Wondering about Christians who Crash?

by Peter Ramsey, from the series I Life Lessons I

 "Used by permission from Truth & Tidings"

It’s not a family secret.  The entire world knows that some very public figures who identified with and promoted Christianity and preached from the Bible – yes, like a high-flying aircraft, they crashed and burned.  The charred remains of the ‘life’ the world once knew them for – are painful to think about.

And sadly, in the process, genuine believers may have been led astray. But the Lord promises to keep us through all of life's missteps and to lead us in the way everlasting.

Ezekiel 34:16 — American Standard Version (ASV) 

I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in justice. Ezekiel 34:16 — 

 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY) 

Luke 19;10 "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” NKJV

Personally, as we follow closely behind our Lord and Saviour, on the path of righteousness, we are still led astray by sin; we become surrounded by temptation, and our sinful nature often prevails.  Many sins can be confessed to the Lord in private, while others remain fully displayed for all to see.  We understand in our embarrassment that a genuine confession is forgiven as promised, and we can continue forward on our journey with Christ. 

1 John 1:6-10 " If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." 

Questions flood our minds.  Were they really Christians, or was Christianity to them nothing more than their ladder to climb to success, fame and even wealth?  If they weren’t authentic, who is?  Are all Christians fakes, frauds or failures?  Or, is there a strong possibility that fame, success and popularity can cause any human heart to succumb to pride in all its ugliness?  Few can handle prominence and influence.  Popularity can swell any human heart with pride – until it ruptures in disgrace.

The Bible has much to say about the sin of pride.  More than once, it is called detestable or an abomination.  Often other things are called evil or labelled as a sin of great magnitude.  Yet, rarely do we see people going public with placards against the sin of pride.  Why?  Because it is easier to point fingers at others than to protest against ourselves.

Repeatedly, the Bible warns against the sin of pride.

Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD… Proverbs 16:5

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

If the only people you knew who were associated with Christianity were those who crashed, you might well wonder if there is anything to the Christian message of the Gospel.  But sometimes, that argument is nothing more than a smokescreen.  Most reading this post have met or know a Christian whose life is marked by joy, peace, goodness, humility, and faithfulness.

Fresh in my mind as I write this is the horrific crash of China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735.  With 132 people on board, the two-hour flight between two major cities in China should have just been a normal, routine flight, but it ended in disaster.

Although Flight MU5735 nose-dived into the ground, the middle image is not its actual tragic descent.  It is a borrowed image from another incident.

Just over an hour into its journey, China Eastern Flight MU5735 pitched over into a sudden near-vertical dive.  The Boeing 737-800 jet hurtled to the ground at high speed – thousands of feet a second – slamming into a hillside in a fiery explosion.  Most of the jet appears to have disintegrated on impact.(Source:https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-60856855)

Sadly, we are all aware of this disaster, but not every flight has such a dreadful ending.  For instance, back in 2019, there were 39,000,000 successful flights.  But the only ones we heard about in the news, were the eight flights that crashed, resulting in tragic fatalities—eight of the thirty-nine million - only 0.0000002%.

When people watch TV and social media and see some of the craziness that goes on under the name of religion broadly, including Christianity – from politics, protests, scandals of every dimension – you could become very cynical and sick of it all.   I understand.  I hear you.

But step back and think about all the ones you will never see featured in the evening news.   What about them?

As a child, I vividly recall accompanying my father to visit an elderly woman out in the country who was marked by ‘rest and peace.’

Jesus said: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

We went up the unpaved hilly road until we arrived in Edna’s yard.  She welcomed us into her very small and humble home.  I don’t recall curtains on the little windows.  The bare and rough-wood floors seemed strange to me. She had no running water or electricity.  I went down the little hill to fetch a bucket of water for her.  Her tattered Bible was open at her table.  She was so happy, exceedingly joyful, and very contented.  She always seemed to have a happy face.  She loved her Lord and  Saviour, Jesus Christ.  She loved to sing hymns.  

Definitely not wealthy, but Edna’s wealth in Christ was etched into my young mind.  Incidentally, it seemed so fitting that one who experienced such material poverty in life would be the very first one to be transported to the cemetery in the undertaker’s brand-spanking-new Cadillac hearse.  Humble Edna arrived at her Heavenly Home with her integrity and joyful testimony intact, leaving behind her a legacy of faithfulness.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become enriched. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Over the years, I have visited other homes at the other end of the spectrum – and many in between.  Homes with more than one little bedroom.  More than one vehicle.  More than one bathroom and kitchens much larger than Edna’s entire house.  Bibles were open in their homes too, and they knew what it was to get on their knees to pray.  They quietly shared their blessings in life with those who had less.  Their homes and belongings were used to help others like troubled teens in the community.

