A prominent theme in many Sci-Fi movies is the belief there are aliens living among us. For Christians this is not science fiction, but rather gospel truth. Look no further than the infamous chapter 11 in Hebrews where the role is called in the Faith Hall of Fame. Hebrews 11:13, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers here on earth.” Case closed. No more need for the SETI Institute.
They say life is stranger than fiction. The Bible repeatedly describes Christ followers in terminology that sounds more like our lives are a virtual reality. On second thought, go with that. Our lives ARE a virtual reality to the spiritual beings that define who we really are. Don’t think of Neo and Morpheus running around in the Matrix or a remotely located human roaming a planet in the movie Avatar. Think about Peter writing a letter “To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,” 1st Peter 1:1. C.S. Lewis put it best. “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.”
For those who think I’m resorting to hyperbole or getting too far out there, I’m talking about taking the Bible literally. Back to Peter’s letter. “Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and strangers in the world…” 1st Peter 2:11. In so many areas of life the key to understanding and success lies in grasping the terminology. Two thousand years after Christ floated into the sky, I mean ascended, we tend to forget that our lives as believers are founded in what can sound like popular science fiction. In the attempt to attract non-believers we have downplayed the mystical side to our God. Our lives as believers are and should be as exciting, bizarre, dangerous and intriguing as the story line to the most popular movies Hollywood will never be able to produce. If your life is not, who and what are you living for?
Now is where some of my Christian friends will remind me, “How does this bring people closer to Jesus, Parks?” Great question. I’m afraid Thoreau was right when he said “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Fat and happy Christians in America have a lot in common with the accurate observation made by that fellow in rural Massachusetts back in 1845. But why is that? Believers have been lulled into complacency in this virtual reality while the church focuses on God’s mercy and grace sometimes at the expense of his mystical and supernatural side. If we leave out the truths that we don’t want to explain and make us uncomfortable, we risk portraying a sweet, predictable and powerless God. Let’s not forget this is the same God who drowned everyone but 8 people in a flood. He got so fed up with the lifestyle in two cities that he burned them to the ground, only spared one man and his two daughters and turned his wife into a pillar of salt. He values obedience.
Have we become so obsessed with not sounding negative to an unbelieving world that we’ve resorted to telling them what their itching ears want to hear? Our conveniences, lack of suffering and direct deposit tithing have distanced us from a God that is the furthest thing from safe. We need to constantly consult with Him at the risk of our own peril. Our comfortable American lifestyles should not be reflected in our theology or day to day living. As C.S. Lewis said, “If you want a religion to make you feel real comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.” We need to live with a sense of urgency that we are but “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
Uh, again, closer to Jesus, Parks? This virtual reality we call life has consequences that only Jesus can save us from. Christ came so that we may have life and have it abundantly. But that life is not necessarily here and now. “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter eternal life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.” Matthew 18:8. Words in red that stress our virtual reality for a few short years in this earthly body sets us on a path for true life in eternity. Christ said we would be better living now in this virtual reality as a cripple than miss eternity with Him.
It is critical we live out the great commission Jesus gave us right before that mystical sci-fi exit. As we seek to help people find and follow Jesus, it is also incumbent on us to make sure believers know there is more than an admission ticket at stake here. There are rewards in the next life. There is also an enemy that is bent on your destruction in the here and now. Back to Peter, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1st Peter 5:8. The enemy is a thief and only wants to steal, kill and destroy. We need a God capable of wrath and vengeance for that kind of enemy…and we have Him.
Life as a believer is not meant for quiet desperation or a false sense of security. God reminded us that halfheartedness on our part won’t work. “So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16, letters in red. 2016 years after Christ left here we need to be alert. Maybe we need to be reminded this isn’t a game where we take the clunky helmet off and stop the virtual reality. This game is for the prize of your soul in eternity.
Because we live in a virtual reality we have adopted a game-like and casual mentality with our faith and our God. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing could be more dangerous.