I recently listened to a sermon by John Piper called The Plundering of Your Property and the Power of Hope. He used a phrase – “Domesticated Christian” and it really struck a chord with me. The sermon was about how easy American Christians have had things. We have not been persecuted like other countries. And until recently, it’s been a good thing to be a Christian. Admired even. It’s a great sermon, and I recommend you listen to it.

So what does a domesticated Christian look like?

I see it as a Christian who doesn’t take God at His Word. There are a LOT of hard things in the bible. There are a lot of things that we can write off and ignore. But that’s not what we’re called to do.

It may not be easy to hear – “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28
But it’s a very clear message – don’t play around with thinking about those who aren’t your spouse. One way Bret and I have tried to take God at His Word in this area is not watching a movie or TV show with nudity.

It’s not easy to hear – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23.
We like to think of ourselves as “good people” as “not so bad.” But that’s not what scripture says. It says we’ve ALL sinned.

It’s not easy to hear – “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.‘” John 14:6
No one likes the message that faith in Jesus is the only way to be saved from hell. We like to hear all roads lead to God. We like to hear, believe want you want. But that’s not what scripture says.

It’s not easy to hear – “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” 1 Peter 4:7
We want to hear, it’s all good, go ahead – drink and be merry. But that’s not what God says. I had to take this verse seriously in my life. I had to admit that I could not be sober minded and drink. Over a year ago, I finally admitted I had a problem and quit drinking for good. I intend on telling the full story about that in the coming weeks on the blog, so stay tuned. I took God at His Word and my life has been changed.

This idea of domesticated makes me think of a wild animal that loses all of it’s survival instincts. I hate to break it to you friends, but this world is a vicious vicious place. We have to be serious about our faith in Christ and be aware of the dangers around us. We also need to be ready tell others of the amazing good news of our faith. This world is a terrible place, but God has given us a source of pure joy and hope.

So ask yourself, are you domesticated in your faith? Has your faith been watered down? Have you let the world dictate your belief system or is it God’s Word?

Maybe not one of my easier or more fun posts, but it has been pressing on my heart and I had to share.

“I can’t keep eternity out of my mind. Life is short and eternity is long. Very long. It is a long time to regret a wasted life.” John Piper – Life as a Vapor

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