Making Christianity Attractive

As a child my Mom had a million phrases she would stick around the house or throw out at times she deemed "appropriate." Your mom probably had them too. Above the sink in the kitchen she had this little bit of wisdom, "if you're not happy with what you have, how could you be happier with more?" and more than once I heard this, all to familiar, quip, "you catch more flies with honey."

It seems to me that maybe over the years the church lost sight of that last one. In fact, I think the church as a whole may have gone the opposite direction entirely. Making the church difficult to get into and belong to made being a member a rite-of-passage. You knew those who were members had "earned" their membership. I would even say that some churches went so far as to consciously make their fellowships unattractive to outsiders so that only those who, truly wanted to be saved, would dare join them.

Then, we were able to look at those on the outside and ridicule their faithless lives and talk about how upright and holy we were because we were a part of this thing called church. We not only made church unattractive we often made Christ unattractive as well. We acted like Christ on Sunday or at Bible study, etc. but in the bank on Friday or at the cafe on Wednesday we could be found cursing about the work week or telling off-color jokes to those around us.

Paul's instruction in Titus 2 paints a different picture of church. He is talking about slaves/servants who have become believers in Jesus Christ and how they ought to live. He says they must "not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God attractive in every way."

I think Paul's instruction could be directed at us too. We, as believers in Jesus should live so that we are proved "trustworthy." We shouldn't act like those who are not believers, but instead live differently so that we might "make the teaching about God attractive in every way."

It seems to me that our goal should be to minimize the obstacles to faith - not increase them! Our lives should make our God and Savior Jesus Christ attractive and our churches should be places of welcome and comfort for road weary travelers. If God's goal is that everyone be saved and come to a knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ (and it is see 1 Tim 2:4) then we should use more honey.