Is being British a sin?

Its an interesting question that has been thrown up by a comment I made recently that our British reserve is sinful when it becomes an excuse for not engaging with our culture and not evangelising. I have been very struck in recent weeks with the number of people from across the country who have very few people they are living missionally before. They have acquaintances but very few people who know them well enough to see the change that the gospel is making in their lives. They have few if any friends who they are engaged with conversation with who challenge them about what they believe and how they live. And all too often we try to excuse ourselves by saying its OK for you but I don't have your personality, I'm not as outgoing as you are, or I'm more reserved. I think we need to recognise that they are excuses, they are a way of ducking the real issues.

Paul consistently assumes that the churches he writes to will be engaging with the world around them, as does Peter. It is why they are exhorted to live a life worthy of the gospel, and why Peter exhorts the church to always be ready to give a reason for the hope that you have. They assumption is that they are engaged with the world. I think our problem is that we are more like the Pharisees than the early church. And Jesus does not hold back on rebuking the Pharisees for their legalism and isolationist living. To that extent I think Jesus would rebuke us for being British just as he did the Pharisees.

The challenge is to change - to start engaging, to learn the lessons of Colossians 4:2-6 and start praying for God to open doors and for clarity to recognise an opportunity and speak into it when it comes up. We need to be loving and living with those with work alongside, live alongside and relax alongside, we need to be engaging with the world, and when that little voice says no your British, we need to remind ourselves being a Pharisee didn't spare them from Jesus rebuke.