Christians everywhere want to be cool for Jesus.
It's like they think if they can blend into the world—look like everyone else, sound like everyone else, live like everyone else. Then one day—bam! They can hit the lost soul with the gospel, and...ta-da! That person will make the leap of faith into an eternity with Jesus.
I'm not sure when being "cool" became the standard of all Christian behavior.
The truth is that the more you think about it, the more you'll realize that cool and Christian are often mutually exclusive.
In other words, there is no place for cool in Christ's version of Christianity. Here are four reasons why:
1. Holiness is not cool. Seriously, it's not. I mean I get that holiness is internal—not external—but too many Christians walk around seeing how many piercings their skin can hold and how many curse words they can say and still be okay. The problem with that plan is that it's confusing for everyone. God's version of holiness demands that you be separate however uncool that sounds.
2. The cross is not cool. Nothing about the nails poking through His skin and the blood dripping down His brow is cool. The cross is painful, it is humiliating, it is shameful, and it is the key to our salvation. No. The cross is not cool, so stop trying so hard to act like it is.
3. The disciples were not cool. I know you think that the disciples, especially Peter, were pretty cool dudes. But did you know that at least half of the disciples were killed for their faith? Trust me, that's not cool. The disciples stuck out like a sore thumb for how they lived and what they believed—and were painfully persecuted for it.
4. Jesus is not cool. Last but not least, Jesus was not cool. He fed the poor, healed the sick, gave to those in need, and pretty much epitomized the social gospel and still wasn't "cool." Of course, He also preached the truth so pointedly that by the end of His thirty-three-year life, the in crowd completely turned against Him while He hung on the cross for us. In fact, the people let a murderer named Barabbas free and chose to crucify Jesus instead. Don't talk to me about cool in the face of this Jesus, the Messiah.
I don't mean to burst your cool bubble or sound like your standard party-pooper, but if you still think you can be cool and follow Jesus, I think you may be confusing biblical Christianity with your cheerleading squad.
Don't.
