1. Stop being so independent. The Word of God implores us to bear one another’s burden and thus fulfill the Law, but most Christians never share their burdens. They refuse to open up and confess their failures, their challenges, their desperation, and the reason they refuse is because of embarrassment and lack of trust. If they are afraid to share their challenges, how much more fearful are they of openly confessing their sins? We must both confess our sins and make our churches a safe place to confess to one another.
2. Stop being so selfish. Christ illustrates the image of a “good neighbor” by telling the story of The Good Samaritan, who found a stranger in a ditch, rescued him, took him to be cared for, paid all his expenses, stayed with him as long as he could, and then returned to check on him and to pay for additional expenses. The good man sacrificed both time and money for an absolute stranger. Those in our local church are more than neighbors. They are brothers and sisters. They are mothers and fathers. They are the family of God. How much more should we demonstrate love for them than for our neighbors?

3. Stop being so timid. I often hear church people say, “You are the only Bible some folks may ever read.” While the sentiment of this statement is admirable, the metaphor is insufficient. Never does God’s Word say to be a silent witness, which is the way many Christians live. Indeed our life must be a witness, but so must our word. We are to preach and pray, testify and teach, and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

4. Stop denying God’s power. God doesn’t answer prayers like He used to, or so people say. Or perhaps, God simply doesn’t call people to be Elijahs, or Pauls, or Peter anymore. This is not so. Elijah was a nobody when God began using him. Paul was a self-righteous, murderous man when Jesus called him. God, in fact, still uses people in miraculous ways. Stop denying God’s power and ask why God is not working in your church. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

5. Stop seeking new programs. To a large portion of that 21st century American church, Sunday school is outdated. Small groups are misused and abused. Floundering churches desperately grasp for new programs or restarts in hope of growing their numbers. While John Wesley may never have said, “Set yourself afire and people will come from miles to watch you burn,” it is true nonetheless. Stop spending money on new programs and rebranding and, instead, spend time in prayer, Bible study and seeking the power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t worry about numbers, rather worry about your relationship with God and with one another.

A good Muslim learns Arabic to study the Koran. • A good Christian reads the Bible in one of hundreds of translations, and learns to apply the Word of God to her heart, in hopes that she might overcome sin. 

A good Muslim can be sure of heaven only by becoming a martyr. 

• A good Christian is sure of salvation by the witness of the Holy Spirit in her life.

A Good Muslim believes that non-believers are infidels to be subjugated, with no standing in Muslim society. 

• A good Christian believes that non-believers are God’s children to be love and prayed over.

A good Muslim views Allah as a dictator, who issues harsh commandments, impossible to keep.

• A good Christian sees God as a loving father, who issued 10 commandments to keep His children safe. 

A good Muslim believes that every man should live in bondage to sharia law. 

• A good Christian understands that she is a sinner, and that the Law points to the bondage of sin, and that Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection frees her from sin. 

A good Muslim is a slave to Allah. 

• A good Christian is a willing bondservant to God’s loving, compassionate will for her life. God’s law demonstrates our fallibility, and points our need for redemption.

A good Muslim believes he should kill infidels. 

• A good Christian believes that when the apostle Peter took up the sword, Christ told him to put it down; she fights only to protect herself, her family, and nation. 

A good Muslim believes Allah demands that men, women, and children sacrifice their lives to be guaranteed a place in paradise. 

• A good Christian believes that God sacrificed His Son to guarantee her a place in heaven. 

A good Muslim believes that women are property, to be subjugated and used.  

• A good Christian respects women and treats them as equals. 

A good Muslim believes that harsh civil laws of a theocracy should dictate societal norms. 

• Because of her belief in freedom from sin, a good Christian trusts in a free society based on a constitution founded on Judeo-Christian ethics.

A good Muslim believes that one who – like the staff of Charlie Hebdo – portrays Allah in a negative manner, should be killed (fatwa).

• A good Christian may not like sacrilegious things but understands that God gives her and everyone else the freedom to live as she chooses; she may not like the way others live and believe, but vengeance is God’s province. 

A good Muslim believes in killing adulterous women, just as Mohammed did. 

• A good Christian may not like the deeds of the adulterer, but believes in forgiveness, because Christ forgave.

A good Muslim coerces non-believers to convert to Islam. 

• A good Christian believes that by letting Christ shine from within, and by always being ready to speak of Christ, non-believers will become pliable and willing to listen when the Holy Spirit speaks to them.