Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
I love the scene in the movie version of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, when Lucy encounters the faun, Mr. Tumnus, he curiously asks, “What do you do with it?”
“You shake it,” Lucy replies, to which the faun exclaims, “Why?!”
In today’s global society these kinds of awkward moments are not so uncommon. When we bump into people whose customs, greetings, and language are unlike ours, we experience a flash of culture shock. Once while on a trip to West Africa, in spite of feeling welcomed and befriended by the warmth of the people there, my wife and I were keenly aware that we were different. We did not fit in and found ourselves longing for the familiarity of home.
Which makes me wonder… If we are “new creation” people - citizen of heaven whose real home is yet to come - why do we so often feel at home in this old world order? Why are our lives still in the grip of our fallen culture? Why are we so likely to lean toward greed and self-centeredness? Why does pride easily set up residence in our heart while Christ’s humility seems so foreign? It seems to me that we should feel a little more spiritual culture shock when we rub shoulders with the world!
The cultures of the heavenly and earthly kingdoms are mutually exclusive - totally incompatible. The apostle John states it bluntly: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). And yet it is surprising how vulnerable we are to the lure of this fallen world system.
Jesus gave His life to redesign us from inside out as His new creations. If we would get a handle on this reality, every time someone would walk from the dark, doomed, world, into our homes or our churches, they would get a refreshing glimpse of heaven. They would experience a taste of the new kingdom and the new creation - the presence of Jesus Himself - in our lives.
Go ahead - surprise someone with a taste of heavenly culture shock!
-Joe Stowell-
Responding - Do I resemble more of the heavenly kingdom or the earthly one?
Following - Don’t get too comfortable… this world is not your home!
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Read Isaiah 43:9-12 9 All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of them foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” 10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. 12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed — I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God.
When I first began to research the biblical history of captivity among God’s people, I kept running into a conspicuous common denominator: idolatry. I don’t know why it was such a news flash. God warned His people over and over that if they did not resist the false gods of the nations surrounding them they would be snared, and He would ultimately allow them to be taken captive. They didn’t and He did. One sobering aspect of the faithfulness of God is that He keeps His promises. The book of Isaiah constantly seems to plead the question, “Why in the world would you worship idols when you were chosen by the sovereign God to be His own?” (See Isaiah 43:10-12).
As believers in Christ, you and I also have been chosen to know, believe and understand that He is God. Our lives have been sanctified by the one true God. Heaven is His throne. Earth is His footstool. Awesome creatures never cease to sing, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!” Lighting flashes from His Throne. The winds do His bidding. The clouds are His chariot. The earth trembles at the sound of His voice. When He stands to His feet, His enemies are scattered. He is transcendent over all things. Absolute. Uncontested. Omniscient. The Lord God omnipotent reigns. He is God and there is no other. And yet this very One is our Father. He demands, deserves, our respect.
Virtually every kind of stronghold, or unholy fortress of sin, involves the worship of an idol. For example, the stronghold of pride is associated with the worship of self. The stronghold of addiction is associated with the worship of a substance or habit. In one way or another, something else has become “god” in our lives, the object of our chief focus. Until we turn from our idols to the one true God, we will never find liberty, for “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
As long as our minds rehearse the strength of our stronghold more than the strength of our God, we will be impotent. We must believe that in our weakness He is strong, and that as we bend the knee to His lordship, God is more than able to deliver us.
-Beth Moore-
Responding - Am I serving someone or something other than God? What is my idol?
Following - Turn from idols to the one true God.
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Read Matthew 5:10-16 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
There’s truth to the saying “opposites attract.” And while our “oppositeness” can create tension - being different also has the potential to make an incredible impact.
When Jesus introduced His followers to the concept of being salt and light, He knew that being different would create tension, but it was the key to making a difference.
Early Christians knew what this was all about. They were misunderstood and maligned in many ways because they were committed to Jesus. So how is it that these early Christians, many who were mere peasants with no political leverage, would one day convince the Emperor Constantine to declare Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire? It was the power of salt and light of their lives.
In ancient times, salt was a valuable commodity. It added flavor to food, and preserved meat. As there was no electricit, oil lamps were essential for light.
