Being Weird Does Not Equate to Being Faithful

This morning I found myself thinking about how some people act and speak, thinking that their actions or response somehow displays to the world that they are a faithful Christian. News flash: Being weird does not mean you are a faithful Christian; it just means you are being weird. Years ago one of my friends was always one of those who was confused on this issue. This guy just did not get it. If I saw my friend and asked, "What's up?" His response was ALWAYS, "Jesus!"  If I asked him how he was feeling, his response was "Jesus!" I could ask him what he was going to do that afternoon and he'd say, "Jesus!"  I tried telling him over and over that these were really not appropriate responses and he'd respond by telling me "The only thing I know and do is Jesus."  I'd say, "You're just weird and you are alienating people, not only from yourself but also from Jesus, because you are giving them the impression that Christians are all weird."  He'd just smile and go on with being weird.   This guy was/is not alone. A lot of Christian people somehow think that the more weirdness they display, the more faithful they are.  Uh... NO! It does not make you more holy or faithful because you scream "praise God!" when you drop your tray of food at McDonalds. That just makes you weird. 

Jesus looked and acted so much like other people that when the soldiers came to arrest him in the garden, Judas had to point him out to them. He did not stand out by dressing weird, acting weird or speaking weird. He was just Jesus. God has not called Christians to be weird. No weird hair styles... no weird clothing... No weird speech patterns or catch phrases. Yes, we are to be peculiar people and separated people. But that is referring to the way we live and breathe.  I don't go bar hopping or drinking anymore. I don't lie, cheat and steal. I don't use profane words to try to look cool. I don't cheat on my wife. I DO get up early on Sunday and go to church. I do look for ways to be a blessing and display the love of Christ by denying myself and preferring others. THIS is what is meant by being peculiar. To many people that sort of living is "weird" and that's okay, but please understand that there is a vast difference between the two types of weird that I've discussed here. 

Be peculiar people... not weird.