Maravi

Christians without Christian deeds

Christians without Christian deeds
By Editor
Thu 08 Apr. 2010, 04:00 CAT

“WE are all called to humble service, especially those of us in leadership. We are further challenged to do away with corrupt activities as well as abuse of power. A life of compromise for political expedience or for purely selfish motives is not a Jesus’ way. The power of the resurrection leads us to renewal and gives us the desire of wishing each other peace. It challenges us to be concerned with any dehumanising conditions such as poverty in the face of abundant wealth in form of natural resources in the country… After all, some of our leaders profess an affinity to Christianity and we have since declared ourselves as a Christian nation.” This is the challenge to all of us, especially those in leadership, from Anglican Diocese of Eastern Zambia Bishop William Mchombo.

We should ask ourselves what kind of society we are building in this country that we have declared to be a Christian nation. We should ask ourselves this question because the name Christian means: like Christ, follower of Christ.

Now, Jesus was humble, most pure, poor, meek: how can his disciple and imitator be arrogant, pompous, proud, dishonest, angry, intolerant, merciless and greedy? At the risk of sounding monotonous or excessively repetitive, we refer back to Alexander the Great who once said to a soldier who also had the same name but was sluggish, mean and cowardly: “Either change your name or change your behaviour.”

Here is the thought that converted a great knight who was rather worldly: Jesus Christ is crucified, and I want to satisfy myself; Jesus Christ is very poor, and I am ambitious for riches and gluttony; Jesus Christ is on the Cross, and I am lying on a feather bed. Ah! I do not deserve the name of Christian! I want to change my life; I want to follow the Divine Master.

How many Christians are there in this country that has declared itself a Christian nation who have no more than the name and the baptism of Jesus Christ, while they live like pagans and the country they have declared a Christian nation is governed like Sodom and Gomorrah!

He who does not imitate Christ does not love Christ: love is imitation. The persons who really love Jesus are those who follow him to Calvary, in his private life of obedience, in his humility. Imitation is the infallible character to distinguish the loves of Jesus.

In front of eternity, here is the need for imitation: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29). On the day of Judgement, Jesus Christ will search in us for his moral image, for his spiritual physiognomy, he would say, for almost the resemblance of his heart.

Only he who resembles Jesus will be admitted into the Kingdom of God; all the children will have to resemble the firstborn Son.

And so, there is no middle path: either win or lose. Heaven is the fatherland of the victorious. What have the blessed in heaven done? They have won and triumphed over passions and sin. Jesus Christ is the head of the winners. Hell is the shame of those who are defeated, of the miserable slaves of themselves. It does not matter if there were many distinguished in the army, in arts, in the sciences, in business, in politics. Often we meet people who are strong in many things, but wanting in courage and slaves to a miserable passion.

One of the two eternities awaits us. The character of the soldier of Jesus Christ will be preserved in eternity, to the glory of the valiant soldier, and to the ignominy of the vile soldier who has deserted the battle. These two ranks correspond to the distinction there is in time among Christians: the brave fighters, and the weak and cowardly who let themselves be defeated.

The religious should win completely. The religious state is in fact a stable condition of life in which one tends to a higher perfection, through the exercise of obedience, chastity, perfect poverty in the common life. The work of the religious is primarily this: to tend to perfection. And this becomes his job, his profession, his occupation: work and application which revolve particularly around the three great concupiscences. The religious is the hero of the fight, the specialist of the battles, the one who, to ensure victory, employs greater means, uses chosen weapons, perseveres with obstinate tenacity for a whole life, totally and uniquely consecrated to this end.

Thus, spirituality isn’t the way you feel the presence of God. Nor is it the way you believe. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven.” Thus, spirituality is a way of living life according to the spirit.

Jose Marti, outstanding hero and forerunner of Cuba’s liberation, said that “doing is the best way of saying”. For Christians, living is the best way of believing. It means nothing to declare this country a Christian nation and continue to sloganeer about it whole continue to govern it in the most corrupt, crooked, unfair, unjust, inhuman way. A Christian nation without Christian ways of governing is worthless just as faith without deeds is worthless; as James stated, “What does it profit my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith, by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:14-17).

Regardless of what we claim to be, of what we declare we are, of what we say we are, our way of life is what reflects what we are, our way of life is the result of what we truly believe. In the name of God, Frederick Chiluba stole from the poor people of this country, blinding them with the declaration of their country as a Christian nation. What type of a Christian is Chiluba who steals from the poor to buy hundreds of thousands of tailor-made shoes, suits, shirts and pyjamas? It seems to be a mistake to think that all those who claim to be believers believe in the same God. We often ask ourselves if there is any similarity between the God the great majority of our people believe in and the one in whom Chiluba believes. We shouldn’t forget that in the Old Testament, the prophets were worried about idolatry, the gods created in accord with human interest. There’s still much idolatry. In the name of God, Chiluba and his friends are still robbing our people of justice and dignity. Could it be that the name spoken by Chiluba and his friends is that of a God of the poor, of the humble, of whom Jesus spoke?

In this sense, all struggle for life are included in God’s scheme, even if they lack faith. “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothed thee?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me’” (Matt 25:37-40).

It is your fellow man, and especially the one who lacks life and needs justice, in whom God wishes to be served and loved. They are the ones with whom Jesus identified. This is the best way to follow Jesus, especially in Zambia’s present situation.

This is what politicians like Chiluba, Ronnie Shikapwasha who try to do politics espousing the name of Christ should always bear in mind. Chiluba should ask himself what is Christian about his crooked schemes and thefts.

Shikapwasha should also ask himself what is Christian about the propaganda, lies and calumny he churns out everyday. To move in the direction of Christ, they have to do away with their corrupt activities and abuse of power.

Labels: BISHOP MCHOMBO, CORRUPTION

posted by MrK @ 2:58 PM