AI Christians?

The world is being changed, very rapidly, by a technology called AI - Artificial Intelligence. It is an amazing development that increasingly is being used by people to create ‘better’ images of themselves. Need a great letter written? Enter a few prompts into ChatGPT and in a few seconds you will have what you requested. Want your resume’ polished? AI will do it for you. Do you need a headshot photo that makes you appear a few pounds slimmer and a decade younger? And so it goes.

As the technology improves the task of sorting out what is generated by AI is becoming more difficult, if not impossible. We can support the careful edits on social media that burnish our public image in ways that make being a ‘fake’ easier and more common. That is a real problem, especially for those who are committed to an authentic life of following Christ. Are we truly ‘becomers,’ growing in faith and commitment or are we just AI productions, without reality and substance?

Paul wrote about people who would come into the church who are posers! He tells us that they will learn the language of Christianity and be able, from time to time, to appear to be the ‘real’ thing, while lacking a genuine experience of the Holy Spirit.

Paul uses this telling line about their ‘spirituality.’ "They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!" (2 Timothy 3:5, NLT) Those pseudo-Christians were not changed by the Power of the Holy Spirit from the inside out and therefore they were, in the candid moments, still "heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel, and they will have no self-control or pity. … They will be sneaky, reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure." (2 Timothy 3:3-4 CEV)

The apostle’s next lines were not AI generated. They are inspired words of truth. "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them." (2 Timothy 3:10-12, NIV) 

Paul says, in so many words, “Tim, look at who I really am. Observe my day-to-day life. I have been through some rough times, but Jesus has held onto me as I held onto Him.”

Friend, does your claim to discipleship hold up in the candid moments? When you are disappointed, frustrated, under pressure, short on cash, uncertain – does your faith shine brightly still? Is Jesus Lord of all? Are you a Christian, through and through? I am not writing about perfection! That is the goal of AI. Our aim is growth and authenticity.

In another letter Paul speaks of his own growth in the life to which Christ called him. “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ^I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 3) He confesses, as all Christians should, that he is a work in process!

 

Our aim should be to ‘keep step with the Spirit,’ to learn to be responsive to His call to surrender Self and embrace the way of Christ. Here is what I know – if we present ourselves to Him in honest humility He will transform us, from the inside out, creating an authentic faith that shows up in the best of times and the worst days.

Don’t slip into the trap of being a poser, a pseudo-Christian.
Pray to be real.
Invite others, not pridefully, but because you are authentic, to follow you as you follow Christ Jesus.

Here is a word from the Word.
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. …
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.
Hate what is wrong.
Hold tightly to what is good.
Love each other with genuine affection, and
take delight in honoring each other.
Never be lazy but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
Rejoice in our confident hope.
Be patient in trouble and keep on praying.”  (Romans 12)

God, keep us from fakery, pretense, and polished images.
Rather, may we be authentic followers of Jesus, growing in grace each day.
Help us to know the Way and to invite others to walk it with us.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen

__________

Videos of this blog

https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

You wanna fight?

Yesterday the world was treated to the spectacle of two American billionaires have a public fight, trading insults for all to see. Whatever your political persuasions, it was unpleasant to see Musk and Trump acting like two little boys on a playground. I grew sadder with each comment. Fighting and anger are so common.

Karl Pillemer, a professor studying human relationships, found that “27% of Americans 18 and older had cut off contact with a family member, most of whom reported that they were upset by such a rift. That translates to at least 67 million people nationally – likely an underestimate since some are reluctant to acknowledge the problem.”   

Anger tears families apart. 
Friends stop speaking over differing political ideas. 
Churches split over petty preferences.
The sad history of humanity, both inside and outside of the Church, is one of anger, conflict, and fighting despite Jesus’ commands that we live peaceably and in unity. 

Christians must, for Christ’s sake, do better!

Paul, writing to the church in Corinth where divisions over personality and preference broke out, did not regard their fights as acceptable or ‘just being human.’ He tells them to repent because their fighting was evidence of sin and spiritual immaturity.

"Now, dear brothers and sisters, I appeal to you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so there won’t be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, NLT) Pointedly, he speaks to their spiritual immaturity.  “You are still controlled by your own sinful desires. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your own desires? You are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord…  you are acting like who are not Christians. " (1 Corinthians 3:3-4, NLT)

So, how can you and I become people of peace, who build, not tear down?

First, we put our identity in Christ FIRST.
When we are secure in the love of God, fully living in His forgiveness and grace, the Spirit in us will help us to ‘let it go’ when necessary.  He will teach us to live with grace and gentleness. Indeed, we will learn who to get far beyond ‘tolerance’ to seek the best and highest for others, just as Jesus did for us.

