Tags
bewareofchristians, Christian dating, Christianity, college, Dating, evangelism, Grace, identity, Life as a Christian, Relationships, travel
A couple of months ago, I came across a movie at Family Christian bookstore. This movie was called “Beware of Christians” It instantly caught my eye and I began to read the back of it.
“Four college students leave their routine Christian lives in the U.S. in a quest to find what it really means to be a follower of Jesus.”
It was quite relatable to me, considering I am also in college. A lot of people may be turned off or maybe even offended by the title of this movie, however if you actually stop and think about it, the haze clears and things begin to come full circle. Christians, myself included, always have issues with following our own paths versus the one that Jesus has already laid out for us. We tend to live one way and believe another.
Within the first five minutes of the documentary, I was already convicted by a quote that was featured by Brennan Manning. “The single greatest cause of Atheism today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and deny Him by their lifestyle.” So many people today are turned off by the stereotypical Christian who lives one way during the week and another on Sunday. Being a Christian isn’t a one-day-a-week thing. It’s a 24/7 365 deal. Jesus gave His life for us, and then we get frustrated when our lives get interrupted. What we fail to realize is that our lives are but a mist and are quickly fleeting; Jesus is the only constant.
This movie covers a few of the biggest struggles that Christians face everyday, of which include: identity, materialism, sex/relationships, church, wealth/poverty, media/entertainment, and alcohol.
When the guys began talking about identity it was like a slap in the face. They interviewed multiple people and asked them each if they had Christian friends and if they replied with yes, they then asked “what sets them apart from all of your other friends?” One of the people said that the only difference is that “they” are busy on Sundays. That statement hit me. I never want to be classified as a Christian only because I’m busy on Sundays. I want to be known as a Christian who is strong in their faith. I want to be set apart from everyone else because Jesus Christ died for my sins and I have been forgiven and made new.
Another thing that really affected me was the subject of materialism. The guys were in Rome when they covered this topic. While there, they saw a concept car pull up and people began to crowd around the car and take photos. Although the person wasn’t a celebrity, people treated him as if he was. The guys proceeded to interview some of the people asking “what would you give up to have this car?” The answers were quite disappointing. One replied with “my family and friends”, another with “everything” and yet another with “my left leg”. It’s crazy to think that people would sacrifice that which cannot be replaced for something so temporary and fleeting. Could you imagine if we would sacrifice this much for God? The thing is, we are supposed to. In Matthew 16:24-25, it states: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” As stated in these verses we are to take up our cross and follow God. If we surrender our life to Him, we will find life, but if we decide to stick to our old ways, we will lose it. It continues in verse 26 by stating “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” If we have all of these possessions and earthly things, but lose ourselves in it, then what good are they? If our hearts are focused on God then there will be no room for worldly possessions to possess us. As Matthew 6:21 states, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Furthermore, yet another topic that convicted me was the topic on relationships. This has been a struggle of mine recently. One of the discussions really opened my eyes. This discussion was about where we get our advice from. One of the guys, Michael, made a statement that stuck with me. “When we were in high school, who did we get our advice from? High schoolers. And it’s the same for college. Why weren’t we asking older people? Those who have experienced it. When I did talk to them, I realized that none of them said “Oh, I wish I would have dated more people.” or “I wish I would have kissed more people.” Everyone says, “I wish I would have waited more.”” Even in my own experience and everyone I talk to, this rings true. We tend to get caught up in the moment and the possible effects of our actions dissolve. Thus, leaving us with regret.
Overall, this is a fantastic movie. I was able to take so much from this movie and apply it to my life. Also, there are so many different viewpoints in the movie, adding depth. It is awesome to watch four college students travel across the world speaking to multiple people about Jesus. It definitely puts things in perspective. So take a trip to your local Family Christian bookstore, or even to Netflix, and check it out!