Lifestyle

Consider: do you truly 100% believe that Christ is more important than the Christian lifestyle?

When I was younger, back in the days when I regurgitated everything I learned from adults, I really and honestly thought that changing behavior was the key to making new Christians.

The church today places undue importance on new Christians conforming to a certain lifestyle.  People who have never known the Christian lifestyle (or who know it but find it stifling) will reject Christianity based on these rigid man-made expectations.  It makes people uncomfortable, and not for the self-righteous "we're hitting at their sin!" reason I've heard so often.

These are man-made shackles that the Bible does not require.  Yet we are confused when we try to shackle others and they balk?

The Bible teaches that change comes after Christ, not before.  When we make change more important than Christ, we drive people away, and we do our faith a grave disservice.