Living an Authentic Faith

It's easy to appear spiritual.  It's easy to appear to be a follower of Christ.  It's easy to go to church services, to serve in the church, to attend a Bible study.  It's easy to say you're going to pray, its even easy to pray.  What I am getting to is the appearance of living out Christianity isn't difficult.  What's difficult is actually doing it with a pure and humbled heart.  Of course, its easy to appear to be pure and humble.  Its easy to write countless blogs about living out your faith, what you're gaining from your time in the Word, or your relationship with God.  These things are easy to fake.  I know because I've done it.  And about 3 years ago I got bored with pretending to be a Christian.  (And by pretending, I mean going through the motions without actually having a real motivation or desire behind them--not that I didn't actually still identify as a Christian.)  I wanted to actually follow Christ, whole-heartedly and without pretending.  That is when I became disenchanted by the modern American church.  And even though I now belong to a body of believers who are like-minded in that they don't want to pretend anymore (although, I can't help but wonder how many of them are pretending or going through the motions), I still struggle with being an authentic Christian in the United States.  I am beginning to wonder if its even possible.  Of course, all things are possible with God.

So what does pure, unadulterated following of Christ look like in our society?  With all of the smoke screens and agendas, how do we discern the authenticity of a church, a group of believers?  Honestly, I don't have an answer to that.  But, I am beginning to grasp the idea that being a Christian doesn't mean living up to a standard that other Christians have laid out for you.  I think your faith is personal, and that it manifests itself differently in each individual.  Spiritual gifts are a great example of that.  God definitely did not create us to serve Him in the same way.  I think that carries over to how we worship Him as well.  Some do better worshipping through service.  Others, with song or art or written word.  Others by teaching.  Still others with complete abandon to do His will (i.e. Mother Theresa).  I think the first sign of an authentic body of believers is when we see this diversity of worship within them.  Another sign is whether or not we notice God's Kingdom among them.  Are things being done in and around them as they would be in Heaven?

And then there's me.  How can I live out my faith authentically?  How can I make following Him more than just an obligation (even if it is a Spirit-lead obligation)?  How does my whole self become inundated with knowing Him, loving Him, and living for Him?  Every day I am discovering a little more what that looks like in my life.  And, as I release more to Him, he opens my eyes to the preconceived ideas and thoughts about what it means to live this life, and which things need to change if I want this to be real for me.  And I do.  So, my journey continues as I strive to live out an authentic faith.  I am looking ahead to eternity, where nothing will be fabricated or faked.  I won't be able to hide behind any façades.  My whole self will be revealed.  And I need to not be afraid of that.  And if my faith is authentic here on earth, then I don't have to be concerned about what it will look like in Heaven.  Because, then, it won't look any different.  And, it will be real.