I was sitting in Church yesterday when a week of conversations and messages came together in my head and gave me this revelation. The specifics are: a couple conversations about the media’s portrayal of Christians and how frustrating they are, Steven’s talk at IV on Matthew 5:17-20, and the continuing series of Habakkuk at Grace. It may sound a little angry so forgive me. I’m just kind of passionate about this kind of thing. So here is what I wrote…during church.
The struggle of the church is really not different today than thousands of years ago (as most people know). In Habakkuk the church had become permissive and promotive of sin. As God sent the Babylonians to punish and expose the faults of the church then, I feel as though God gave us the media to do the same for us today.
As Christians we complain about the media’s depiction of us. We demand and pray that they will stop and show who we really are. Part of my reasoning for going in film was to change just that, but what I have come to realize is that they are not the ones that need to change; we are.
If we really “practiced what we preached” and lived “Christ-like,” what would they have to criticize? We are depicted as hypocritical and judgmental and though most are not, the loud ones are. In soccer we have the saying, “whoever yells loudest gets the ball.” Those who are Christ-like need to become the loudest. Not with words, but with deeds. If we really believe that we are to live this calling, then we need to do it. It sounds like a tall order, but it is biblical.
I know it is harder than just saying all this and telling you, “okay. Now go do it.” So I will explain a few of the things in particular that I am talking about. We need to LOVE without conditions, FORGIVE the unforgiveable, stop being hypocrites, but most of all be HUMBLE. We are not above non-believers, we are set apart from them; big difference. God meets us where we are at and then challenges us to be more. We should be allowing God do this in us, but also through us. WE should be meeting people where they are at and challenging them to be more.
We need to stop calling for change and actually do it. It has been said, “Be the change you want to see.” As cliché as that is, it is also true. You want the world to know truth? Then start living it. The revolution starts with each of us.
