“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” –Brennan Manning, repeated by Carmen.
Sometimes, people say they don’t believe in God because of how some Christians act. Imagine someone saying they love and follow Jesus’ teachings, like being kind and honest, but then they do things that are mean or dishonest. This makes people confused and sometimes makes them not want to believe in God at all.
When Actions Don’t Match Words
It’s like when someone says one thing but does another. For example, if a person talks about being loving and caring because of their faith but then is unfair or unkind to others, it doesn’t make sense. This can make people who are watching think that maybe this faith thing isn’t real or good if it doesn’t lead to good actions.
Examples We See
We’ve seen big scandals where church leaders or people who say they’re very religious get caught doing things they shouldn’t, like stealing money or treating others badly. This can make a lot of people doubt if being religious means being a good person. Also, sometimes people who are very vocal about their faith in politics end up supporting things that seem mean or unfair to poor or sick people, which doesn’t match with the kind and caring parts of their faith.
Being Real About Faith
What’s really important is being real and true to what you believe. If someone believes in Jesus and wants to follow his teachings, it’s important to actually act like it by being kind, helping others, and living in a way that shows those good things.
Making Things Better
To make things better, people who believe in God need to really think about how they act every day. Churches and groups can help by teaching and reminding their members to live out their faith for real. It’s all about matching what you say with what you do.
In Simple Terms
The idea here is that if Christians really live out their faith by being kind, honest, and good to others, it makes people believe more in God. It shows that faith is about how you live, not just what you say. This can help more people understand and believe in the goodness of faith.
Peace and Prosperity
Brother Jeff