Summer is often a time for lazy carefree days and backyard BBQs. Who doesn’t love outdoor grilling on a warm summer evening, or at least eating the fruits of the labour of another? I have a friend who often uses the phrase “all sizzle and no steak” to describe something that seems much better than it really is, … something that has all the appearances of authenticity yet lacks any real substance. Think about it. You “hear” the steak on the grill as it slowly sizzles, you smell the spices and the aroma and anticipate a nice thick juicy T-bone done to perfection. Your mouth is watering with anticipation. Yet what comes off the grill is a measly overcooked and semi-burnt hotdog. All sizzle and no steak!

Authenticity is that character trait that demonstrates to others that what they see on the outside is what we really are on the inside. If there is sizzle, then there is steak, not hotdogs. The same principle applies to us as God’s image-bearers in a fallen and broken world. We are to be authentic, what you see on the outside is a true reflection of who is on the inside.

Describing the early missionary movement in Ireland in the fifth century led by Patrick, Australian missiologist Steve Addison says this in his book “Movements that Change the World”; “Patrick gave the Irish the gift of non-Roman Christianity. Since the conversion of Emperor Constantine in 312 AD, Christianity had been closely identified with Roman culture and power. Instead, Patrick lived and communicated the gospel in ways that connected and resonated deeply with Irish hopes and concerns. He taught the Irish that they could become followers of Christ without having to become like Romans.” I think he is describing what authentic faith is all about.

Jesus calls us to something more than just conforming to a perceived church culture or an outward image of what it is to be Christian. He calls us to authenticity. We live in a world of computer-generated personalities, where blemishes and faults are photoshopped. Who we really are is often lost to the image we present to others to gain the likes, thumbs-up and smiley-face emojis that seem to indicate we are good people. Jesus calls us to strip all that away and live authentic lives so that we may point others to Jesus.

To be authentic is to be honest. It requires that we put away the masks and embrace who He made us to be, faults and all. It is to embrace the reality of the brokenness of our world, the sin, the racism, the inequality, the corruption and the tragic. It is to weep with those that weep and mourn with those who mourn. It is to listen and to have empathy as others cry and wail. It’s often uncomfortable, but our world is not a clean and sanitized place, and our place is in the world.

To be authentic is to live as salt and light in the world. It is to live out the Gospel in ways that communicate biblical truth that resonates with those around us. If we are serious about pointing others to Jesus our faith must be authentic, free from the trappings of traditionalism for tradition’s sake. We are not called to change people, to have them think, act, dress and speak like we do to become Christ-followers. We often have a cultural template of what a Christian looks like, talks like, dresses like. But this is not authentic Christianity.

To be authentic is to understand who we really are. We are flawed and broken people, saved by grace through faith and image-bearers of the One who wants to do the same in the lives of others. We are His instruments.

To be authentic is to reflect Jesus, not church culture. “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36).

Praying for authenticity!

Rev. Bill Allan
AGC President

POINTING THEM TO JESUS: All Sizzle and no Steak!