Is It Changed (Jan. 2006)

Examine us today and what will you find? Search the Church. What do you see? Do you see a counter-culture? Do we see people that are living a radical lifestyle of devotion to Jesus Christ? Do we have pastors and teachers with burning hearts to see people saved, the broken healed, the unrighteous made righteous or the backsliders repentant? Are the pews filled with congregants hungry for the Word of the Lord and the power of His might? Are the pews even filled? Many churches have lawns filled with graves of saints and sinners that have gone on to eternity. Do the insides of our churches look like the outside? Is the Church nothing more than dead saints and sinners? The Church that I read about in the Word of God is a victorious entity that not even Hell itself can come against and prevail. It will be a group of people that live in power, holiness, righteousness and humility.

Does that look like you?

Does that look like me?

Do we even care?

Now look out into the world. Not to Africa, South America, Asia or Europe. Don’t look to Canada or Mexico or even the other states in our great union. Look at the world around you. Look at the people and places that you see or go to everyday of your life. Look at the world. Is it changed? Has your being here made a difference? Has the kingdom of Heaven advanced because you lived? Has God received the glory of repentant sinners because you opened your mouth and spoke? Has God received the glory of healed people because you obeyed and laid your hands on people and saw them recover?

Isn’t our Christianity more than just lip service? Isn’t Christianity more than a title? Shouldn’t our lives be different? Shouldn’t our lives reflect that difference? Shouldn’t our lives SCREAM that difference? Shouldn’t everything about us cause some sort of movement, shift, stirring or shaking int he world around us?

No matter how things should be, the largest portion of our music, art, clothing, and "culture" looks scarcely different than the world’s does. Do we think we will win this battle by all being spies? "Maybe if they don’t know we’re Christians we can sneak in and save them." In doing so, we have come to look little like Jesus and He is the only one who can save anyone.

D.L. Moody once stated, "What a difference in the men who go into battle intending to conquer if they can, and those who go into battle intending to conquer." We must know that we are more than conquerors in the fallen world that is a spiritual battlefield. He must also realize that if we intend to win, we have to actually be a part of the fight.

Let’s put down the useless things of the world. Let’s pick up our own crosses and follow Jesus. Let us run this race that has been set before us. And when we have we will be able to look back and ask, "Is it changed?" and we won’t have to say a word in our own defense. For the fruit of our labor will bear witness of itself.

"Father, may your kingdom come and your will be done in us. Would you fill your people with the fire of the holy spirit that we would be your witnesses. Would you cause us to love you and hate the things of this world. I ask that you would give us the grace to live abandoned lives to Jesus. Use us Lord to further your kingdom. Let us see souls saved as we speak your word in boldness. We want to bring you glory because you deserve it! We thank you for Jesus! Amen!"