It has been a long time since I penned down my thoughts. Here I am finally writing about something I have been learning and challenged over the past few weeks. As you have already read the title it is “Hall of FAME vs Hall of FAITH.” Hall of Fame constitutes the list of people who are famous in their own field of profession or interest. Hall of Faith constitutes the list of people who are famous for their faith.
Madame Tussuads is a wax museum in London. Most of us are familiar with it or at the least heard of it. It is known to have the wax figures of many famous and prominent people. It displays the waxworks of film stars, sports stars, musicians, world leaders, cultural figures, ill-famous murderers and royalty across the globe. It is considered to be an honor to have your figure waxed in Madame Tussauds. People dream about it! Nevertheless I am not sure of the criteria based on which the decisions are taken. It is however a good example to describe the term “Hall of Fame” in today’s world.
Now may be you are starting to think of getting into the “Hall of Fame.” Well I have a much better proposition - the “Hall of Faith.” The first response that comes to our mind when we talk about the heroes of faith is Hebrews 11. You got it right. We know people who are famous for their faith in the Bible. They were not movie stars or sports stars or any other super stars! They were people who were known for their simple faith. I say simple faith because it does not involve any complications or prerequisites or publicity. It is faith in action. James 2:14-17 talks about it. The faith that our heroes in the Bible had, was not only the redeeming faith but also the life changing and impacting faith in action. It not only changed their lives but also affected the people around and rightly so continues to challenge us Christians till today. We can also see a similar description about love in action in 1 John 3: 16-18. Again the emphasis here is on action! It is not just about intellectual faith and intellectual love but it is about faith in action and love in action.
God gives us the perfect example of how he acted out His love for us. I am sure John 3:16 is ringing in your mind. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The word I would like you to concentrate on is “GAVE.” He did not stop by just telling us He loves us but showed us in action. The next word that is important is “BELIEVES.” God acted and is calling us to act. But friends it is just the beginning of our action. This act of belief is what should lead us to go out and live in the standards of our calling to fulfill our faith and love. Our faith is dead without actions. We are called to walk in His footsteps. “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”- 1 John 2:6. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”- 1 Pet 2:21
This is the hard question. What are you known for? I am not talking about fame or reputation here. When people talk about you, what comes to their mind? Let me put it this way. What is that about your being and living that grabs the attention of people. Please do not get me wrong if you are known for your talents, skills or abilities. Praise God for such Christians! What I am trying to bring out here is- Are you a hero of your faith? There are a large number of unsung heroes of faith whom I have been discovering of late. It is amazing to see that they are tremendously influencing the society for Christ. They do not belong to the Hall of Fame but they do rightly have earned their place in the Hall of Faith.
“The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” – 1John 3:1.
“… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matt 5:16.
“"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." – Matt 19:26
“7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” – Phil 3: 7-10
May we not strive for the approval of men (Hall of Fame) but live for the praise of God (Hall of Faith) alone because he sees our in and out. We may not be famous in this world but surely God honors our commitment to follow him diligently. God knows greater than what our heart does. Let us not just be sitting Christians but I would like to encourage us to be walking Christians!
