Christian Lifestyle

A study on 1 Corinthians 11:29

For anyone who eats and drinks without recognising the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgement on himself.

In order to fulfil the command to 'recognise the body', we need to recognise authority in the church, one another's 'ministries' and appointments etc., each others position in Christ, and accept one another regardless of whether or not we agree.

I used to be invited to speak at different sorts of church meetings, usually about unity.

I wish this could happen again, because I have a message for church leaders.

I would start by asking:

How many churches are represented here today?
They would mutter and count up amongst themselves and give me a figure. Without wanting to be clever, which they would accuse me of, I would have to reply, "Wrong! There is just one church represented here, the church of God.
The trouble is that most people are so consumed by the belief that their 'church' is the right church, and theirs is the best church.
The problem is, and the biggest problem is they dont realise it, that thinking like that actually excludes them from the Kingdom of Heaven.
Not recognising the Body is something written about in 1 Corinthians Chapter erm erm 13 or 14 I think.
We are all part of the one church, one body! This is what we declare when we break bread. Yet still this attitude permeates the church from top to bottom.

Personally, I would lijke to see the name 'church' removed and every local group called "area name fellowship group" or something similar and get away from the spiritual pride that is swallowing and consuming Gods people.

This article is being written 'off the cuff'. Please make allowances for grammatical errors or a not thought through article. Apologies in advance .

The subject is Grace.

None of us can know the depths and true meaning of God's grace. We all may understand something of it, due to our own experiences, but cannot possibly know the true height, depth width, and quality of it, at least until we go and meet our Maker.

I believe in an all powerful God, an all loving and graceful God, and still a mysterious God. Which means that I have to apply that belief to all aspects of life and death.

Which brings me to the question, who will we find in Heaven?

There is a verse in the Bible that says all those that know Jesus as Lord and Saviour will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ok, well that is the Christians sorted.

But what about those that have never heard of Jesus?
I cannot believe that God is so unkind as to condemn over half the people that have ever lived to an eternity without Him just because no one told them about Jesus. No, I know that God has instilled in mankind a spirit. That spirit causes people to seek and find the deeper and truer meaning and purpose to life. Many who have never heard of Jesus achnowledge a 'God'. For those that take consideration of the God they have discovered into their lives, maybe even worship in the way they have discovered too, I believe they too are heaven bound.

What about the Muslims and the Hindu's and others who worship another God?
I believe the same applies as for those who have never heard of Jesus. If they are sincerely worshipping in the spirit and in the truth (which not many 'Christians' can claim to do) of the divine revelation they have received, then they too will be accepted by God.

This is great. We are really getting to know and understand and grasp a sense of God's grace for mankind, the people He loves so much.

But there is a warning or two in the bible for those that the claim to be Christians. Much more will be expected from us, but still, according to His grace and love for us, it will be according to our knowledge and revelation of Him.

Now I guess, we all want to be recipients of this great love and grace, but there is a price to be paid. That price is that we have to accept unconditionally ALL those He extends His love and grace to. That means, the Africans, Arabs, Americans, Europeans, Russians, French etc etc..

Then there are those like rapists and murderers. They too will be judged according to their knowledge and revelation.

Then it could start getting really difficult. What about people like, Adolf Hitler, Fred West, Idi Amin, Stalin, Sadaam Hussein? We cannot judge their standing before God, but if He chooses that they are due his Love and grace, we cannot argue. In His eyes their 'sin' is no worse than ours. Sin is sin. And His love covers over (hides) a multidue of sins.

I am not saying that the evil people of this world will get to heaven, but they could!! They too could experience the forgiveness we hope for. They too could be genuinely repentant. We have to be prepared for that.

The only ones we can say for certainty wont see the Kingdom of Heaven are those that have deliberately gone against the knowledge and revelation they have had of Him and died in that rebellion.

Incidentally, when I use the word 'knowledge' I am not speaking of an intellectual knowledge, but a knowledge, or enlightenment, held in the heart brought about by revelation.

I am crazy about God. I have seen Him do so much in my, and others lives that i think He is great.

I would talk about about him all day every day if I could, but the point is, only to fellow Christians.
Non Christians, generally, are not interested. Why should I bore them with stuff they cannot relate to, or dont particularly want to know?

