Love It, Leave It, or Transform It, Part II

If actions show what we believe, where do your actions show others what you believe?

Do your actions reveal an affection, a desire to be like the world? I mean, if someone were to compare you to the average Joe or Joleen, would they see much of a difference? Do you care more about what is happening in Hollywood or Washington more than in the lives of your neighbor? Do you read facebook and news releases more than your Bible?

Do your actions reveal someone who just wants to live and let live, barricade themselves in their little castle, and be left alone? You ignore cultural currents and don’t even care about trying to reach people? I mean, if they want to know about us, our ways, our beliefs, then they will approach me and ask. Otherwise, we won’t bother anyone.

Or, do you really want to live like Christ desires for us to live? Yesterday, we said this … 3. We can transform it. Ding Ding – we have a winner here. I truly believe we are to be impacting society, leaving a mark on culture. Be the salt, be the light. Don’t hide the light under a bushel … let it shine.

There are plenty of articles and sermons and podcasts out there on being salt and light in this world. I encourage you to dig into those. But today, it is more about the way of looking at this principle. When we try to transform the world in which we live, here are a few things to keep in mind …

• This is less about a ‘fix it’ mentality and more about a ‘focus’ mentality. If we can get people to focus on Christ, wow, what a difference that will make. If we see people how Christ sees people, how will that impact our views on immigration, race relations, charity?
• This is less about legislating morality and more about changing hearts. I do believe we are to be involved in the legal and governmental process, but laws never changed lives for eternity. Only God’s work in the lives of individuals brings about redemption, restoration, reconciliation, and more.
• This is less about giving people what they want, or what we think they should want, and more about giving people what they need. Our actions are not to be meeting felt needs, but to point people to the love and power of the cross. The Bible warned about preaching to itching ears.
• This is less about what we are against and more about what we are for. I am for sanctity and preciousness of every human life, the sacredness of the marriage bed, the importance of families, the Biblical view marriage, the universal need of every person to know Christ, and more. And we don’t push people to these views, we pull them along with us as we continue to grow in Christlikeness.
• And finally, it is less about isolating ourselves and more about infiltrating our world. We are to be in the world, not of it. We are to let our light shine, out in the open, not hiding it under a cover.

Tomorrow, the third and final installment of this thread will look at some ways we can impact our world. Join us.

See part I here.