Cardboard Christians. . . Wouldn't You Rather Soar?

“Refuse to be average.
Let your heart soar as high as it will.”

~ A. W. Tozer

Adrian Rogers calls them cardboard Christians. They’re Christians -- Yes. But they are average. Very, very average.

They are typically quite active in the local church. They may even lead a Bible Study or head up the youth group. Might even be the pastor’s wife. Or the pastor! Sadly, they've surrendered to the environment of the typical Evangelical church in America.

They are Christians. They are leaders. But they are average.

One of the greatest foes of Christianity is complacency. Any Christian who believes that he or she has arrived at spiritual maturity will go no farther.

The snare is believing we have arrived at the point of “soaring” when we aren’t even close. It could be likened to the teenager who is so certain she is "in love" only to realize at a later (more mature) stage of life that she wasn't so much "in love" as she was "stupid."

Average Christians don't necessarily realize they're average.

If you’ve ever tried to share Christ with an unsaved person (e.g. an atheist) in the grip of skepticism, who wants only to debate on an intellectual level with you, then you understand that the debate only enforces self absorption and nothing is accomplished.

This is what confronting an "average" Christians is like. . . .

Christian complacency is encountered almost everywhere among Christians these days. Average Christians fill the pews in almost every church. Their presence is a both a sign and a prophecy. Evangelical churches are indeed average; and they have fallen to this present low estate because of a lack of soaring Christians encouraging others to also soar . . . .

If indeed 90% of Americans believe in God and the current population of the United States is approximately 305 Million, this means we have 275 Million people thirsting after God. Right?

The number of persons in the United States who described themselves as either Evangelical or Born-Again has fluctuated over the last 25 years, but a reasonable estimate is 35 percent of the population or just under 107 Million. This means we have 107 Million people REALLY thirsting after God. They're soaring!! Right?

The state of our culture is proof opposite. Among the many who profess Christianity, there are very (very!) few that reveal any passionate thirst for God.

The great Saints of the Bible all had thirsting hearts. Their cry was,

“My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”
~ Psalm 42:2

Their longing after God all but consumed them -- it propelled them onward and upward to heights which we could accurately describe as soaring!

Today, less ardent Christians look at these Saints and entertain no hope of reaching this same state of soaring!

Why?

Why can't we soar too?

We can. Examine yourself using the following criteria for being a true Christian thirsting after God:

► Do you hear from God regularly?
► Do you share what you hear?
► Have you stayed with Jesus through good times and bad?

The sharing-part and the staying-part might be easier than the hearing-part. Do you hear Him? We have to hear God if we want to soar.

He speaks through His Word. I don't know anyone who has really heard God speak audibly. I do, however, know quite a few soaring Christians -- and they read and meditate on His Word. Daily.

This is where soaring lessons begin.

If there are parts of the Bible that we just don’t understand no matter how many times we read it -- We just need to admit that and begin to thirst after God by starting simple:

If you don’t understand the Scripture, start obeying the simple parts of Scripture that you do understand and you will then be able to understand the parts that you don’t understand. Understand?

~ Adrian Rogers

What if hearing and understanding a portion of Scripture were a requirement for our job? How diligently would we seek to hear and understand?

Do we really thirst for God to the point that we will do whatever it takes to understand it . . . even in our "chilled" environment? How badly do we want to soar?

“Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average or to surrender to the chill of your spiritual environment.”
~ Aiden Wilson Tozer
The Root of the Righteous

~ Esthermay Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Deborah on her blog, Chocolate & Coffee.

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