Why am I saying this? Because I think the 'church' needs to completely re-assess its approach to evangelism and what evangelism really means.
Most 'churches' have an annual 'mission', others coerce the flock to evangelise daily, weekly, monthly, on rota, at every opportunity.

I dont think this is what Jesus intended.
Ibelieve Jesus intended 'lifestyle' evangelism. That is not where we preach at every one we meet each and every day. It is where we give an answer when we are asked. It is a product of the relationships we build with people in the course of our daily life. Hopefully we are an attractive letter to be read by others and that will lead to them asking us the reason for whatever it is they have noticed 'special' about us.

What we tend to forget is that it is Jesus, by the Holy Spirit that gives revelation of Himself. We do not give revelation! We cannot 'force' people, with threats, veiled or otherwise, of hell etc, to suddenly 'know' God. The press gang days should be long gone. Conversion is Gods work, in His time, in who He chooses.

There are some churches that put its members on guilt trips about evangelism. They say it is every christians duty to evangelise. Rubbish. It is every Christians duty to give an answer for the hope he has. It is the evangelists job, to evangelise - and the evangelist is one job of many in thye church.

Think about these things, get back to the Instruction Manual (the Bible) and see if I am right or wrong. Then do what God says, and be as God says, not man.

The Trinity is a difficult subject, and has proved divisive in the history of the christian church.  Today it is still so, and yet is so desperately vital to being a Christian.

Naturally, such an important doctrine will be attacked by the enemy of our faith, but,the Sword of God, His Word, defeats the lies of the enemy!!   It is only in the Word of God that we find Truth, so what does the word say?

This study provides a brief but indisputable overview of the verses showing our God is "three in one", the Triune God.

Verses saying Jesus is God:

Hebrews 1:8  God the Father called the Son "God."

Isaiah 9:6  The "child" is called the "Mighty God."

Matthew. 1:23, Isaiah 7:14  Jesus is called Immanuel, which means "God with us."

John. 1:1  Jesus (the "Word") is called "God."

1 Timothy 3:16  Paul said Jesus was God "manifested in the flesh."

Colossians 2:8.9  Paul said Jesus was the "fullness of the Godhead in bodily form.

John. 20:28  Thomas said to Jesus, "my God."

Titus 2:13  Paul called Jesus "the great God."

Philippians 2:5,6  Paul said Jesus didn?t feel it was wrong to be considered "equal with God."

John 5:18  The Jews wanted to kill Jesus because He was "making Himself equal with God."

John 10:30  Jesus said, "I and the Father are one."

Genesis 1:1,  Colossians 1:16 The Bible said God created all things and that Jesus created all things.

Micah 5:2  The messiah (Jesus) had always been in existence.

Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:2,8, 11,13  God claimed to be the "First and the Last." So did Jesus. God clearly states that He is the only saviour. The Bible also says Jesus is our saviour.

Verses saying the Father is God:

John. 8:41  "The only Father we have is God Himself."
Ephesians 4:6   "one God and Father of all "

Verses saying the Holy Spirit is God:

Acts 5:3,4   "you have lied to the Holy Spirit you have not lied to men, but to God."
Acts 28:25,26   Referring to Isaiah 6:9,10, Peter said the "Holy Spirit" spoke to the prophet Isaiah. In the book of Isaiah, it says the "Lord" spoke to the prophet Isaiah.
1 Corinthians 3:16   "Don't you know you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"

Verses saying there is only one God:

Mark 12:32  "You are right in saying God is one and there is no other but him."
Mark 12:29  "The Lord our God, the Lord is one."
1 Timothy 2:5  "For there is one God ?"
1 Corinthians 8:4  "....and there is no God but one."
Galatians 3:20   "....but God is one."
James 2:19   "You believe there is one God. Good! "
Psalm 86:10   "....you alone are God."
Deuteronomy 6:4,5   "The Lord our God, the Lord is one ?"
Isaiah. 44:8   "Is there another God besides me?"
Isaiah 45:21   "There is no God apart from me ? there is none but me."
Isaiah 45:22  "For I am God and there is no other."
Isaiah 46:9  "I am God, and there is no other"
Isaiah 45:5  "I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God."
Isaiah 45:18  "I am the Lord, and there is no other."
Malachi 2:10  "Did not one God create us?"

