Have you ever found yourself sitting at your desk or at a stoplight playing an air instrument - guitar, trumpet, drums (my instrument of choice), etc? I have, and I must admit I am pretty good. I don't think I ever miss a beat! Neal Pert, Eddie Van Halen, neither of them can throw anything at me that I cannot handle on my air instrument. However, if you give me the real thing I am completely lost. I know a guitar has six strings but that is about it. I don't know an E from a G. I know a drum set has several drums and cymbals but I don't have a clue what to hit if the music requires an A flat. Heck, I don't even know if there is an A flat on the drums. Let me ask you something, would your friends and neighbors who know you say that you are an air Christian or the real deal? Paul talks about this in the book of II Timothy.
II Timothy 3:1-5 says 1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
Notice verse 5, having a form of godliness but denying its power. These are air Christians. They look like Christians, they show up to church on Sunday, they may sing in the choir or serve in some fashion but they do not have the power of God. They appear to be playing the Christian role but when they actually get the opportunity to play the real instrument they cannot do it. They would rather run a dishonest business than depend of the power of God to provide them with the customers and sales they need. They would rather walk out on a stale marriage than stay committed to their spouse and the vows they repeated to each other to love each other through good times and bad. They would rather sit in front of the TV than have a quite time with the Lord. How do we learn to play the real instrument? How do we become the real deal. I believe the answer comes later in this same chapter.
II Timothy 3:10-17 10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
I believe the key is in verses 14-15. God's word. Studying and spending time in God's word. Paul says to continue in what you have learned vs 14, continue studying the scriptures, he says the scriptures are able to make you wise vs 15. When life comes at you, you will have the Word of God to sustain you. If you are putting on an act before your friends and family please know that you may be fooling them, you may not miss a beat on your air guitar, but there is coming a time when someone is going to call you on it. You will no longer be able to fake it. Will you have the power of God to sustain you in these times...
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