An Issue of Image

Image is an issue for the church of Jesus Christ whether we want to admit it or not. The world we live in is built entirely upon perception. Elections are won or lost not on issues but on the image a candidate presents to the electorate regardless of his actual positions. Careers are made or broken by how well a public image is controlled. How we, the church, are perceived by the outside world has a direct impact on our effectiveness in reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus.

At this point, I'm sure that your hackles are up and your defenses are slamming into place. "Worldly! Carnal! Fleshly!" you cry. "Heresy!" Before you stop reading, consider this; we are called to reflect the image of Jesus Himself in everything we do and say. This really is about image, but not in the way the world considers it. The bottom line, we have to consider how well we are representing the Lord to those who need His grace and mercy.

We have to face facts, especially the most unpleasant ones. We do not show the character and nature of Jesus well. There are exceptions to that, of course, but as a whole we aren't doing so great. We are not seen in the same light as the first century church. Luke records in the book of Acts that the early church had "favor with all the people." Today, that is not the case.

I have been tackling this issue in detail in my daily podcasts starting last week. The programs are mostly taken from the book unChristian by David Kinnaman. This is perhaps the most definitive study of what he refers to as "outsiders" and their views on the church as a whole. It is a must read for anyone who is serious about reaching the world with the Gospel. It is available by clicking here or from CBD's website, Christianbook.com. If you want to understand the barriers the world has to coming to Christ and the image issues we have, please read it.

I hope that we can all be an instrument of change to better reflect the image of Christ in a world that has rejected us and through us Him. Then, just as in Acts, "the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."