The words “aggressive” and “Christianity,” when paired together, bring to mind hard-to-swallow moments in Christian history.
It is easy to picture events such as the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. We also picture denominations splitting over differing opinions on nonessential doctrine. In addition, we think of protesters who say hurtful things and hold vile signs, all in the name of God.
Many of us can recall a church business meeting filled with hard feelings toward church leadership.
As a result, those images have created a reactionary worldview. Many within the church have moved from what could be described as aggressive to what could be described as passive and docile.
While I certainly think denominational splits and hateful protests are things Christians should distance themselves from, have we allowed passivity to seep too far into our faith?
Is the passion and fervor of the church the same as it was in previous generations?
I do not think I can answer that question with any certainty. However, I do want to point to the aggressive, passionate faith God has laid out for us in Scripture.
We Cannot Be Passive Toward Sin
With regard to sin, God has called us to aggressively flush it from our lives.
Ephesians 5 calls us to live in such a way that there is not even a hint of sexual immorality among us. Therefore, eliminating any doubt of sexual immorality in our lives is not something we can take lightly.
Paul takes living without a hint of immorality one step further in Colossians 3:
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
Put to death the actions of the flesh.
Kill sin in your life.
We dare not be passive toward the sin in our lives. Otherwise, it will wreck our Christian witness and even our families.
In fact, Scripture describes our lives as Christians as taking place in the middle of a war:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
No man casually walks into war. Instead, he trains, prepares and readies his weapons for battle.
Is that the approach I take in my spiritual battle?
I ought to live with a mindset aimed at being proactive in my faith. Likewise, I have to trust in and count on the weapons and armor God has provided in Ephesians 6.
A Passionate Pursuit of God
God’s pursuit of us deserves more than a passive faith.
He sought us out, even when we hated Him. Through the horrible pain and wonderful power of the cross, He bought our lives.
His love and pursuit of us are completely passionate and aggressive. Therefore, He deserves an equally passionate and aggressive pursuit from us.
May we have the heart of the psalmist as he cries out, “My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the Lord.”
Let the church no longer be characterized by halfhearted fans, but by fully devoted followers.
Above all, may we find our hope, strength and identity in Him.
Day in and day out, let us pursue Him as passionately as He has pursued us.