C.S. Lewis said it so clearly, “God shouts to us in our pains…”
What is God shouting out to you?
What is it time for?
What can we do to play an important part in our circle of influence to help fulfill the great commission and disciple the next generations?
Some of you may know that last Friday we had our first live streaming discussion with the NGIM Staff to explore some of these ideas.
Join us in praying for our upcoming live discussion this Friday on our Youtube channel 5pm PST/8pm EST.
You may also know that my dad throughout his life time preached fervently that the three biggest obstacles that Christians needed to attack intellectually were Relativism, Pluralism, and Agnosticism (See the video clip here). This is something he taught throughout his life, and especially in the 1970-1990’s. As a result, he influenced many lives for the better.
Yet I believe my dad was also influential in impacting so many lives not just because of what he taught, but also because of how he lived his life…with a “Christ first” mindset! This is something I AM THANKFUL HE MODELED FOR ME!
My dad understood clearly that it wasn’t just our persuasive words that changes people’s lives, but also how we live our lives in the midst of a watching world. As a result, he helped me to see that when we teach others the importance of giving a reason for the hope we have, we must also teach the importance of being a Christ first disciple! My dad was effective to the extent that he followed Jesus’ example.
Jesus modeled for all of us how we should live our lives and treat others. He taught us that we should turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:39). That means when others speak unkind words to me, I can still choose to be gracious by either keeping silent or saying some kind words in response. Living a Christ-first life also means at the very least, we should be more gracious in our response when someone post something unflattering about us.
But Jesus didn’t only teach us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek, He also taught us to go even further, and to actually “…pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44). I think about this sometimes. I think about who are my so called “enemies” and what should I be praying for them.
Jesus taught that what is most important is our character; being a certain kind of Christian, rather than even what we do for Christ (Matt. 5:3-11).
Living a Christ-first kind of life can have an even greater impact in our culture now during this pandemic. We need to remember that people don’t take notice that we are Christ followers when things are going well! People will take notice when things aren’t going so well – and yet we still live differently. People will take notice when we have joy in our heart and are gracious towards others even during the hard times.
People will take notice if we seek to consider others needs (Phil. 2:4), and don’t hoard all the hand sanitizers and toilet paper! As Christ followers we need to be going the extra mile to help others around us!
For me personally, I realize that it’s time for me to make certain changes. I need to take some time to analyze the sub-structures of my life, and looking for cracks and determine what I need to do to repair the damage, and to reorganize my priorities.
I know personally that means I need to make my family and not my job or my reputation my number one priority in life. I know for example that I should be praying for my wife and kids much more than I do. I am also convicted to make sure I am finding more creative ways to teach my kids biblical principles, in ways that will keep their attention and help lead to greater spiritual growth (Ps. 119:11)! I am also praying that God will give me a greater heart for reaching those I will never meet.
The bottom line is whether it involves our family, friends or even our enemies, we need to show others that we are Christ-first disciples, especially by our extravagant love! We need to examine our lives and determine some practical ways we might be able to impact our culture just by the way we live!
Once the all clear signal has been given to interact with people in person, what part can we as followers of Christ play in impacting our culture? What are we going to do differently and what do we need to change even now? What is it time for?
May I suggest that it is especially time to remind people that Christianity provides the only hope for mankind! The interesting thing about this truth is that I suspect that even some non-believers understand this. Let me illustrate this point from my own experience:
A number of years ago I participated on a religious panel discussion. I was the representative for Christianity, and there were others on the panel representing other religious perspectives. Now someone from the audience asked the most important question of the night. “How does your religion help mankind to stop hating others?” To my surprise, not one other panel discussion leader had an answer to that question.
So after a few moments of waiting to see what they would say, I said this: “The Bible teaches me that that same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to me to live a transformed life. So that I could be a better father to my children and be a better husband to my wife, and yes, so I could even love those I might naturally hate.”
Christianity provides the only hope for man’s basic struggles. Only God can change the human heart. I invite all of you who want to follow Christ to determine what are the most important things God is shouting out to you during this time.
Don’t you think that it’s time to put Christ first?
