All-Weather Christians

font size decrease font size increase font size
Be the first to comment!

Rate this item

(0 votes)

My Dear Friend,

One Sunday morning not long ago, it rained rather heavily. As a result, many churches had lower attendance because some people stayed home due to "bad weather."

In the minds of these who neglected to assemble with their fellow believers, bad weather justified their decision to lay out of church. So, we'll call them "fair-weather Christians." Bear with me while I point out something you may have forgotten.

In many foreign nations less materially blessed than mine, every Lord's Day many Christians walk (or bike) significant distances, sometimes many miles, rain or shine, just to enjoy the privilege of worshiping freely with other believers in the presence of God. Few have the luxury of meeting in such well-built, climate-controlled structures as we Americans enjoy - and sometimes take for granted. Instead, they gather in simple, one-room structures with concrete block walls and tin roofs. Or grass huts with dirt floors. Or under large rock ledges or trees. To them, the Lord's Day is not about a place. It's about a Person. It's not about weather. It's about the heavenly Weather Man, Christ.

So, when the sun shines, they come. When the rains fall, they come. When the winds blow, they come. They don't even see the rain, or feel it, or notice the wind. These "all weather Christians" walk through these material barriers focused on something else, something higher, something spiritual, something invisible, something fair-weather Christians rarely think of, sense, or experience: the presence of Jesus, the light- and life-giving Sun of Righteousness!

So, whatever the weather, when the Lord's Day arrives, all-weather believers are in the Lord's presence, the Lord's Word, and the Lord's worship. And the healing, strengthening warmth of His light-beams permeates them and the mighty power of His presence reinfuses them - and they are supernaturally revived and refitted for the labors and stresses of the week ahead.

Meanwhile, fair-weather Christians suffer from unconscious hypocrisy. These same believers who claim they can't overcome the rain to come worship Christ, will without hesitation, and quite joyfully, do the following in even the heaviest rain:

Attend a football game or golf tournament, exposing themselves to the elements, for three, four, or five hours
Attend a political rally, just to hear their choice candidate say things they've heard him (or her) say many times before
Head out to the local mall to shop for hours
Launch out on a long road trip, driving many hours cross-country to enjoy their scheduled vacation
Keep a dinner appointment with a boyfriend or girlfriend
Go from automobile, to train, to taxi, and then walk many city blocks, just to keep an important business appointment

Heavy rains or not, these things they will pursue or bust!

But let the skies dribble a few drops of H2O on the Lord's Day, and suddenly, everything has changed. It's too formidable of a challenge for them to overcome. Why? What's at the root of their uncharacteristic timidness?

Could it be lack of spiritual desire? Love of worldly pastimes more than heavenly activities? Wanting romantic fellowship more than communion with Jesus? Craving material things more than spiritual things? Desiring bodily comforts more than spiritual edification? And there's something more here.

How will these fair-weather Christians fare when - not if, but when - heavy spiritual rains come because they are a Christian, or they are growing in God's Word, following His Spirit's guidance, pursuing His call, or ministering His Word effectively? When they are hated, rejected, and slandered without cause? When they are misjudged, hated, and persecuted by ignorant people eager to believe the slander directed at them? When they face potentially ruinous financial tests or life-threatening sicknesses or diseases? When they suddenly lose their closest friend or family member? When the government threatens them with fines or imprisonment for publicly professing their faith or taking a biblical stand on controversial political or social issues? Or some other kind of unforeseen disruptive, painful, humbling adversity pours down on them? Don't have to be Einstein to figure this out!

They will stop attending church meetings. They will stop seeking Christ privately. They will stop walking closely with their devout Christian friends. Then they will walk away from God. And soon, they will begin walking again in their old ways and sins. Why? They never studied the New Testament's spiritual weather report. Consequently, they never accepted rains, winds, and storms as part of the true Christian life. And they carefully avoided the Book of Job.

In Job 1 and 2, Satan suddenly sent a flood of combined severe adversities into Job's life to try to drive him from God. He also sends adversities in our lives to try to shake our confidence in Christ, His Word, and His Way, and separate us from Him. Yet Christ permits these heavy spiritual rains for our good. If we will only humbly trust and obey Him, instead of removing us from Him, they will root us more deeply in Him, His truth, and His ways of living. And they will draw us much closer to Him.

Again, Satan's purpose is just the opposite. He designs and initiates spiritual "winds," "rains," and "floods" (Matthew 7:24-27) because he lusts to "move" us (Psalm 62:2, 6) from seeking Christ daily, offering thanks habitually, studying His Word diligently, seeking His will prayerfully, following His Spirit's guidance in every situation, and serving faithfully in whatever humble calling He has assigned us.

But if we patiently trust and obey Christ, He will turn all our adversities into advantages. All rains, even monsoons, eventually end. When our rainy season ends, we will emerge into the sunlight of a new day. There Jesus manifests His sweet, sustaining presence every time we draw near Him in the secret place. There He opens fresh, inspiring insights every time we study His Word. There His Spirit's guidance becomes more distinct and easily recognized with every passing day. There we continually draw strength from faithfully serving Him and ministering to others. And there we attend church faithfully, rain or shine, focused only on our appointment with the Sun of righteousness! Why are we steady?

We have studied the biblical weather report compiled by the Weather Man and His expert team of experienced spiritual meteorologists.

One of them, the apostle Paul, forecasted, "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). And also, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12, ESV). Another expert, the apostle Peter, forecasted, "You must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world" (1 Peter 1:6-7, NLT).

And the chief spiritual Meteorologist, Jesus, issued this severe weather warning: "Expect bad weather, since 'I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.' Watch for powerful storm systems with dark clouds to appear at times on your horizon. Some will be slow-moving hurricanes with swirling, long-lasting troubles. Sudden tornados of betrayal will also occasionally touch down, followed by thunderstorms of injustice, and flashfloods of slander, family divisions, financial problems - and occasional health troubles" (Matthew 10:16-39). Be on the alert for possible torrential rains of disappointment or delay continuing through your night of testing. But the Weather Man's forecast wasn't all bad.

He added three sweet promises: "He who stands firm to the end will be saved," or delivered from every test (Matthew 10:22, NIV; see 1 Corinthians 10:13). "Those who give up their lives for me will hold on to true life" (Matthew 10:39, NCV). And, "Because you have kept the word of my patience," or my command to patiently endure your bad-weather trials now in this age, "I will keep you from that hour of temptation that is coming upon the whole world to try [test] them that dwell upon the earth" in the coming Tribulation (Revelation 3:10).

His extended forecast, therefore, is clearly positive: If we endure our spiritual bad weather now, He will keep us from experiencing the worst weather this world has ever known: the Tribulation! And that predetermined superstorm is already forming on our horizon.

Our lesson is this: become an all-weather Christian . . . and attend church on rainy days!

For all-weather Christianity,