Second, we work to be loving even more than being ‘right.’
Sometimes people are just flat wrong and we know it!  Sure, we all have our own perspective, shaped by our experience, training, and information.  None of us can lay claim to complete knowledge. With maturity in Christ we can learn to graciously accept the differences that exist, listening and learning.

If someone persists in utter nonsense, we gently engage with the facts, not with disgust or disdain, but with the gentleness of Jesus. Living with grace will allow us to create a space for change and patiently pursue relationships.

Third, we refuse to elevate secondary issues into primary ones.
"There are three things that will endure—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT) Prayerfully, learn to sort through your differences with others.  Ask yourself if the issue at hand is worth the emotional effort being invested in it.

There are not many things in life that require us to bare our fangs and put out our claws!

Fourth, we will need to die to self to maintain relationships. 
Bev and I were married for almost 41 years before she went home to heaven and we had our share of disagreements. Staying married, we both knew, demanded that we set aside our personal preferences, that we give up “me” to live as “we.”  Any married person can tell you that it is very hard to do.

Over the years, when I have felt myself drawn in conflict, I also have experienced the gentle voice of the Spirit asking me to surrender my personal comfort (dying to Self). When I was obedient (tragically not all of time!) and was willing to adopt a position of love that worked ‘first to understand’ the person and to prioritize the relationship, peace followed. Yes, sadly, when I fail and fire back at the other with a snarky remark the conflict only escalates.

Christian we cannot descend to the level of those who live by their natural instincts or their own wisdom. We are ‘of Christ.’ We are to be filled with His loving heart. Can you even imagine Jesus writing off a family member or a friend over a difference of opinion or preference?

In a world full of noise and fury, bullets and bombs, snarky social media posts and thinly veiled insults, let’s commit – for Jesus’ sake- to be different, people who work to create peace in our families, our places of work, our nation, and our world.

Here is a word from the Word, a directive for all Christians.
 "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-6, NIV) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5.8)

__________

Videos of this blog

https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

More than Heaven’s Promise

In days past, some ridiculed Christianity’s hope with words that suggested that the Gospel was just a story about ‘pie in the sky by and by!”  In a more sincere conversation, I had with a young man, raised in the church, he wondered aloud about the Gospel he heard that made much of being ‘forgiven for his sins so he could go to Heaven.’

I appreciated his honesty when he said something like this: “Heaven is not all that close to me at this stage in life, so what does Christ Jesus mean to me now?”  I replied by reminding him that life is short and we are just a breath from eternity and then, to his point, we looked at this passage about being “Christian.”   Peter reminds us that the Gospel offers us real joy, real benefits right here, right now.

“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. …

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”  (1 Peter 2)

We want to know that our lives count for something. The idea that we exist just to eat, gather possessions, procreate, grow old and die is depressing! When we come to Christ Jesus, He brings a purpose; becoming part of His Church that is commissioned with making God seen and known in this world. The church I served is a beautiful place of worship. There are thousands of bricks that form the walls. Singularly they are just a little red block of clay. Together they are beautiful!

The Gospel turns my little insignificant life into one that is part of God’s great work – stretching across time, through many cultures, touching millions – and with real purpose.

Peter goes on to speak of the amazing identity that is found through Christ.

“Chosen” reminds us that God seeks us, desires us. It is amplified in the phrase that says we are “God’s special possession.”  When I own something, I care for it. The greater the treasure, the greater my interest in keeping it safe and in good condition. God’s love owns my heart and assures me that I am kept in His care, never set to the side in favor of someone better.

“Royal priesthood” and “holy nation” teach us about our high calling – to represent God in the world with our praise and worship. As the Spirit lives in us, we shine like a light in the dark despair of this world. Our lives, marked by His beauty, filled with His love, turn the attention of others to Him. Beyond that we are also given the privilege of carrying the world to Him in our prayers. More than just ‘God bless my family, my friends,” we pray for peace, for new life, for hope, for those in sorrow. This is work of importance.

“People of God” is a phrase we so need to understand. In Christ we are given a place in God’s family, called to live out an identity.  While I am glad to be an American my greater joy is to be part of God’s family. Paul teaches us that “in Christ” all the old labels we once wore framed by nationality, ethnicity, race, or social status are eclipsed when we are ‘baptized into Christ.’

The Gospel does include the assurance of Heaven as my eternal home, a promise that I treasure. And, the Good News of Christ offers much more, as Jesus says, “life to the full.”  He makes us noble people capable of doing much more than we could do through our own abilities. He shapes our lives and gives us love, joy, and peace. Who could ask for more?

Have you trusted Him? Would you respond to His invitation in Faith?  The word from the Word today is a familiar passage. Let the Truth find you anew.

(I pray) “asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. … that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. …that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. “(Ephesians 1) Amen

______________________ 
 
Videos of this blog 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSLKiYMXGFWq1Rvuoqu3Njg