Zombies are all the rage these days. Personally, I just don’t get it. You say “zombie” and I have flashbacks of the night back in 7th grade when 3 friends and I had a horror movie marathon and saw “Night of the Living Dead” for the first time.
But all the talk about zombies last night got me thinking…….and we all know something crazy is about to happen when I start thinking! I was thinking about how closely related some Christians are to zombies. (I told you I was crazy!) The Bible says that if we are Christians (we’ve put our trust in Jesus for our salvation and have chosen to follow him) we’ve been born again. John 3:3 It says we’ve been made alive with Christ. 1 Corinthians 5:22, Ephesians 2:5, Colossians 2:13. Just so you know, I’m not implying that we’re dead. The only thing we’re dead to is sin. Romans 6:11 I’m saying that as zombies we’re not necessarily dead, there’s just no life to be found. Work with me here for a minute.
We’re dead to sin and alive in Christ, yes. The problem is that too many of us are not really living. We’re walking around in our deadness (not a word, I know) thinking this is the Christian life. The problem is that God has called us from death to LIFE! We need to start living!
So how can we tell if we’re actually living? Let’s go back to biology class. Living things exhibit certain characteristics. If we exhibit those same characteristics, we’re living. If not, we’re not living – we’re dead.
Metabolism – the use of energy
Living Christians understand that without God we are powerless. 2 Corinthians 4:7 We live in the power that comes from the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 In fact, when we are at our weakest, God’s power is perfected in us. 2 Corinthians 12:9 Living Christians will live according to God’s power and not their own.
Respond to outside stimuli
Living organisms actively respond to changes around them. Likewise, living Christians should respond when God moves and speaks. When we attend church or Bible study, or when we read our Bibles and pray, God speaks to us. Are we responding according to His message?
Growth
Living Christians grow. Some people will be surprised to learn that God expects His people to contribute to their own growth. What I mean is that we can’t be content to show up to church or Bible study once or twice a week and soak in some growth. Hebrews 5:11-14 talks about learning to feed ourselves. Living Christians grow, and they learn how to grow without needing someone else to do all the work for them.
Reproduction
Living Christians produce disciples. I want to be sure that you understand that God is responsible for the conversion of people. We don’t “save” people, God does. We’re just responsible to be His mouthpiece and share the good news of salvation with the people around us. However, living Christians will be actively involved in sharing their faith with others in such a way that disciples are produced and reproduced. Jesus commanded us to do this so we shouldn’t be surprised that He expects it from us. Matthew 28:19-20
So, are you a zombie? Have you been born again only to discover that you’re not really living? Or are you living the abundant life that Christ offers? John 10:10
Michelle Suarez 