These wealthier people had something in common with Edna.  They loved the Lord and served Him happily and humbly in obscurity.  As far as I know, never once were they featured in the evening news.  Some of them are gone now but others are continuing to be a quiet blessing within their sphere of influence.  No big show.  No fanfare.

Interested in Christianity?  Check out some short videos.  Click here

In many places throughout the Bible, glimpses of what a Christian’s reputation should be are given.  One such Bible verse lists features of an authentic Christian who is living for Christ:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

Light should radiate from a Christian’s life – wherever they are.  Jesus said to His followers:

You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

Think of the plane crash analogy again – 39,000,000 successful flights each year, but we only hear about the tragedy of the very, very few that crash. I would like you to know that God has humble, quiet, compassionate, joyful, welcoming and peaceful, scandal-free faithful believers worldwide – dotting the globe!  You will never see them waving placards or posting weirdness or nastiness on social media – or ripping you off – or looking for camera coverage.  They live their helpful, kind, and faithful lives for the Lord in obscurity and eventually, they are welcomed home to Heaven.  They are a blessing in their community – and people see the reality of Christ living in them because they reflect the virtues that people associate with Christ.

A Christian isn’t defined by the political label they wear.  One’s political persuasion does not make one more or less likely to be a ‘real’ Christian any more than one’s religious upbringing or church makes one an authentic Christian.

The only fool-proof litmus test of who is a genuine Christian is whether or not the individual has a moment in their life when they repented of their sin and turned in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.  A Christian has faced their own sinful brokenness and lostness and has turned to God for salvation.  Do you have a specific time in your own life when God saved your soul?

The Apostle Paul defined it this way:

…repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. Acts 20:21

A Christian is far from perfect, but we worship and serve a Perfect Saviour and Lord.  No Christian lives a perfect, sin-free life.  The Bible acknowledges that. (1John 1:8)   But one of the distinctive marks of a genuine Christian is humility and a desire to exalt their Lord.  They are conscious of their weaknesses and their failures but look forward to an eternal future when they will be  with their Saviour – never to sin again.

In the first part of his life, the Apostle Paul despised Jesus.  But on the Damascus Road, he realized that the very one he so hated died for his sins on the Cross.  He wrote later:

…Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…(for our justification) 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Paul embraced Christ as his Saviour, and this is how he explained his transformation – his new life in Christ:

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

I have listed a few personal testimonies below, selected from among many that we feature on this site.  Scroll through the sampling and click on one of the stories.  Read how that person found Christ and about the joy and peace they now experience as a Christian.  As you read their story, ask yourself: “Is my life clearly divided in two – before Christ and since I trusted Him as my Saviour?”

Don’t be distracted or misled by the tragic crashes of some.  It is Satan’s business to cause people to doubt the power of God’s salvation in transforming lives and the ability of Christ to bring peace to the human heart.

Be sure of this – there are millions of happy and faithful Christians around the world who honour Jesus Christ every day and humbly try to reflect something of His virtues each day.

Derek Lam arrived in Canada as an immigrant from Malaysia. Christian neighbours welcomed his family with much kindness and also shared Christ with them. Read his story here.

Rosalind Picard, MIT professor in Artificial Intelligence was transformed from an atheist to a devout Christian. 

 A respected academic humbly follows Christ . Read her story here.

Dr. Kurt Petterson, a young American, joined the US Navy. He recalls the day when he boarded the USS Talbot County and was asked by a sailor if he was a Christian. Read his story here.

Janet Oakes. A home broken by anger, physical and sexual abuse produced a sad young girl.  Janet tells her story of sadness, hope, healing and the incredible love of God. Read her story here.

Peggy O’Neill tells her story of conversion to Christ at age 70, after practicing as a nun in the Catholic Church for 50 years. Read her story here.

Collection of Short Conversion Stories submitted by Christians – Click here

Peter Orasuk tells his story of finding Christ and leaving drugs behind him. His testimony has been listened to by thousands around the world. Many have trusted Christ after listening to Peter’s story. Click here to listen.

Our website heaven4sure has a growing inventory of stories of how people turned to Christ for salvation and became more than a ‘nominal’ Christian.

 Click here to go to that section of the website.

 "Used by permission from Truth & Tidings"   Gospel Hall Audio | Homepage