Skip to main content

What are "Kumbaya Christians"?


God was certainly at work on campus back in the 70's.  There were many Christian groups springing up.  As a  young believer in Christ, I soon noticed that not all Christians looked the same. Most were similar, but one looked very different.  I called this group "the Kumbaya Christians".    They liked to meet and sing and share Scripture with each other. There was nothing wrong with that, but they seemed so passive.  There was very little action.  They seldom shared their faith or reached out to others. They were sleepy Christians, I called them "Kumbaya Christians".

Peter, Paul, and Mary popularized the song, "Kumbaya" in the late 60's.  The lyrics are quite interesting:

Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya

Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya
Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya
Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbayah

Someone's laughing, Lord, Kumbaya…
(repeat)

Someone's crying, Lord Kumbaya…
(repeat)

Someone's praying, Lord Kumbaya…
(repeat)

Someone's sleeping, Lord Kumbaya…
(repeat)

From <https://genius.com/Peter-paul-and-mary-kumbaya-lyrics>

Certainly there is nothing wrong with singing, crying, praying, or sleeping.  But is that all?  Can't there be a bit of action in the Christian life?  No wonder this songs makes me sleepy.  It ends with sleeping.  It would make a great lullaby, but a theme song for a movement on campus?

Throughout Scripture we are warned against a sleepy, sluggish heart. 

So what is sleep?  To me it is comfort, peace and quiet, drifting away on a cloud, not a care in the world.  Give me a dark, cool, quiet room.  Don't interrupt me.  I'll arise when I'm good and ready.

This attitude can be so disruptive to our walk with God.  As a follower of Christ, we are his servants, He is the master.  When he calls, we listen.  When He commands, we obey.  Scripture has sharp warnings for the those who sleep:

          1      “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
    He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
          2      ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.
          3      ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Re 3:1–3.

To Christians who are asleep, we are commanded to "wake up".  Jesus also tells us to remember, keep it, and repent.  In other words to return to those times when our walk with God was alive, vibrant, active.  He also points out to the church at Sardis that their deeds were not complete.  He criticizes their lack of action.  Sleepy Christians are inactive Christians.

How about you?  Are you a "Kumbaya Christian"?  Have you fallen asleep spiritually?  Is it time to wake up, time to repent, time to take action for Christ?  Yes.  Do it now.  Time to get up and get moving!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Asleep or Awake?

  When you think about it, sleep is a very strange thing.   We’ve been doing it since we were born, and studies show infants sleep even in the womb.    They say you will spend a third of your life in this state.   As I get older, I find myself sleeping more.   When possible, I like a short nap after lunch, although these short naps seem to be getting longer all the time.   But consider for a minute the state of sleep: We are removed from the day-to-day realities. We may have dreams that take us on exciting or scary adventures. We are in a state of vulnerability. (A thief could break in and steal). We do not have full control of our faculties. (People sometimes hurt themselves while sleepwalking ). The Bible often uses sleeping as a metaphor for spiritual sluggishness.   We are admonished to "wake up".   Here are few of the most notable examples: “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who...
7 comments
Read more

Blessed to be a blessing

  So, where do we get the common phrase, "blessed to be a blessing"?   The idea comes originally from the book of Genesis where God appears to Abraham .  “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing . I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed .” (Genesis 12:1-3, ESV) If you think about it, this is a pretty radical idea. Not only does almighty God want to bless those who respond in faith, but also that He wants to work through us to bless others! 1.       God wants to bless us. Our heavenly Father loves us dearly as any father would love their very own children. “For God so loved the world , that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal li...
3 comments
Read more

The Fear Power Gospel

  We live in a world where we often feel vulnerable. There are earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides, etc. As children were often scared of spiders, snakes, and large dogs.   There is much in our physical world to be afraid of.   But beyond the physical world, there is also the world of men.   We may experience the fear of rejection or the fear of failure . If we’ve lost a loved one, we may develop the fear of abandonment . In other words, we often feel powerless and vulnerable in this world. Fortunately, we don’t feel this way all the time. Unfortunately, we do feel fear more often than we would like. You may be interested to know that this was not the original design. God intended for humans to live in close fellowship with him, always feeling his protection and his love. We were to live in a world that was safe- in a world where we had control over the forces around us. But unfortunately, man decided to go his own way, and when he rebelled agains...
2 comments
Read more