...by Bobby Jackson
John 17:14
I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
I’ve heard this summarized as “in the world but not of it”. If there was an experience I needed to have, it was this week’s experience. I have struggled often with how to let people know about Jesus without seeming weird. I really want people to know what I think about and how I feel about Jesus, that I believe He is the hope of the world, that I’ve trusted Him as the Lord of my life, that I understand Him as a Father that loves me more than anyone ever could, but how to go about sharing that without being shut down by people that think I’m weird.
There are some that think we should create a subculture, the see no evil hear no evil, speak no evil mentality. I recently heard an advertisement for a cruise that is filled with Christian concerts. The promoter said that they had the whole ship to themselves, that they could enjoy Christian programming all day every day of the trip.
Now, I don’t think there is anything necessarily wrong with that event, but if that were the mentality of a church, we would have totally missed the point that Jesus came to seek and save those who were lost. The problem is not what is outside of that cruise back on dry land. The dry land needs to hear that great message.
We want to help people see who Jesus really is, to be salt, which is inherently attractive.
I’m not against the culture, I’m for something better. People blame the culture for every woe, but I’m part of the culture whether I like it or not. The solution is not to do away with culture (how could we do that anyway?), or to bury our heads and pretend we can live outside of reality, but rather, to help move the culture. How? I think Greg gave us some great application Sunday…
Don’t respond the way everyone else responds. Why do we have to act/respond to difficult times, or making fun of a neighbor or co-worker, or our spouse the same way everyone else does?
We’re about serving people, not building wealth. We’re not about stepping on others to get ahead. This needs to be seen because it is our relationship with Christ that compels us to act this way. In responding this way, we help people understand who Christ is. Not that we will always get it right, but even in that we act like a Christ follower in admitting it or repenting from it or making restitution for it.
In short, I’m thankful for a church that is known for what it is for rather than what it is against.
Colossians 4:5-6
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
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