Christian Living

Living a Nominal Christian Life

by Andrew Tuttle
03/16/23
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Years ago, I introduced coffee from Costa Rica to my mom. Prior to that she was a regular consumer of store-bought java like Folgers or Maxwell House.

She hasn’t bought any of those brands since.

She had no idea what she was missing all those years and after tasting real coffee she was ready for the real thing every morning from there on out.

Sometimes you hear about a converted Christian who once lived much of his or her life doing their own thing. I don’t need Jesus, they said, happy with their life, seemingly in total control. It wasn’t until they finally met Jesus that they realized their need for Him. Sometimes you don’t know what you need until you receive it.

And, sometimes you don’t know real coffee until you sip it.

After listening to a sermon from Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel in Virginia,  I realized I had spent much of life living as a nominal Christian. It’s his quote, but it was those words that put a description on my life before I began attending Athey Creek Christian Church. (If I confuse you, fear not! Just read The Number of the Beast.)

Recently, I had a long discussion with a friend of mine. He’s an ex-Mormon turned atheist. I believe he’s seeking. He’s told me all about his time in the Mormon church and from what he tells me I don’t begrudge him at all for not believing in God. I’m not sure after that indoctrination I’d be any different. I once joked LDS stood for Lucifer’s Dedicated Servants. I wasn’t far off.

During the course of our discussion, my friend asked me some real questions. Tough questions. Though I was unable to answer all of them, I was able to answer many of them. I articulated that we get the word rapture from the Latin vulgate rapturo and the word used in 1 Thessalonians 4 is harpadzo, Greek for snatched up. He loved my defense and dropped his argument.

I confidently told him I believed in a literal translation of the Bible. He respected that even if he thought the story of Jonah was ridiculous. In a prior conversation months earlier, he was also unable to grasp the concept of the trinity. So, Jesus was praying to God the father in the garden of Gethsemane. Wait, I thought Jesus is God, he said. How can God pray to God. I remember that conversation clearly because not only was I able to provide him with an answer, even if he didn’t buy it, that night during my nightly run through the Bible teaching from Athey Creek, that very question was brought up and my pastor confirmed my answer. Where we are at in life is where we are at in the Bible.

Here's the bottom line. If I can get past Genesis 1:1, I can get past everything else that follows even if it seems a bit out of this world. Prior to 2020, my atheist friend would have stumped me over and over and over despite my regular church attendance in the previous decade and more. But no longer.  

I attend a real church now. Sorry if that offends you. One that teaches through the Bible. Verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book. It’s mind blowing really. Never again will I enter the sanctuary of a topical sermon teaching church. I learned nothing. It angers me. All those precious wasted years…

Today, I play catch up. As my church nears the end of its second round through the Bible, I am completely caught up. I spent nearly 16 months watching or listening to more than 10 years of Sunday and Wednesday through the Bible teachings. That amounted to more than 950 studies!

Though I risk losing treasures in heaven, I say none of this as a boast. Instead, I implore you to just try different. It shouldn’t be different it should be the norm. Instead, only about 2% of churches in the country teach through the Bible.

A number of years ago I wanted more. Thus, I started searching. I quickly learned not only how little I knew but how much more I wanted. And, I didn't realize what I needed until I started hearing it.

My pastor likes to say attending church should be a get to, not a got to. I take it a step further. I have to go. Not as in, “Oh man, I have to go?” but “I have to be there because I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

I also have to have good coffee because anything else is a waste of time.

If you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed, And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. - John 8:31-32