We are not called to fit in with society but to stand out. Are you playing it safe or taking a stand on issues that matter to God? There are so many people who just want to just live life, make their money, raise their kids etc… and stay in their little bubble but God commanded us to take the Gospel to the world!
We all want a safe life but we are not called to a safe life. Nothing significant ever came from a safe life and there is no safety in a significant life.
If you have a choice to make, you can either stand for God and risk being ridiculed or you can just do nothing and stay lukewarm! But what does the Bible say about being lukewarm?
Revelation 3:16 – So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
There is a huge problem with being lukewarm, the fact that it gives non-believers something to point to to say why bother being a Christian. When you stand up many non-Christians do at least respect that. I have heard many say they just wish their Christian friends would live what they preach but sadly many don’t.
By playing it safe, you actually cause others to not want to follow Christ. There are always people who are watching you. You are showing them an example of Christ whether you realize it or not. You may be their only example they see of what a Christian is supposed to be. The big question is what are you showing them?
I have talked with different people and most have said why should I become a Christian when everyone I know who says they are a Christian lives no differently than I do?
They have a really good point. Now I understand why it’s not really the right point but I do understand why they have this logic. Many Christians have sugarcoated the message so much that they don’t even realize they are living in Sin.
I see so many Christians who believe that what they are doing is ok even though the Bible says differently. One huge thing is we have a Christian culture that says God is ok with living together but when you read the Bible that just isn’t true. It preaches the opposite of that.
Some of the biggest gossipers are in church, really if you can believe that. Look out when you see several people talking and you hear the words can you believe (he or she)! That almost always ends up in talking about someone else in a negative way.
Or how people should dress in church? Really? Come on now, your job at church is to work on you not to be examining who wears what. That is between them and God. Maybe this person is starting to grow in Christ and he or she just hasn’t gotten there yet? You have no idea where their heart is.
Or maybe people see you looking down on others because of your education or status? Again, REALLY? This is pride at its extreme. I see this happen a lot. In fact I have been looked down at because I am only high school educated and some people with college educations including Christians look down on me for this.
As I tell people, just because you have a formal education doesn’t mean you are educated and just because you don’t have a formal education doesn’t mean you aren’t educated. I am educated in the places I need to be.
There was a new show that aired a while back and thank God it got cancelled called GCB. It was a show that shows all kinds of stereotypes of Christians and tries to make it in a funny way, many Christians actually watched this show and think it’s cute. Anything that downplays God and the Christian world is a sin against God PERIOD!
What are people doing out there? So many people are just living their lives and don’t care what our culture is doing. Many are even participating in these sins without even blinking an eye.
The message of God is being so watered down these days that you can’t even tell the difference between right and wrong. Right has become something to laugh at, wrong has become something to praise.
I hear so many people point to the pastors about the watered down message but they aren’t the full blame. It’s the person you look at in the mirror. We all can only be accountable to God. Yes, Pastors who sugarcoat messages should change their ways now because they are leading people astray but it is still up to you to do what you know is right in God’s eyes!
We can’t make others accountable to him. When we stand up and live in such a way that spreads God’s glorious message, people will take notice. When Christians start living the way Christians are supposed to, that is when we will see more non-Christians become Christians.
I read a lot of stuff and the biggest thing I see happening in our culture is a lot of the Christian world preaches to people then they in turn are doing exactly what they are preaching against!
Don’t live what you preach, preach what you live. Therefore live right so that you can preach right. You will take more people down with your closet sin than you will gain with your preaching!
It’s time for a new awaking in the Christian community! A new way of life. A way to change this world by changing ourselves first. If we are going to do anything significant for God we must get our own house in order.
Why would God grab you and have you change the world when you aren’t on your knees asking for his forgiveness of your sins? When you clear the way for your heart to be changed, you clear the way for God to be able to use you in a mighty way.
There are so many things I could add to this post but I know you get my point. We all including myself have to do more for God. We have to stand for what’s right while living in the right way. We are to change our hearts toward God so that when we talk with people, we can say I know what you are feeling, I have been there.
Our testimony is the most powerful thing we can share to help others see change. When they see us change they know they can too. It’s about reaching one hand to God and taking the other hand and reaching it down to someone else to lift them up.
Can we change everyone? NO and we don’t do the changing but we can share and talk to a few around us and tell our stories and by being the messenger of hope, we can deliver the message of God to them in a way that allows God to work in their lives.
Are you ready to make a difference? God is calling you now to do this! Ask God to change your heart so that your desires become his desires. Ask him to show you where he wants you and then GO! Show him that no more will you be on the sidelines but on the front lines taking his message to your world!
Be Inspired or Be Left Behind!
Chris Benton