Understanding the concept of a 3-in-1 God can be difficult.  This is how I like to consider it.

We as humans are made up of 3 things. The first is flesh (our flesh and bones), the second is emotion and the third is spritual. These three parts make us who we are.

The trinity too is made up of 3 things, God who is like our spiritual side, Jesus who is like our flesh and the Holy Spirit who is like our emotional side.

Considering it this way it was all clear to me.

So, what are the characteristics of Disciples?
In answering this question I have come to realise that mere words are not really sufficient to explain.  The church is a spiritual manifestation in the physical realm, in the lives of men and women, how can words explain something that dwells within a man's spirit?  How can words separate bones from marrow?  They cannot, I can merely speak of my observations, the revelation I have received, and pray that God will use my mere words to touch spirits, hearts and minds, to achieve His purposes.
One example of the difficulty to explain the characteristics came when I started to notice certain people in my own home church -  there was something different about them.  They moved in power, they knew their God, there was a certain quiet confidence, an unspoken authority, an 'aura' of godliness, quiet contentment.

Disciples not Followers
Firstly the men and women chosen by God are Disciples and not followers of Jesus.  What does this mean?  It means that they do not follow at a distance waiting to see what will happen and them jump on the glory bandwagon.  In fact these people will be seen far from the glory bandwagon.  There will be no big name speakers, only Jesus. 
The disciples walk close to Jesus, and do His work,  they need no coercing when a job needs doing.  They apply themselves to the things that are important in life overall, prioritising, and not just going with the flow of religious life.  They do not attend every meeting in order to get blessed, (mostly they are not interested in 'bless-ups') but to give to God, and subsequently are blessed.  Many would claim that purpose for themselves, some trying to fool themselves, others believing it sincerely, and only God knows our true motivation.
 
Sacrificial Lifestyles
There is, obvious from their lifestyle, a givenness to Gods purposes.  No position seeking or disappointment when not chosen, just a willingness to see a good job done, whatever it might be, to God's glory.
Their love for God's people, his church etc., is not sloppy or 'all embracing' - it is practical and it is committed. 
The comittment though is to God's best and God's purposes for the person, not hollow words of comfort or approbation.  Biblical discipline frequently goes out of the window in the interests of not losing church members, friends, or upsetting people.  Todays disciples, like Jesus, love the people, but moreover they love God and want to see each attain the best God has for them.
Today's disciple has learnt from the abuse of doctrine of the past, ie.  the 'name it and claim it' doctrine, the 'prosperity gospel', etc etc..  Today's disicple recognises the value of what God was doing at that time, and the biblical basis for such a philosophy.  However, today's disciple has learnt from the abuses of the past.  The pursuit of prosperity and blessing, whether it be material, financial or spiritual, should not be for self-gratification.  The end result is God's purposes.
 
Not opinionated
One of the problems (in actual fact a blessing) these disciples have is that his/her whole life, and doctrine, has been turned upside down and God has shown that it is actually He that defines doctrine and where men seek to put Him in a box (as they always do) He will break out.
It is good for us to have opinions and thoughts on all things,  but it is better for us to acknowledge the extreme likelihood that we are wrong!   We have been for many years and will continue to be, but if we can allow ourselves to be wrong and constantly re-consider and be open to change, then we find that doctrine doesn't actually change but we become wiser, more fulfilled and understanding as our thoughts and perceptions widen.
We must also be able to accept that what may be true for me is not for you.  An example: I believe God started a brilliant work for the more traditional churches in the use of Alpha courses.  There is no doubt it was divinely inspired, and greatly blessed.  Non-traditional churches caught the vision and started to use the course.  The unfortunate thing was that the vision was not theirs - God gave it to the churches he gave it to for a reason - it was for them - it was what they needed.  The modern Charismatic/Pentecostal churches did not need the course, they already knew of the dynamics of the Holy Spirit.  The result was that many churches went into the course 'in faith' and overall the result was disappointing.  Sure there were some conversions, God once used even an ass for His purposes, but that doesn't mean it was His best!
God spoke to the traditional churches - but it was not for the rest of us.
 
No rights only privileges
Unlike many churchgoers,  today's disciples do not claim any rights.
Name it and claim it doctrine has been seen as religious/spiritual manipulation.  Today we recognise that anything we have we have because of the grace of God.  We do not presume that we should be elders because we have been in the church longest, or housegroup leaders because we are older Christians.
 
