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Are you an undercover Christian? Be honest, now; would it be a shock to your co-workers or acquaintances if you told them you were a disciple of Jesus Christ?
For many years I was an undercover Christian. It would have been very difficult to spot any differences in me and everyone else around me. In fact, I didn’t want anybody to spot the differences. I didn’t want to stick out in a crowd and be a fifth wheel and look and act different. Why is it that we often tend to be undercover Christians? Let me suggest some reasons:
- First, being accepted by people is more important to us than anything else. That’s one reason many never let anyone know they’re a Christian. After all, being born again has gotten some bad press in the last years; most people think of a born-again person as a quirk or a little weird. So, because we fear rejection or persecution, we go undercover.
- Second, we’re intimidated by the cultural attitudes all around us. Separation of church and state has been drummed into our minds by the media so that we start to think we’re breaking a law to mention the name of Jesus in secular environments.
- Third, we don’t want to do our career or relationships any damage because of Christian ethical standards. After all, if we let it be known that we are Christians, then we’ll be obligated to live up to high ethical standards. That can cause us to have to take stands that may not be popular or understood.
- Fourth, we know our lives don’t measure up to Christian principles, and we’re ashamed to say we’re Christians.
- Fifth, we don’t know how to witness to people and the very idea scares us to death. How can we witness on the job anyway? Won’t that mean we’ll have to become religious pests, handing out tracts and quoting Scripture all the time? The thought leaves us scared to death.
Can you identify with some of those? Undercover Christianity is a major problem in the church today.