I have turned into somewhat of a "gun guy". Now, typical of many areas of life, I pride myself on being very reasonable and moderate in nearly every facet of life. Still, I enjoy plinking on a target and admiring a finely engineered firearm. About a year ago, I purchase a variant of an AK-47 (well... an AKM, but close enough) that looked beautiful. It had a great finish, it shot well, and even had some accessories that many other firearms don't have.
Alas, there was a problem. It was dangerous to actually... you know... shoot.
You see, this particular firearm was made by a manufacturer with a reputation for using inferior metals or gunsmithing processes (which I didn't realize at the time). This could actually create a situation where the barrel began to separate from a critical part of the firearm, leading to a catastrophic failure. By catastrophic, I mean it could explode and take a part of my face with it. After a while, I realized I needed to trade it in for something different with a better reputation for reliability and quality.
Even though the first rifle looked good, it was flawed in a way that kept it from being used for what it was created to do. What good is it if all it can do is "look pretty" in a gun safe? Isn't it designed to be shot? The same is true of us as Christians. Were we made to sit back and "look" or "sound" pretty, but fail to perform when the opportunity presents itself?
Paul tells the church in Corinth of his own authority by emphasizing that he intends on not just simply being admired from afar... he intends to actually perform when the opportunity presents itself.
9 I don’t want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. 10 For it is said, “His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak and his public speaking amounts to nothing.” 11 Let such a person consider this: What we are in our letters, when we are absent, we will also be in our actions when we are present. (2 Cor 10:9-11)
Paul is essentially invoking the old adage "walk the walk; don't just talk the talk". I have seen many Christians who talk a fantastic game about wanting to selflessly serve God. When the opportunity presented itself for them to do something bigger than themselves, they flaked. If I'm being honest, I've done this many times in my own past. It is a humbling experience but it reminds us of exactly how easy it is to "look like a great Christian" and how hard it is to look beyond ourselves and fulfill a difficult God-given mission.
For each of us, we have to be willing to look beyond our principled rhetoric and our shiny veneer to ask 'are we willing to do what is needed to serve God'. As we study, pray, fellowship, and worship together, we should do so with half a mind always asking ourselves whether we are truly willing to be the type of people we talk about in church or if we still have some areas where we need to grow and learn humility.
Don't be a Christian that simply stands on the sidelines and gets admired for talking a good game. Be willing to do the difficult things. "Hard" is authorized.
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