Ok I’ll admit it; I’m a Tebow fan.  Yup, despite all the hype, I’m in.  Is he the best quarterback in the league?  Probably not.  Is he good enough to even be in the league at all?   Some of his fans say yes even though they don’t know a thing about the game.  On the other hand some of his critics say no even though Tim is better than other quarterbacks already in the NFL.  If I had my pick, I’d trade him off to Dallas instead of NY.  Then my favorite team would now have my favorite QB. Sorry Romo; nothing personal.  Just business you know.  But with the huge divergence in opinions on the guy, it would seem that there’s more to the story than just football.  Even if he’s not that good now, he’s still early on in his game with time to improve.  So why the fuss?  The answer is obvious; he’s an “outspoken” Christ follower. Yes, there are other Christians in the NFL.  But Tim seems to have taken the spotlight because of his starting in the 6^th game of the 2011 season for the Broncos and winning while still living for and speaking out for Christ in a public way.  That’s the rub that people don’t know how to handle.  People ponder about how outspoken a Christian should live today.  Some believe he ought to just keep it to himself as this is a “private” matter.  Unfortunately those who believe and teach such things really don’t understand the essence of being a disciple of Christ at all.  Actually, the actions and spoken message of Tim really illustrates for us the second part in this study of Ancient Evangelism. 

Lifestyle evangelism is a big deal these days.  But while it’s true that your life must have a positive influence on the culture, the overwhelming picture in the book of Acts was the spoken word and not merely actions.  Referring to this ancient evangelism, the theologian Michael Green noted that, “Christianity is enshrined in the life, but it is proclaimed by the lips.  If there is a failure in either respect the gospel cannot be communicated.”  In other words, no matter how noble our lives may be, the saving message of Christ cannot be known by the lost unless we speak up and out. This imperative call is first seen in Acts 4:20 where Peter and John state before the Sanhedrin that they “cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”  They were moved by what they had witnessed in Christ and thus were compelled to speak.  But what was it that they “spoke”?  Glad you asked.  Grab some java or a diet coke and let’s look at a few of the foundational truths that must be spoken to effectively proclaim the message.

1. The first and foremost subject of evangelism is the person of Jesus Christ.  While speaking to the Ethiopian in Acts 8:35; it was the good news about Jesus that Philip taught.  The focus was on who Christ is and therefore what he was able to do for the lost souls of women and men.  It’s interesting today that we can almost always get away with talking about “God’s love” in general, but once we bring up the name of Jesus pressure can begin to mount.  I saw this up front the last time I was asked to give prayer for a city council meeting back in California.  I closed my prayer then just like I always do; in the name of Jesus.  I was not making a scene.  I was just doing what I naturally do.  But I was never asked back.  Some may take offense at the name, but without Christ as the central focus, we are not proclaiming the message, but a placebo.

2.  In all his teaching, Peter always included the death and resurrection.  Note Acts 10:39-40.  The death and resurrection are crucial to the message.  Because of the death of Christ we can know there has been a perfect sacrifice for our sin.  Because Jesus rose from the dead, we can trust His claims to deity and that the Father has accepted His sacrifice.

3. Following the proclamation, the message always included a deliberate plea for the hearers to respond positively to what was presented.  With the ancients, simply hearing the message and then casually discussing the highlights was not considered a healthy conclusion.  Rather, the New Testament illustrates at least three areas of response called for from those who heard the message.

• Paul exhorted the Philippian jailer to “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.”
• Beyond mere intellectual assent, the message called for the believer to turn from his old life in repentance.  In Acts 2:38, the believing Jews were told to “repent and be baptized.”  In 3:19 the audience was called to “repent and turn to God” while in chapter 11 verse 21 states that a “great number of people believed and turned to God.”  
• In the book of Acts, each of these occasions of turning to Christ was immediately followed by being baptized.  For the ancient Christians, there was no hesitation between a hearer accepting of Christ and his being immersed.  In fact Herbert Kane states that it “was not until the post-apostolic period when the church was beginning to substitute ecclesiastical power for spiritual power, that candidates for baptism were required to undergo a period of probation and instruction.”

I suppose the best way to emphasis the necessity of proclaiming the message of Jesus is to look directly at his own words.  Matthew 28:19 and following record some of the best words of Christ on this commission.  Jesus said, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”

Remaining in the book of Acts, Jesus said to the first Christ followers that they would be his “witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  That is exactly what the apostles and first followers of Christ did.  Because of their faith, the message of Christ has come all the way down to us today.  They took Jesus and his message seriously and changed the world.  For us today, when we “proclaim the message” we are indeed following in the steps of Ancient Evangelism. 

