Are We Making it Difficult?

“We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”

This is what James said in Acts 15 after some Pharisees suggested that the Gentiles should be converted to Judaism before they could come to faith in Jesus Christ. Basically, these religious leaders wanted these new converts to dress like them, have to be circumcised like them, and have to adhere to their calendar and way of doing things before they could receive the free gift of salvation.

Paul, Barnabas, James, and the other apostles and elders were not about to let that happen. Here’s the message they sent to the Gentiles…
“We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said…therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.”

Are we making it difficult for those who are turning to God?

Believe it or not, more and more people are seeking out spirituality and their need for truth, grace, and purpose. People desire these things, but often choose to test things out before fully committing to a source.

2000 years ago the pressure for the Gentiles was to belong to a certain custom.

I wonder if the pressure for people today is not necessarily to belong, but to believe.

Anytime I’m in a car dealership and feel pressured to sign on the dotted line before completely convinced it’s the right car for me, I walk as far away from that place hoping to never return. Similarly, could we be making it difficult for people to turn to God by requiring them to believe it’s for them before they’re truly convinced it is? The reality is that Jesus is the right choice for everyone, however, each individual must first recognize their need for him.

I was talking with someone this past weekend who spent a few years wanting nothing to do with God. He mentioned that his church was making it too difficult for him to pursue a relationship with God. He had a lot of questions and wanted be a part of community that had open dialogue. He went on saying that his church didn’t allow him to ask any questions or doubt anything about the nature and character of God. He didn’t like that every response to his questions was, “you just have to believe that He’s the one for you and you need to put your faith in Him.” He suggested that he didn’t need all of his questions answered, but just would have appreciated the freedom to ask them.

I’m convinced that we’re not asking people to abide to certain customs and laws, but perhaps we are making it difficult by not allowing people to speak freely. I think we can agree that there’s a lot of weird stuff attached to Christianity and the Bible. Maybe we can make it less difficult for those who are turning to God by acknowledging how it all looks – and sounds – to someone from the outside.