This whole Oprah thing has got me in a writing mood. I know I haven't written in awhile, but I just had to tonight in light of everything going on.
Interesting how the only time Christians can agree on anything is when a figure like Oprah blatantly blasphemes the Bible, yet these same professed "followers" of Christ largely ignore hypocrisy within and without the church walls. Interesting how there are many sermons in churches today about how Jesus served humanity, yet the majority of these members chorus an "Amen" or two, throw in their pocket change, and go off to Sunday dinner feeling self righteous and satisfied that they have fulfilled their godly duty for the week when they have done little more than act the audience. It is these same people who suddenly and miraculously unite when God's holy scripture (which they don't follow anyway) is suddenly trampled upon by Oprah, of all people! Man, how could she! After all, she is America's most successful and prolific black woman. Just like nobody doesn't like Sarah Lee, nobody doesn't like Oprah. She makes her mark on the world doing her share of good deeds. Yet these good deeds done without a commitment to Christ carry no eternal value beyond death.
If faith without works is dead, than works without faith is as well.
But are all Christians guilty of inaction? By no means. On the contrary; many Christ-followers are busy doing God's work around the world. This message is not geared towards them. Rather, it is aimed at calling out all the James 1:22 people of the world.
Let's do a little comparison. Oprah spends the majority of her time and money helping people. She is being ostracized by the people who are supposed to be doing the same thing, yet they are sitting on the sidelines discrediting her because she said something that is really nothing new. I mean, how long has the whole truth comes from within pick-your-own-Jesus argument been around? Heck, it predates Christianity! Maybe it's time to turn the finger of judgment onto ourselves, and become part of the solution.
I wonder what kind of world we would live in if a God-fearing follower of Christ had the kind of influence that Oprah commands. Perhaps it would be a world full of people going out of their way trying to outdo one another in good works. And not because they would win lots of money, but because they exude Christ's love and it seeps out from every fiber of their being. Her show already has people basically doing what Jesus commanded.
Sounds like she has it together...except for the God element.
Are we to be outdone by someone who is as nutty as Oprah, yet has such great ideas for solving problems in the world? Oh what a sad time it is for the church. Wake up, people! We're getting outdone by a woman who doesn't even believe God is divine!
So is what Oprah doing wrong? We can approach her situation from a biblical perspective and realize that she is doing a lot of things right. She is just doing them for a cause that is bound to this physical realm. We can approach problems in the same way, using many of the same methods, except the difference would be we would be serving the people of this needful world for a Higher Purpose.
I do not condone Oprah's hoax. Let me make that clear. The Bible explicitly condemns idolatry and urges us to be like Christ in His humility. We need to apply God's standard to our conduct to see if we even measure up to our own standards before we start judging some worldly figure with whom our worldview is not shared. Christians, followers of Christ, should be out there in unity, promoting good deeds and sharing our relationship with our Creator and Savior with the desperate people of this planet. If we did that, we would not even have time to judge others because we would be so busy helping people. Let me be the first to admit that I am not there. I, like Paul, am making "every effort to take hold of it [the goal] because I have been taken hold of by Christ"(Philippians 3:12). Earlier in this passage, he speaks of knowing Christ.
To fully know Christ is to be like Christ. Part of being like Him is obedience to God and serving others. This is what Jesus taught and exemplified in His ministry. This is my prayer. I want to be like Christ and have His love for humanity. I pray all who read this find comfort in that we are all in this race together. Let's keep each other focused with our eyes on the prize and not jump on a bandwagon of hate because someone does not agree with us. In the words of Hard Rock Cafe, love all, serve all...just make sure you've got fire insurance first.