The thing is; you don’t have to be a star quarterback to speak up for Christ.  You just have to be yourself and speak.  A great picture of this is seen in Acts 11:20 where we find average Hebrew Christians who “began to speak to Greeks also.”  They weren’t star athletes.  They were just everyday people like us.  But maybe Tim can be an encouragement to all of us to take up the torch wherever we’re at.  Who is it in your sphere of influence or friendships that have not yet heard the full message of Christ?  Who is it that you could share the story with today?  You might be surprised at who will be receptive when you’re sharing as a friend.  Who knows, you might even be the one who throws the pass they need in order to find the love of Christ.  So, take a deep breath, say a quick prayer, and then jump up off the bench and share the message with a friend today.  Then write me a note and share how it went.

“Lighten up; it’s only a book!”  Have you ever heard that about the Bible?  Have you ever thought that about the Bible?  For me, I’ve actually based my whole world view on the Bible.  Why?  Because I have an assurance that “All scripture is God- breathed” and therefore I set eternity and all that I do and teach on that truth.  I know that everyone doesn’t agree with this.  A lot of folks question the validity of scripture and speculate whether it can be trusted or not.  Many people suggest that “because the Bible was written such a long time ago and was translated so many times” that it just can’t be reliable for us today.  If that is true, then the Bible rightly should be questioned.  But there are many good reasons to trust the authenticity of the Bible and its inspiration by God.  Below I’ve posted a summary list a friend and I put together which offers 8 major proofs for the authenticity of the Bible.  What else would you add?  How does this affect your view of scripture?  How does this affect your view of God and His Kingdom?  How does it affect the way you do life today?

 1. Fulfilled Prophecy.  There are thousands of prophecies that were made in the Bible centuries before their detailed fulfillment.  There are more than 300 concerning Jesus Christ.  Only God can accurately foretell the future.

2. Unity of the Bible.  The Bible is a collection of 66 individual books that were written over a period of 1600 years, in three different languages, on three different continents, by numerous men, most of whom did not know each other.  Yet there is complete unity and harmony from beginning to end.

3. Historical Accuracy.  Although the Bible gives countless thousands of historical facts, it contains no historical errors.  Such perfection could not even be approached in a mere man-made historical record.

4. Archaeological Confirmation.  Hundreds of Bible facts have been substantiated by the science of archeology.  In every case where archaeology and the Bible have come together, the Bible has been confirmed without exception.

5. Reliability of Scriptures.  From the New Testament alone there are 5,366 manuscripts to draw from, with many of those being from the second century.  That figure does not include additional fragments and other random portions.  That is compared to only 643 copies of Homer’s Iliad, which is the most famous book in ancient Greece.  There are only 10 copies of Caesar’s Gallic Wars and no one in the ‘educated’ world questions those, even though the earliest copies we have date 1000 years after the event.  By contrast, we have some sections of the New Testament that were written within 70 years of the original events. The John Ryland’s fragment is a perfect example of this reality.

6. Preservation of Scripture.  Although unbelievers have attacked the Bible throughout its existence, they have been unable to discredit it.  Although it has been legally banned by civil governments, it has been preserved and remains the world’s bestselling book.  Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” (Mark 13:31)

7. Influence in the World.  The transformed lives of millions of Christians is an irrefutable argument for the Bible being from God.

8. Testimony of Jesus Christ.  The Son of God who died for our sin and rose again from the dead, repeatedly quoted the Scriptures with authority and attributed them to His Father.

Yesterday, (Valentine’s day) a great pastor left us for Heaven.  His name was Dr. Glen Cole and he was the founder of Capital Christian Center in the Sacramento area.  He kind of “retired” but was asked to preach one Sunday for a formerly large church struggling to survive.  Well, one Sunday turned into a multi-year ministry.  He was found out in front of the church building Valentine’s morning.  He was there to go to work; but God had other plans.

Do you plan to “retire”?  Not that there’s anything wrong with that I guess.  But show me that in the Bible.  Seems to me that God’s greats were always furthering along His plans until the end.  Moses.  David.  Jesus.  Paul.

I think of another great man of God, William Jessup, founder of the university that bears his name.  He kind of retired, slowed down.  But he still spoke at senior’s events.  He still visited others, and ministered wherever he could.  He graduated to heaven on a Sunday night when His son, Bryce Jessup, his grand-son, Jim Jessup, were all  to speak at a church of multiple generations serving God.  Bill spoke.  Then sat down and died.  He died with his boots on!

