internet the worst of ourselves. Whether it’s Christians, Muslims, Police Officers, or Activists, it’s the worst half percent that get all the attention. What we very rarely hear of are those who quietly and faithfully live lives of character, integrity, and humility loving well and impacting their neighbors for good.

I am grateful that my friends see me as something different from the norm. What I’d like even more is that they would stop comparing me to a ghost, a shadow Christian. I’m here, I’m real, I’m in the flesh.

If you hate Jesus because of “his followers” then I’d challenge you to look around and ask yourself, “Are the followers I know like the caricature that social media memes created?” If not, then be honest enough to change your view.

If you say you’re a Christian then I’d challenge you to look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Am I a jerk? Do I have a martyr complex because people don’t agree with me? Do I pick fights?” If you do, then be honest, confess your sin, repent, and change.

from The Subversive Journey https://danielmrose.com/2016/08/13/youre-not-like-that/

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