A Convenient Faith
By Pastor Norman S. Lao
Text: John 6:60, 66
JN 6:60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” JN 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
Introduction
When you became a Christian what did you expect? Comfort. Good life. Blessings. For many Christians Christianity has been a disappointment because they were made to expect something that the Lord did not promise. I found a website full of testimonies of de-conversions. De-conversion means conversion out of Christianity. Of course the evangelists made the Gospel very attractive so that nobody would refuse to accept Jesus. But this kind of preaching does not require commitment. Instead it develops a faith I call convenient faith. I will explain this later.
Let’s compare for a moment:
Modern Evangelist – Accept Jesus Christ and all your troubles will be no more. Accept Jesus Christ and you will be blessed and prosperous. Accept Jesus and you will be rich. In this case people accept Jesus for the blessings. It’s like false advertising.
Jesus Christ – Those who follow me must take up their cross and carry it daily. To those who wanted to follow him: Birds have nests, foxes have holes, but Son of Man does not have anywhere to lay his head on. He who loves family and friends more than me is not worthy of me. In this case people follow Christ because of commitment. They follow Jesus with open eyes.
We have lots of warnings from the Lord and from his apostles what we should expect. That’s the problem with lots of preaching today. They keep this side of the faith from the faithful. They present to us a picture of Christianity that is user-friendly, problem-free, get rich quick, smooth sailing, bed-of-roses type.
§ The world hated me, it will hate you. John 15:18
§ In the world you will have trouble. John 16:33
§ Those who live godly lives in Christ will be persecuted. 2 Timothy 3:12
§ 1 Peter 1:6,7 – In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
§ Acts 14:22 “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,”
§ 1 Corinthians 15:58 Stand firm. The implication here is that there will be tests. That there will be trouble.
Because the early disciples knew what to expect, they were prepared for what was coming. That’s why one time they were imprisoned and flogged. Upon their release: “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” Acts 5:41
What is a Convenient Faith?
Convenient means “does not involve effort or trouble.” If no effort is required and there is no trouble to overcome, then we say it is convenient. We have convenience stores. Convenient condominiums. We have convenient faucets and urinals (infrared), resealable caps (no need for can openers). It is so convenient. Of course, the opposite is inconvenient. When it involves a little effort, or some trouble, then we say it is inconvenient. When it is difficult or when it requires sacrifices we say it is inconvenient. The faith of the saints in the Bible were inconvenient faith. They were tested, they were tried, they passed!
Convenient faith is a faith with no commitment needed. No stand required. No faithfulness required. Unfortunately, such is the faith of many Christians today.
More than defining it, I want to describe it.
- It is a faith that people claim only when it is convenient. It is a faith of convenience. It is based on the principle: When I want it, Where I want it, If I want it.
- It is the faith of the uncommitted. Convenient faith requires no commitment. It requires no conviction. It follows what is popular. If Christianity is popular, then it will try to become like a Christian.
- The faith of the self-centered. Self-preservation kind of faith. The god that convenient faith serves is the self. SELF-PRESERVATION: When it was convenient, Peter declared his commitment to Jesus Christ. “I will die with you.” But when his faith was tested and it was most inconvenient and uncomfortable, he denied knowing Jesus. SELF-PRESERVATION: Aaron was afraid of the Israelites so he gave in to their demands. He did not make a stand. It was too inconvenient for him.
- Convenient faith will look for the perfect time to serve God. When it is more convenient. Acts 24:25 (Felix). I don’t believe that Felix had a convenient time.
- It is a faith that only wants the privileges, the blessings and none of the responsibilities. It is an irresponsible faith, immature faith.
- A faith that gives excuses instead of obedience. This is the faith of the ONE TALENT man in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25). Also the faith of the five foolish virgins in the same chapter (“we were late because we looked for additional oil”). Heaven does not accept excuses. “A king may move a man, but in the end it is the man who must decide.”
- The god of this kind of faith is the self. This kind of faith will not sacrifice. When it makes a sacrifice, it is God who is on the altar!
- It is a compromising faith. The simple definition of compromise is: in the middle (“Compromise is simply changing the question to fit the answer.”) It seeks the path of least trouble/resistance. Our text tells us that some people followed Jesus only when it was comfortable for them (John 6). When it was popular to follow Jesus they followed him. When it was perilous (peligroso), they stopped following him. It is a faith you can put aside when the situation calls for it. Just pick it up again when the situation becomes more favorable. Chameleon faith or what I call the Invisible Faith. This is the common faith of the common Christian today.
Conclusion: In the final analysis, convenient faith is not faith at all.
Our Christian faith will be challenged. The Lord has warned us 2000 years ago. We must make a stand. But making a stand is difficult if we do not know where we stand! Stand firm. Hold your ground. Inconvenient faith of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The inconvenient faith of the apostles (they all died by martyrdom).
We have three types of plates in our house. (1) We have paper plates for ordinary convenient use. They are easy to dispose. (2) Then there are the everyday plates. They are not as convenient as the paper plates because we have to wash them when we are done eating. A number of them have chips in them because we use them most often. They are a little less convenient than paper plates, but they are also more durable. (3) Then there is my mom’s “ancient plates.” These plates are highly decorated china. These are the most precious plates we had. These plates are not convenient at all - but when we use them it is because we are celebrating something special.
If your faith were a plate - what would it be? Is your faith like a paper plate? Always convenient - but not very strong. Used when you need it - but then thrown out when you don’t? Or would your faith be like an everyday plate? Not at convenient as paper - you do take some care of it so that it can be reused. It is more durable - but you are sometimes careless with it - so it has it’s fair share of chips and cracks. Or is your faith pure white china with a platinum border. Are you ever mindful of the price paid for your faith - not by you but by Jesus? Are you willing to be inconvenienced by your faith because you treasure it? Do you strive to make sure it is never chipped because it is so special?
