Being a Christian in a Non-Christian Wor
You have only to walk down the streets of Las Vegas or Reno see the devil at work in the hearts of man. Women who are barely past the age of being children flaunt their bodies on the streets for the money that will bring them the drugs that will get them through another night. Gang members walk these same streets, willing to spill the blood of the innocent should they happen to wander onto their turf. Families lock their houses up tightly and close the shutters on their curtains, huddling together in their beds and praying for the morning sun that will make it safe for them to go about their daily business. Despite their outward appearances, inside the hearts of each of these individuals is a small voice crying out to God for the miracle that will change their lives, take them away from the endless spiral of fear and pain that is their life. They are praying for a change.
You know that the only way these lost souls are going to find peace is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ in their hearts. Until they turn away from the path of sin they are walking, until they are willing to turn their back on the way of life that up until now has been theirs and walk in the light of the Lord’s love, they are never going to truly be free. But you cannot tell them that. To mention the Lord’s name on these city streets is to condemn yourself to a quick and not necessarily painless death at the hands of the devil’s advocate who has decided that these streets are his to command and control as he sees fit, and while you may be willing to die in the name of your Lord your death is going to do little more in the eyes of these people than label you as one of the many who has died for a lost cause. Your death will not help them.
So, if you cannot speak of his love, how can you bring to these people the word of God? How can you inspire in them the same faith and hope that he brought to you when you first accepted him as your savior and cast your burdens away? Here, you must lead by example. You must show the same faithful heart, by your words and your actions, that the Lord commands of his disciples. Help these people in any way that you can without overtly bringing the wrath of the city defenders down upon your head. Treat them with respect. Help them individually when you see a way. Carry inside you a cheerful heart. Your differences will be noticed, and wondered about.
While you are carrying out these good works, be sure that your appearance shows the same purity of heart that you are trying to convey. While you are going to win no friends walking through these darkened alleys in the suits and ties that you wear to Sunday meeting, you can wear a tee-shirt proudly proclaiming the Lord’s love, or earrings with the sign of the cross. Show these people that Christians are truly people, just like they are, and that with a very little effort they can be as you are. Show them with your clothing and your actions and you will soon be able to show them with heads bowed the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.