Is It Possible to Be a “Mild” Christian?

I’ve always been puzzled when people say, “They’re a huge Christian.”

Okay, that’s not a bad thing. I’ve just never understood what it meant to be a “huge Christian.”

A few years ago, a couple friends and I were talking about how we enjoy attending church. One girl chimed in and said, “I love attending church—not that I’m a huge Christian or anything, but it just feels empty when I don’t go.”

Obviously, this girl believed in Christ, but the fact that she had to mention she wasn’t a huge Christian caught my attention. I caught the slightest hint that she would have been embarrassed to be known as a huge Christian.

If you seriously considered what people refer to when they say, “He’s a huge Christian,” what would you think they meant? The way I always understood it, it always meant they were just plain Christians.

What’s the difference between a huge Christian and a mild Christian?

Can a person be a mild Christian? If so, what do you think it would look like?

A mild Christian might believe in Christ, go to church, help in his congregation . . . but he would keep it quiet and simple.

On the other hand, a huge Christian might fly to different countries to share the gospel, join mission groups, thank the Lord for everything, make it a point to follow God’s Word, and seek God’s guidance in everything.

According to this definition, it’s possible to be a “mild” or a “huge” Christian. But is being a mild Christian really satisfying? We can believe in Christ, we can go to church, we can help in our congregation, but to me, the whole idea sounds empty.

There’s something missing.

Athletes might understand this.

Let’s say you’re on the basketball team and you just waddle around the court, dribbling the ball. You shoot—ah, you miss. So, you walk away, popping your bubble gum, and plop down on the bench. You’re a basketball player. Not a very determined one . . . but still a basketball player.

You notice there’s something missing in your game. You’re just not all in—in it to win it. In the meantime, your coach gets frustrated.

So, what happens when one day you decide to go all in? Your feet fly across the court, dodging every block, you know exactly what you’re doing. You know when to pass the ball, you know when to shoot, you even know when to take a risk. While the coach smiles to himself.

The difference is like night and day. You suddenly enjoy basketball more. You’re playing the sport, not just waddling around the court.

It’s the same way with Christians.

What happens when you go all in?

You see, we can be an indolent basketball player; we can be a mild Christian, but what’s the point in it? If we always play basketball carelessly; if we always live a mild Christian life, what’s the reward? Play basketball carelessly and we’ll never win. Live a mild Christian life: we’ll never feel the comfort, the freedom, the happiness that comes from leaning completely on Jesus.

No one can rightfully win without giving it all he has. No one will feel a reward without giving it all he has. In sports we have to give it all we have; in life we have to give it all we have. When we can’t go further, that’s when we push harder.

Except as Christians, we have Jesus to pull us through. When we think we can’t go any further, He says we can. If nothing else, He pulls us through the mud and pushes us in the right direction. So, with His help, we push harder. When we struggle, when we nearly give up, we push harder.

We jump to the next level with strength and courage—going all in. Because we know our reward is great.

Colossians 3:23 encourages us, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

James 4:14 also says, “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

We’re a mist that appears for a little time. We’re here one day and gone the next. Often, I’ve heard stories where someone’s life could have ended in a heart-beat. It always reminds me that no one is sure of his time on earth.

So, would you rather sit back in the little time you have, or would you rather go all in with everything in life? Including your faith in God. He wants your whole heart.

When we die, we won’t be remembered as the ones who lived life covered in a fog, but the ones who went all in. Our life on earth might be short, but the life we live here, will determine where we end up in eternity.

Matthew 6:24 tells us that a man can only serve one master. No one can serve two masters: he will love one and hate the other, he cannot love both.

So, let’s focus on one thing and go for the goal. Letting nothing distract us.

What are we waiting for? Let’s be Christians (huge Christians), let’s be great athletes, let’s go all in.