Not Religious
Today's disciples try to ensure that what they do - Praying, praising raising hands, or anything at all, is not because it is expected or the done thing.  Everything has to be about faith and personal expression of faith.  Not tradition or ritual.
Ritual speaks of habit - habit is not faith/communication it is automatic and meaningless.
 
Not Presumptuous
Todays disciples are not making doctrines out of everything God says or because God did something last week doesn't mean he will do it this week.
 Because he did something with the Anglicans (for instance) or Joe bloggs down the road doesn't mean he will do it for me. Alpha courses became a doctrine - God said it to the traditionalists and the rest of us made it a 'doctrine'.
The abuse of 'faith' is another area that today's disciple has had to address.  So often we find ourselves faced with situations in which we have been taught that the best guidance is to be found in the Word of God.  So we look through and by one method or another we will come by a scripture that fits our situation.  Most of us spiritualise this process as God leading us.  We find that scripture fits our situation, promises an outcome we are happy with and so we claim it - in faith!  This is what
I call abuse of faith.
Faith comes from hearing the Word (rhema - living word, active for now) of God, not from looking through the logos (written Word of God).  How can we tell the difference?  If we are honest enough to admit the deceit of our heart and actually be prepared to hear from God what He say's and not want we want Him to say, then we will recognise the difference.
Imagine praying for a red Ferrari; two thoughts during a time of consideration occur to us:  1)  I will give you the desires of your heart    2) Get away from me you evil brood of vipers.
Which is most likely to be God?
It depends of course on who we are.  The new disciple with a life totally committed to God and His ways and purposes could be entitled to expect to hear number 1.  A 'super-spiritual' religious person with presumptive faith might expect to hear No.1 but God may well speak No.2!!
 
Humble -   
Like the disciples of Jesus time, the disciples of today are not arrogant enough to think that they have all the answers - unlike so many of the religious folk in our modern churches today.  The disciples today acknowledge their weakness, their inadequacy, and in that they find power.  In knowing who and what they are without God brings release and power in knowing who they are with God.
Acknowledging weakness and inadequacy is more than just words though.   It is a heart attitude and a work of the grace of God.  The man of God who acknowledges his weakness and inadequacy does not do so publicly (except perhaps to illustrate a point), but it is an acknowledgement before God.
False humility, that which we express but in the depths of our heart we cannot acknowledge, actually works against us.  It is a manifestation of pride.  Far better for us to acknowledge our lack of humility as a problem and our struggle with pride, in order that God can help us through.
 
Not  Proud
Many believers take hold of the knowledge of God's grace and mercy for themselves and dwell on it and take it in.  Thats great.  Alas, they then fail to show that same grace and mercy to others.  Instead they heap condemnation upon them.  They take on a religious self-righteous attitude, and forget they too were once miserable sinners, and still are!!  The disciples of today are only too aware of their status before God, and they crucify the pride of the heart and mind, and acknowledge that they are no better than the foulest sinner, and share the love, grace and mercy God has given to them.

Communicators with God in Prayer
Many folk would be offended if I suggested that a large proportion of our prayers were just so much hot air.  However, I am sure that the spiritually discerning would identify with having been in meetings, or even in our personal prayer lives, and we just know that some prayers are reaching no further than the ceiling.
I believe that on occasions God responds one of three ways to our prayers:
1)  He hears, acknowledges and appreciates the sentiments of the heart praying - but does not respond because whilst the prayer is well intentioned it is not according to His purposes.
2)  He hears and responds sending His angels to achieve His purposes according to our prayer.
3)  He refuses to even listen because of the motivation of the heart praying.
However, I believe that a good proportion of our prayer is not actually heard by God because it is rubbish.  We talk and talk, pray and pray, sometimes even stamp our feet, but have we sought God's will and purpose in the situation (which is what we really need to do in order to pray in His Name)?
Prayer is not just verbalising our frustrations, feelings and desires, however noble and well-intentioned they may be.  Prayer is or should be, communication.  I could talk all day at my wife but there is no assurance she will hear because I am not communicating - I am simply talking.
I am astonished at the number of people who coming across a sick person immediately pray for their healing.  I am sure the Kingdom of God would be further advanced if people sought God and brought a rhema word to the situation to set the person free (or whatever it is God is choosing to do with them.)