I want to be vital in old age.  I want to continue to serve the Lord.  Maybe, I will be “free” to do more of the things that God has called me to—in my case, training pastors internationally.  I want to finish well.  I want to keep going.  I want to die with my boots on.

How about you?

Tom

Tikhon 1865-1925

I was thinking about politics again this morning.  Not to worry though, I’m not planning to announce my candidacy or anything like that.   Rather, my political bemoaning really had more to do with a cultural concern than a particular platform.  At the heart of my frustration was a feel that a whole lot of folks are more concerned about gold than good.  Indeed, self-security, self-preservation, and self-glory have become the master.  The truth is that the US Presidential election will more than likely be decided by what the economy is doing around August or September above anything else.  If the jobs are up, then there is a good chance President Obama will be in the Oval Office for a second term.  If the employment and economy stinks, then the Republican nominee will probably be in.  Yes, the economy is important.  But my sadness comes from the sense that apparently money is the central theme for most Americans.  Example; while many Americans like me are pro-life when it comes to the issue of abortion, some of them will rather vote simply based on who gets more jobs rolling in the country than who stands for what is right.  Honestly, I have to say to my lefty friends that the same is probably true for them as well.  Whatever their particular social sacred cow is, it will probably be trumped by the economy.  In thinking about this present culture, I just wondered when was the last time we had a Statesman or anyone who actually stood for the things he or she believed in no matter what the cost.  So somewhere in my mental malaise this morning I remembered my time in Russia and reading about one of the great Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church of the early 20^th century.  His name was Tikhon and the words from this past saint that came to mind were; “At one time we had wooden churches and golden men. Now we have golden churches and wooden men.” I remembered that quote and thought it was so appropriate for today.  I’m sure a lot of people would agree with that assessment when it comes to politics and business.  But the more I chewed on it the more I felt a need to apply it to the CHURCH and myself as well.  In my role as a visionary evangelist and pastor, I’ve seen this played out in a number of ways.  Sometimes we have a tendency in the CHURCH to glorify the big and “successful” while we quietly ignore those who don’t show up on the Christianity Today radar screen very much.  Yes, I’m just as guilty as the next guy.  But when you think about the Kingdom of God, the greatest guys and gals are the ones who duke it out in the trenches everyday without anyone noticing.  These are the real golden people who will probably never be asked to speak at a convention or be honored with a great award.  These are the type of people that Tikhon was longing for those years ago.  These are the type of people we need today. 

So, when it comes to politics, I want to ask; “where are the true men of God who will rise up no matter what the cost might be to their public popularity?”  When it comes to the Kingdom, I’m asking; “where are the saints who will follow Christ and serve as He did even if no one ever sees it on this side of eternity?”

PS for reference:  “These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  (1 Peter 1:7)

Have you seen this clip?  It was made a couple of years ago.  But I came across it again the other day while researching a church planting organization.  Though the clip is not new, I believe it’s worth checking out again.  Jeff Maguire did a fun job describing the authentic Kingdom life which he refers to as Missional living.  The point being that authentic Christ followers are all called to live out the Kingdom of God in their own daily lives.  Sharing the message and love of Christ is the call of every Christian and not merely the domain of the decorated.  Remember, the CHURCH is not a building; but the people.  So whatever your niche in the Kingdom, be sure to be “missional” about it today.  Enjoy and implement!

Are you ready for 2012?  I sure am.  This year New Year’s Day actually falls on a Sunday and we will indeed be meeting at The Crossings.  The plan is to just have one service at 11:00.  The main text that we will be looking at is Psalm 90:12 where Moses prayed; “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  That is a challenging text in many ways.  When we take stock of our potential life span and realize we only have so many days allotted to us, we begin to rethink things more seriously. I suppose it’s kind of like when my kids were younger and a couple of older men told me to enjoy these years because they would be gone before I knew it.  I didn’t believe it then, but I can really relate to that now because my oldest will be graduating from High School in 2 and a half years.  Where did the time go?  In truth, all of us have a short amount of time on this earth.  The question is how are we going to spend that time.  To help us get further along with that road, I’ve listed three challenges below. What else would you add?

