Before becoming a Christian at the age of 12, Christians weren't high on my list. They were just as quick to make fun of me for having the wrong kind of clothes as anyone else in my school. At times I heard compliments about these great Christian kids from the people in their church.
But I saw who they really were.
In the book of Galatians, we read that Paul and Peter had a theological rumble over this very issue.
"When [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned." Galatians 2:11
Peter was acting differently around different people. He would disassociate with Gentile believers when his Jewish friends came to town that were prejudiced towards Gentiles. But once those Jews left town, Peter returned to the old gang as if nothing had happened. These new believers were left hurt and confused.
If you wouldn't say something or do something around your Christian friends, what makes it ok around your non-Christian friends? Or your unbelieving co-workers? If we are seen as willing to set the convictions of our faith aside, we devalue the purpose Jesus' salvation for all mankind.
Then it doesn't look like faith at all...it just looks like an act.
So don't be a Christian chameleon, allowing your environment to hide your faith. Allow your relationship with Jesus to affect the way you speak, think, and act towards those around you. Recognize your witness can draw people closer to Jesus just as easily as it can also push them away.
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