Is Faith Without Action Really Faith?

"Fire!"

If I were to yell "Fire!" and you did not immediately grab your kids and get out of the building, I might have to surmise that you might not believe me.  Crazy, I know.  But if you truly believed me, you would take action.  You would show incredible urgency based on your faith that what I said was true and the repercussions if you did not move fast.  If you sat there and said, "Oh, I believe you.  I totally do."  I would think you were nuts ... or a fire retardant Super-Hero, I suppose.

"Hello?  The building is on fire!  Aren't you coming?"

And what about our faith in Jesus and what that means?  He said to take up our cross daily.  He said to go out and make more disciples.  He said be His hands and feet.  If we say, "Yes, I believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior", but we take no action that shows that we believe it ... we just sit there, going to church on Sunday, admit that we are Christians only if we HAVE to ... If we aren't sacrificing every day, telling everyone we know about Jesus, serving others constantly, helping the "least of these" ... what is God to surmise?  That we believe in Jesus?  Or that we believe in the IDEA of Jesus, but not so much the following His lead, the sacrifice, and the dying to self.  

NOTE:  God doesn't need to "surmise".  He already knows.  He knows what's in our hearts and couldn't care less about the words we say, our bumper stickers, how we vote, or any of our other superficial "works".

I don't mean to step on any toes, but ... Oh forget that.  I absolutely mean to step on toes.  Starting with my own.

I am not a true Christian - not in biblical terms.  Not by Jesus' standards.  By this world's terms?  Sure, but I have this sneaking suspicion that the world's terms don't matter an iota in the end.

I am not a true Christian.  I am this crazy hybrid between a worldly, American-dream, buy-the-latest-gadget, help-mostly-when-it's-convenient, give-from-my-surplus-not-from-the-muscle idiot ... and a Christian.  I got to this point where I "feel" like I'm doing enough, and I stopped there.  But God didn't ask me to follow Him only to have me make a mockery of what He means by "Follow".  And I'm convicted about it.  He wants me to imitate Him.  At least imitate Paul, or Mother Theresa ... or SOMEONE resembling Christ.

"Ah, don't be so rough on yourself, Greg!" you say.  Forget that talk, though.  That's what got us here in the first place.  "You're not THAT bad."  Make that statement enough times over enough generations and you start believing white is black and up is down and ... bad is okay.  We can't be trusted with what is Christlike.  Only Christ can gauge that.  And I come up way short.

ASIDE:  Don't take this as worry that I'm not saved.  I'm saved, for certain.  And the positive of this conundrum is that I realize I'm in a conundrum and I don't like it ... because I know HE doesn't like it.  I want to be the man He's created me to be.  And I'm not.

If I were a real Christian, you'd see me talking to everyone about Jesus and about the incredible gift of grace He offers us all.  In this world, that would get me labeled a single-minded - well - Christian.  Couldn't have that.

If I were a real Christian, you wouldn't see me resting in my comfortable home on the weekends while millions are starving, sick, down-hearted, desperate for God.  You'd see me out there, being God's hands and feet with every spare moment.

If I were a real Christian, I'd live on only what my family needs, and give the rest of my funds, time, heart to those most in need.  Is it giving - really - if I don't even feel it?  Or is it real giving and real sacrifice when it bites a bit (if not a lot)?

But I'm not.

Jesus is yelling "Fire!" at the top of His lungs throughout the Gospels, and I am sitting here saying, "Yep, I know for sure there is a fire.  Uh-huh." but I'm sort of meandering around, not too fast ... you know, at MY pace.  I don't want to be this way.  God - please light a fire under me.

I need to pray on this.  I think we all do.