It's the End of the World as We Know It

Well, the Blood Moon Eclipse has come and gone and we are all still here.

 

It's the End of the World as We Know It (R.E.M.) ran through my head this morning. I started thinking about what "The End of the World as We Know It" could mean and what the ramifications of it would be.

 

Obviously, if the Earth exploded, flew off into space, or catapulted into the sun, those of us who know Christ would find ourselves in heaven. Hmmm...I guess if something like that happens, Christ would come back and rapture us first, right? Never really thought about that before.

 

When Christ raptures the Church, the world as we know it will cease to exist.

 

If there is a zombie apocalypse, the world as we know it will cease to exist. (hee hee)

 

There are all sorts of scenarios that are discussed here and there. Most are interesting to ponder.

In reality though, God's Word tells us that Christ will return to rapture His Church and that no one knows when it will happen.

So.... I'm thinking about something that is probably as far-fetched as a zombie apocalypse.

 

What if all the Christians started living like Jesus?

 

I know...crazy right?

 

Just humor me...

 

What if every single born again believer in Jesus Christ started living like Jesus at, say... 2:00 tomorrow afternoon?

 

What if we stopped chasing the America Dream? What if we all sold our houses, cars, time shares, boats, golf carts and hunting camps and used all that money to feed the hungry and house the homeless? What if we canceled our country club memberships and gym memberships and stopped eating out 3 or 4 times a week so that we don't have to work so many hours and spent more time making disciples? What if we cashed in our IRAs and 401ks and our savings accounts and used that money to care for the widows and orphans? 

 

What if we stopped spending our Saturdays and Sundays and weeknights at the ball fields and spent that time making disciples? What if we spent that time sharing the love of Christ and the promise of salvation with...well, with people.

 

 What if we stopped making excuses for the sin in our own lives? What if we stopped spending so much effort making sure that "the world" knows how wrong they are? What if we saw every person as someone who needs Christ or someone who needs to be discipled?

 

What if we lived like we believe the Bible?

 

 What if "Sunday School Answers" were our REAL answers??

 

 What if we lived every moment of every day with only God's agenda on our agenda?

 

What if our ONLY goal was to make sure that EVERYONE we come in contact with knows the saving power of Jesus?

 

Jesus had a zero tolerance for sin, yet people gave up everything to follow him and traveled days just to be able to hear him teach. Jesus didn't have a praise band, a projector, a 3 point sermon, a children's ministry, a calendar of youth activities or a Sunday School program and people still followed him everywhere he went. He didn't spend time making sure that they understood how bad they were. (except for the religious leaders...he had to call them out) Jesus didn't make excuses for people's sin.  He simply told them to go and sin no more. Done. End of story. Move forward. No drama. No condemnation. Just go and sin no more. People loved him and wanted to be near him.

 

 What if we, as his church, lived like Him?

 

 I'm sure it would be the end of the world as we know it.

 

 Lord,

Many days my life looks no different than anyone else's. I know I can't live a perfect life like Jesus, but I DO want to live MORE like Him. Help me to do that. Show me the things in my life that make me look more like "the world" than like Jesus and help me to remove those things or change those things so that I look more like you.

Amen

 

First Day Of Fall!

What's Your Witness Worth?

Recently, I found this little gem in Paul’s letter to Titus…

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. Titus 2:7-8

See that? Read it one more time. It doesn’t say “scream and yell and protest so that you opponents will agree with you.” Paul tells us to show ourselves in all respects…to live in such a way that an opponent will be put to shame, having NOTHING evil to say about us. We are to live so that when people try to talk bad about us they realize they really have nothing to say.

As Christians, we know the things that God’s Word speaks against. The short list is found in Exodus 20 and includes “don’t murder, don’t steal, and don’t commit adultery.” There are others like “don’t gossip, don’t lie, don’t hate and don’t lust” that we don’t talk about as often … probably because most of us find them harder to obey.

There are still other things we must pay attention to; things not obviously wrong as murder.

For example, God’s Word does not say “Don’t have lunch alone with a co-worker of the opposite sex,” nor does it say, “Don’t have a glass of wine with dinner.” God’s Word does not speak specifically against lots of things. But just because we CAN do something doesn’t always mean we SHOULD.

Having lunch with a coworker certainly does not constitute adultery. Even so, it gives opportunity for someone seeing said lunch to potentially damage my witness by saying “You will NEVER believe who I saw having lunch together”. (We all know someone who loves to share such juicy tidbits)

Likewise, I can have a glass of wine when I’m out to dinner with friends.  One drink would hardly intoxicate me. Since my close friends are our church leaders, can you tell me how THAT scene would be described?  Not “I saw Kris and her friends at dinner last night.” Oh no, it would sound more like: “Oh my goodness, I saw Kris and the preacher and some of the Deacons and their wives out the other night and they were ALL DRINKING!”

(You laugh ‘cause you know it’s true.)

Is it unfair for someone to think the worst of me if they see me at lunch with a coworker or insinuate that my friends and I are heavy drinkers just because they see me drink a glass of wine? Absolutely!

Still, people are looking to us to show them proof that Jesus is still in the business of saving souls and changing lives and Satan will use whatever he can to make them believe that He is not. I believe that’s why we need reminders like Titus 2:7-8. I don’t know about you, but I make enough poor choices and mistakes for Satan to use against me without consciously choosing to do something that can tarnish my witness….even if God’s word doesn’t specifically speak against it. I want to live so that my opponents are put to shame, finding no evil in me.

So, when given the opportunity to do or say something that isn’t “wrong” but could be “questionable”, I ask myself…

“Is this worth my witness?”

Most times, it’s not.

 

Let’s Pray

Father God, 
Thank you for the change you have made in my life. I want to live so that others see Your love and of the hope found in following Jesus. Help me to remember that You have placed in my life who need to know You. Help me to remember the value of my witness and the power of my testimony and protect me from things that will tarnish either of them.  Help me to live in such a way that anyone who desires to speak ill of me will be put to shame.  Let my opponents find no evil in me…let them find Christ.

Amen