Kraig Krempa

“Marco!” … “Polo!”

“Marco!” … “Polo!”

“Marco!” … “Polo!”

“Fish out of water!”

What child hasn’t played Marco Polo on a hot summer day?

In Marco Polo, a blind seeker tries to find other people in the pool guided only by the cries of those whose eyes are wide open. The odds are against the seeker, but that was the game.

“Fish out of water!” was the seeker’s gotcha phrase for “You are not where you are supposed to be (with me in the water)!”

Obviously, a blind seeker can never connect with people who aren’t in the pool! Violators who got busted became “It” and had to assume the role of the seeker.

Speaking on behalf of non-Christians, I’d like to say to the American Church: “Fish out of water! … You are not where you are supposed to be (with us  in culture)! The odds are already against us and you are cheating – making it nearly impossible for us to connect with you.”

Busted.

Christians need to remember what it’s like to be seekers.

For me, the phrase “born again Christian” was synonymous with “psychiatric patient.” I didn’t harbor any ill-will toward religious-types, I just thought they were crazy.

The funny thing is that I believed in God and even believed in Jesus. I went to church on Christmas and Easter sometimes, but I was completely blind to what it meant to be a follower of Christ.

The sad part is that there was nobody around to show me the way. I was a blind seeker; alone in the pool.

“Marco…”

“Marco…”

“Marco…?”

“Fish out of water!”

No doubt, someone will object to my “Fish Out of Water” thesis on the basis of 2 Cor 6:17-18, but the separation intended there is that of moral and spiritual separation. It is a cry to live by a higher ethical standard than secular culture; it is a cry to model God’s character and nature in the midst of a world blinded by sin. 

“Polo!”

Unfortunately, many followers of Christ have taken that passage as a mandate for physical and social isolation from unbelievers. Most Christians who have been saved for more than a few years have few, if any, non-Christian friends. In other words, they got out of the pool.

“Fish out of water!”

The ironic thing is that while socially isolating themselves from non-Christians, they have simultaneously adopted nearly identical lifestyles.  Aside from more frequent church attendance, followers of Christ essentially look, act, think, talk and live exactly like non-Christians. So Christians have gotten out of the pool AND failed to reflect God’s character to the world.

“Marco…”

“Marco…”

“Marco…?”

“Fish out of water!”

Busted again. That means we’re “It.”

We have to remember what it’s like to be blind seekers and get back into culture. We have to live among people who don’t know Christ and yet hold ourselves to a higher moral and spiritual standard.

If Jesus was a friend of sinners, shouldn’t His followers be the same? 

Remember Jesus’ prayer for His disciples: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15, emphasis added).

In other words, stay in the pool … but live by a higher standard: 

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12, emphasis added).

“Polo!”

Got it?

Good - because you’re “It!”

1. If you’re a follower of Christ, what did you think of Christians before you were one?

2. What are some things you can do to “get back in the water?”

“Marco…”

“Marco…”

“Marco…?”