Historical scholars believe that, among other dynamics, it was the Christians’ acts of compassion over the course of time that eventually transformed Roman society. The Romans had legalized “death by exposure,” in which an unwanted baby could be left in a garbage dump to die. Christians were known to rescue these abandoned children. When serve plagues ravaged the empire, townspeople fled to the mountains leaving behind members of their own family who were dying. It was the Christians who risked their lives to stay in the villages and minister to the victims. Their good works made a recognizable difference as they preserved precious lives and shone the light of Jesus’ love i the darkest places.
As we face the tension of living for Jesus in our post-modern society, think of the incredible contribution we can make with our oppositeness - acts of love instead of self-centeredness, integrity amid an often-dishonest world, and generosity in the face of greed.
Fill the salt-shaker and dust off your old lamp… it’s time to attract others to the difference of Jesus today!
-Joe Stowell-
Responding - Be intentional - pray for an opportunity to contribute the difference of Jesus to someone today.
Following - In spite of tension, it’s the difference that makes a difference!
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Read Ephesians 4:25-32 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
God pays attentions to how we treat each other. Moses could have written a book on how to cope with critical people. As the Exodus leader of the masses out of Egypt, Moses endured far more criticism than he deserved. In Numbers 14, we read how God condemned people to die in the wilderness because of their incessant murmuring. When Moses’ own family picked up the sour song. God came to Moses’ defense. To Miriam and Aaron, He said, “Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed” (Numbers 12:7-9).
In other words, who do you think you are to raise your voice in criticism against Moses?
Notice God’s deep feelings. He didn’t wait for explanation, and they didn’t wait long for the consequences (Numbers 12). Obviously, we want to soften the judgment and call criticism a weakness or a bad habit. Criticism is both, but God also calls it a sin.
Listen up - if you have a critical attitude, it is also hindering your fellowship with God. If your spiritual life is like a wilderness - dry, dead, cheerless, and joyless - maybe it’s because you’ve allowed a critical attitude toward a person or a group of people to sour your life. It’s a choice that not only injures your relationship with that person, but also with God. When God says, “Don’t criticize,” it’s not because He is trying to deprive us of some satisfactory experience. He is saying, “That goes against the nature of who I have made you to be.” Fish were made to swim, birds to fly, people to live in fellowship with God. When we sin, we break our fellowship with God. We hinder our human happiness, and life becomes like a wilderness.
-James MacDonald-
Responding - Am I exhibiting a critical attitude? Toward whom? How is that attitude affecting my fellowship with God?
Following - A critical attitude breaks our fellowship with God.
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Read 2 Samuel 24:16-17 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family.”
I have a friend who heads a Christian organization that has gone through some very difficult times lately. Some of his staff made some poor decisions that led to the crisis that they are experiencing. But my friend refuses to place the blame on anyone except himself. I deeply respect him because, as the leader, he owns up to the responsibility of that position.
Leadership is not about status and position. It’s all about responsibility. Everybody wants to be in charge until there is a mess to be cleaned up. We might say, “Hey, I want the job. Why? I’ll get invitation to do this; my name will be mentioned here. I’m the one touted as being most significant to the running of this whole thing.” Everyone wants the job until there is a major mess to be cleaned up. Then all of a sudden no matter who caused the mess we point to the leader and say, “He’s the guy who is in charge.” Rightly so because in a very practical sense it comes down to this - a leader’s mettle is that person’s ability to take the heat.
That’s why I’m drawn to 2 Samuel 24:17. David was a true leader. David blew it. He made a mistake. He did something wrong and the people were paying for it. David stepped in and said, “I’m not looking for someone to take the heat. I did it. I’m responsible.” Those are refreshing words these days. Nobody wants to own the responsibility but we all want to take the credit. For good or bad what a leader does affects the well-being of his followers. We have to be willing to accept the blessings and the burdens. In other words we need to take responsibility and to own what belongs to that position. That’s why a person should never be given a position of leadership until there has been proven character.
Don’t allow others to pay for what you have done. You have been placed in leadership because you are responsible. Take the responsibility.
-Crawford W. Loritts-
Responding - Do I take responsibility for my mistakes or do I let others take the fall?
Following - Leadership is not about status and position but it’s all about resposibility.
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