Communicators with God in worship
Precisely the same applies to our praise and worship.  How often do we just stand there on a Sunday morning and simply sing the songs?  That is not communication to God!  The words of many of the songs do not lend themselves to communication with God anyway.  They are usually either about God, or directed towards the congregation (from the congregation).
We cannot sing a song a song to God about Himself.  We sing a song of love and adoration.  Personally I make the words fit what I want to communicate.  If the song says 'Jesus is the radiance' then I change the words to 'You are the radiance' and I am then expressing my heart of love and adoration to God.
The modern disciple loves to worship.
They love to be in the presence of God.  They love to worship in spirit & truth.  Not just switching on a CD and singing along, but preparing their hearts.  In church meetings they are not looking at others to see what they are doing, or for their approval.  They are confident in expressing their hearts to God.

God's disciples are a prophetic people.
They not only know God but they hear God and know what he is saying.  I am not talking about some mystical voices from the ether, or other such nonsense.  I am talking about when God puts a thought in the mind, an urge to do something or say something in the heart.  They learn to discern whether they are hearing God, the impulses of their flesh, or the voice of the enemy, seeking to deceive.
When they pray they listen for God's will of what to pray in situations.  They listen for that 'still small voice'.  They listen to the stirrings of the Spirit of God, and they feel in their spirit when there prayers have reached the throne of God.
 
None superstitious
There is a rejection of all that is religious, including religious superstition.  There is acknowledgement that God's power is not in saying the words 'in the Name of Jesus', but in knowing God and His will.  There is no power in the words 'pleading the blood' but in knowing what Jesus has done and simply living in that.  A telephone number, credit card number or any other sort of numerical identification that begins with the numbers 666 is not a mark of the beast, or an identification of the work of the antichrist.  A picture of a pixie or any other mythical beast or being in my home does not infer my worship or  acknowledgement of them as reality - maybe they are just works of art!
 
Submissive
Dogmatism is one of the most divisive tools of either Satan or the flesh (or both) in the Kingdom of God.  There are those who would claim this or that or something else.  They speak with arrogance and pride - because only God makes rules and as can be seen in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles God does things anyway He chooses.  How dare we presume any doctrine other than a very basic 'faith in Jesus the rule for salvation'.
We cannot presume to be right - just because God has done one thing with you gives you no right to expect Him to do the same thing with another.
Are you willing to be wrong? As we step along this new road of discipleship we are having to re-learn much of what we have learned to date - we will make mistakes - but must be prepared to be honest with another, submit to one another, and see the power in that submission.
 
Disciples are Real People
God's disciples are real people.  They are not triumphalistic, claiming all is good when it is falling apart at the seams.  Claiming victory when the reality is quite the opposite and obvious to all.  They do not claim healing where there is no proof of it, under the guise of, it has been done in heavenly realms.  They do not quote scriptures and preach at non-believers when the message of God is not made real in their own lives.  They are real.  They struggle.  They cry and hurt.  They fail.  But in all these things, they acknowledge God, His faithfulness and His grace and mercy and their need for Him.
 
Men of faith.
Disciples are men of faith.  Admittedly, sometimes struggling.  But they express faith in their lives.  They express faith in every area of their life.  They are not Sunday Christians, there faith is living and active, and eager to serve not only the church but those God brings them into contact with.
 
Uncircumcised
Not literally I hasten to add - but in the Galatians sense of the use of the word.  Disciples do not allow themselves to be held in bondage by expectations.  They have found freedom in Christ to be who they are in God.   They do not need to hold to feasts and festivals.  They do not have to read Galatians because it is on their calendar to be read this week.  They are free to read whatever they choose, or the Spirit of God leads them to.
They are not legalistic - they reject expectations in favour of being led by Spirit of God - willing to reject control and not control others.
 
I hope you have found this helpful.

Do you know people like I have described above?  If so bless them, they serve you!

Are you called to this sort of life of freedom and service?  If so bless God and seek Him for your next step!

