The world we live in is constantly changing, some changes have been good others not so good. Communication by email, cell phones, travel, and our day to day living have vastly improved, but what has been the cost? We no longer know how to relate to one another. We have gotten comfortable addressing one another through social media and other indirect ways rather than being civil and talking out our differences.
Unfortunately, at times, those same attitudes seem to have crept into the church. We have let other factors define our identity.We are not to be defined by our racial, ethnic, social, political, or even sexual identity. But each individual is of value and worth because they are created in the image of God and for that reason and that alone each has value and worth.
Gen 1;1 “Let us Make Man In our image…”
In light of scripture and what we know about “the last days” in 2 Timothy 3:1-7
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.”
It is the mission of all who believe in Christ and the churches we attend to be witnesses of the transforming power that is available. Those of us who are Christian are suppose to show love, compassion, sympathy and even empathy towards our fellow man. If it starts with us maybe it will impact those around us. The issue we face is how to stand for that which is true and right and not be offensive knowing that truth is offensive by its very nature.
One of my favorite movies is “A Few Good Men.” There is dialogue between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson.
After trying to get Nicholson’s character to admit to wrong, Cruise’s character gets him to say, “ You want the truth you can’t handle the truth.” No truer words have been spoken for most of us. We have a difficult time handling truth, especially God’s truth.
Most of the people we interact with are good people who like most everybody else want to take care of family and loved ones, a good job, health and strength. In this sense we are more alike than we different. But as we finish out the rest of this year we know life returns to normal.
With the fall season coming soon we have the return to our normal routines. School has started and that means getting kids up and out, bus or car rides to and from school, juggling schedules, the beginning of high school, college, and NFL football. We anticipate and expect success of our favorite teams. Halloween has replaced some traditional holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. How this happened shows a shift in our values. Are we supposed to be upset and put down those who may not think and believe as we do? I don’t think so. Maybe we need to win them over by loving them as Christ has done to us.
Matthew 22:37-39
and he said to him, “ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
“This the great and first commandment”
“and a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
One such change is how we do minister in the church? We need to rethink how we reach a world that needs to hear the “Good news” of the Gospel. The church seems to be comfortable in its own safe buildings, with its immediate circle of people, places and events. God has called us to evangelize the “whosoever will’s” to let them know, salvation is in Him.
If people of this world want to live a better life, the answer is not in this world but in the person of Jesus Christ. The transforming power of God, His Son Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, can alter the heart, mind and soul of anyone to live the life that God intended for us to live.
Byron McGee is the pastor at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Wilmington.
