Boxcar Christians

I have to thank one of our PBC folks for the imagery I'm about to share. In preparation for our annual ministry to the community, we had a group of believers prayer-walking the track and field down in Max Meadows. When we finished up, I asked if anyone gained insight while praying. This is what one of our team members shared: "As the train was going by, I saw all the boxcars and they all looked the same. You don't know what's inside of them. I don't want to be a boxcar! I want people to know what is inside of me."

2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."

What is a boxcar Christian? Simply put: It's an individual that has bought into a religious system rather than a personal relationship. It's someone who has chosen the path of uniformity thinking that was the only way to live in unity. It's any believer who has been deceived into thinking that if we wash the outside of the cup then the inside is o.k.

Unfortunately, the culture we live in has found this type of "Christianity" to be acceptable. As long as you carry the right version of the Bible, dress in the appropriate attire, listen to the "only" acceptable music, and attend the right church you will be in good standing with God and man. Be assured that the Bible says a lot about unity. However, unity isn't uniformity (or the other way around). Unity is about walking in the love of God together. Unity is about esteeming others better than yourself. Unity is recognizing Jesus as Lord and following after Him together. This doesn't mean you will always agree. It doesn't mean that you will hold to the same convictions in every area of life. You are meant to be more than a boxcar.

I'm all about being "uniquely Christian" - an individual who follows hard after the heart of God. We may travel the same narrow track, be pulled by the same engine, have the same conductor, and carry the same cargo; but it doesn't mean that we all look the same. I'm not saying that you need to go out of your way to be different. As a professor of mine once said, "Just be yourself and you will be different enough!" Folks, if God wanted us all to be the same, He could have easily given us the same hair color, eye color, tone of skin, etc. But in His grand design we are different heights, weights, and colors; all of which (by the way) are in the image of God.

Talking with some believers you would think that becoming a Christian is like entering the military. Everybody gets the same haircut. Everybody is issued the same uniform. And everyone is to walk in the same line, speak the same things, and never think for yourself. I don't know about you, but "I want to be more than a boxcar."

Freedom in Christ is what breaks us out of the boxcar mentality. It's a freedom that is based upon God's grace in our lives. A grace that says it's o.k. to look different, do "church" differently, worship through different types of music, etc. It's acknowledging that we are all earthen vessels carrying the same treasure but realizing that God can paint that vessel anyway He chooses. It's submitting to how God chooses to use the vessel. It's being uniquely Christian.

What I love about 2 Cor. 4:7 is that the main point of the verse isn't the vessel but the treasure. In fact, Paul emphasizes the point that it's not about us at all. The excellence of the power is of God! All I do is carry the treasure that He has placed inside me. That's my job: to be a good steward of the treasure. "And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, fut for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Cor. 5:15-17)

Take time today to thank God for the treasure that He has placed inside of you. Thank Him for allowing you to be a steward of the glorious mystery of Jesus Christ. Allow God to shape and mold you as a vessel for His use. I don't know what it will look like in the end but I truly believe that you will be more than a boxcar.