I see a difference in scripture between Disciples and followers. Jesus had thousands of followers but only 12 disciples. I also see in the Old Testament (OT is a picture of what was to come) 12 tribes, only one of which was set apart for priesthood (the Levites). Are the Levites a picture of the Disciples of Jesus's time? I think so, and the New Testameant speaks about the priesthood of all believers. There is a difference, between disciples and followers. Disciples serve the church, they are the church's servants. Not a lower class, still equal with the follower, but they have been called by God to serve.
I am writing here about modern day disciples. Trying to identify what makes a disciple. My hope is this, that maybe you have been called to discipleship but until now have not recognised that calling. I also hope that maybe God will call you as you read this and gain understanding of what discipleship is. My third and final hope is that God will show followers what disciples are, and that disciples will then be more understood and not just considered a pain to be around.

Who are disciples then?
God is moving in His Church and has been for a number of years in power and love. People have been touched by the Holy Spirit and brought into new realms of freedom.
They have pressed on further realising that the release God brought was for some greater purpose, and are now seeking to know more of God and His purposes for them. But more than that, they have come to see a degree of hollowness within existing church structures.
They are rejecting all the presumptive and religious nonsense that so often characterises the church and are once more seeking God's pattern for church.
One important factor of this discipleship that God is calling people to is, that it is not a new denomination, nor is it a new grouping of people who have left existing churches to create a new one. These disciples are individuals, possibly many of them don't even know of one another, all within existing churches, which is where God is telling them to stay and serve and build His kingdom. There are probably only 1 or 2,
or 5 or 6 couples in each of the physical churches, but they will be the nucleus that God will use to touch His people.
They are not recognised by their popularity, and could even be noticed by their unpopularity, as they are frequently considered a bit OTT, only because they put God first. To distinguish them from the religious and over-zealous, in accordance with the character God is building into them, if challenged, they will not answer back as they recognise the futility of words and fruitless argument.
One has either been called, or one has not.
Disciples are men and women who can give no explanation for what they now are, how they got there, or where they are going (other than heavenwards), all they do know is that, God is.

to be continued......

God WILL achieve His purposes for me.  I must learn patience.   Frustration is the result of my expectations not being met - but God is reaching His expectationsand purposes in and for me.   I must rest in that - if He is happy then I am happy - so be it!!

Likewise amongst the members of the wider family of God.  They are exactly where God wants them to be.  He has brought them as far as they have come - who am I to complain because we view things differently or are at different places in Him.

This post is inspired by another post I read a few days ago.

I was remembering from my days when I subscribed to AOL and used to frequent their christian chat room.

It was a room where there was an awful lot of antagonism and verbal violence and it had the reputation of being the worst room within the AOL community by the guides.

The cause of the majority of the problems? Would you believe, the christians?

I always found the pagans the best behaved and the most respectful.

The non-believers were a foul mouthed lot and were second worst, and way down the worst chart were the Jews and the Muslims.

But it was the christians who were worst. Instead of ignoring the antagonism and baiting they ALWAYS rose to it!
Instead of just giving an answer to what they were asked and letting their yes be yes and their no be know they ALWAYS had to be right and prove they were right.

The Bible says we are letters to be read by the unbeliever, heaven knows what impression the unbelievers got of the christians in that room.

I also noticed that some of the christians were very shallow in their faith despite having been believers for many years. They didnt know why they believed what they believed, and couldnt give answers that explained stuff in a real way. They quoted worn out and often meaningless cliches.

Being a christian requires hard work and dedication to 'the faith'. In Acts chapter 16 the Bereans were commended because they heard what the preachers and teachers said, and then went and checked it out for themselves. Today (and for the last 30 years that I have been a christian) people sit in their pews and chairs, hear what is preached and taught, and automatically believe it and quote it. THAT is not building faith!!
Faith building is checking it out, studying the subject to some degree and then believing when fully convinced.
And then being open to being mistaken!!

The arrogance of many christians is displayed in their dogmatism. They do not allow for learning more, or better ways. They think they have it all, and their attitudes and behaviour can damage others.

I recently 'dumped' on of my blogland 'friends' because all they ever did was preach at me (and their other readers) and didnt share ideas, teachings and fellowship. As far as they were concerned it was only what they said that mattered. I have another 'friend' doing the same thing at the moment and they will go the same way if they do not show signs of reading and listening to others.

Calling all christians - what letter are you presenting to non-believers?

Are you attractive to others? or are you giving christians a bad name?