1. CLOSE 2011.  For some of us, 2011 was not our best year.  Maybe we made some big mistakes or even committed blatant sins against God and others.  Maybe we have experienced some huge heart aches.  But the thrilling thing of a new year is the promise a fresh start.  If that is your case, then a good idea may be to actually list the mistakes and pains on paper and then burn it after it’s been taken to God. Was there sin?  Then repent and ask for forgiveness. Pain?  Then give that to God, ask for healing, and then bury it and go forward.  For others, 2011 was a great year.  2011 may have been a huge blessing with many victories.  If that was your case, then celebrate them and give God the praise for it, but don’t stop there.  The condition of many folks and churches is that they are still living in the victories of yesterday while the world goes on without them.  We should celebrate our 2011 victories.  We should build on our 2011 victories.  But if we stay there and camp out on them, we will then become stagnant and cease to grow.  In short, the best way to begin 2012 is to finalize 2011.  In Philippians, Paul noted that he was “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is head, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for what God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  In business, the books will soon be closed on 2011.  Let’s do the same in our lives.

2. GROW in 2012.  We understand this with young children.  We feed them, cloth them, educate them, and then expect that they will grow.  However, this principle of growth with our spirits and our minds somehow gets lost as we grow older.  The challenge here is to grow in such a way that when 2013 rolls around we can honestly say that we are different than what we were a year ago.  For growth in 2012, I would encourage everyone to read through the Bible this year.  There are many bible reading schedules you can choose from.  My favorite one is from Good News Publishers.  With this program, you read from the Old Testament in the morning and then the New Testament in the evening.  Now you might be tempted to say that you don’t have time to do this.  But when you think about it; we all have time to do what we really want to do.  Though we may have to give up some time in front of the TV or other activities, I can 100% guarantee you that reading through the Bible in 2012 will definitely change you.  In addition to the Bible, I want to challenge everyone to pick up a book or two written by someone who has gone ahead of you in the journey.  Two books I would recommend would be Radical by David Platt and Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  Are there other books you would recommend?  If we all planted a seed in the ground this year we would expect some kind of growth by next December.  In the same way, we can plant spiritually and likewise expect growth.

3.  SERVE in 2012.  In the West and particularly in America we live in very self-absorbed societies.  Living a life of service is actually somewhat countercultural, but the very kind of life Christ followers are called to live.  One of the great things about being a Kingdom citizen is that we are all part of the game.  God does not call any of us to be bench warmers.  We are all equal in the site of God, but have different gifts and abilities.  The challenge here is to serve those around you in whatever means are possible for you.  One of the mottos we will be picking up this year at the Crossings is: “Every Person to their Post.”  Sometimes in the West we expect the preachers, pastors, ministers, or other “Professional Clergy” to do all the ‘religious’ stuff.  But that concept is very foreign to Biblical teaching.  The Bible refers to all of us as a “Priesthood” of believers.  We are all called to engage the world around us with the love of Christ.  So let me encourage you to take a step of faith this year.  Let me encourage you to tell someone the true story of Christ.  Let me encourage everyone to look around and find some way to plug in to help others around them.  Jesus Christ himself said that he “did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.”

“Teach us to number our days aright!”  Wow, imagine for a moment that you only had this next year to live. How would you live differently?  Just imagine how life could be different for you, those around you, and for the world as a whole if we really lived with an eternal perspective.  Are you ready to step out in faith this year?  Are you ready for 2012?  I hope so because it’s here.  So let’s take 2012 by the horns and see what we and God will do with it.

My boys love this clip and have begged me to show it at The Crossings.  Verdict is still out on that one.  But it is kind of funny and I love its point.  We live in a society today where saying “Merry Christmas” is becoming more and more “Politically Incorrect.”  But as I’ve done the past two Sundays; I want to encourage everyone to step up and say it anyway no matter where you’re at.  Could you offend someone?  Maybe.  But it also just might encourage someone.  Who knows, you might even be able to plant a seed of the real reason for the season and thus open the door to the truth that “God so loved the world that he GAVE his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  So I suppose it’s kind of like the old Nike challenge . . . “Just Say it!”

Recently I spent some time with Malcolm X.  Well, not really because he’s dead.  But I did watch a movie about him which I found very interesting.  In fact, I believe there are some pointers that Christ followers can learn from his life experience.  Malcolm Little was an African American man who came to Islam while in prison from 1946 to 1952.  Once leaving prison, Malcolm eventually rose to become a national speaker for the Nation of Islam.  He eventually left that group in 1964 shortly before he was assassinated. 

Now don’t get me wrong.  Obviously I’m not supporting the Nation of Islam.  I am in no way agreeing with Islam in general.  Islam is a false religion and Mohamed was a false prophet. That statement does not mean that I hate Muslims, but is rather an assessment of the facts.  I am not endorsing the methodology Malcolm advocated through most of his public life.  But I am suggesting that we can learn a thing or two from the way the Nation of Islam influenced his life, and see an illustrative picture of how the true nature of the Kingdom of Heaven should be lived out today.  These are principles which many Christians in the West desperately need to eternalize today.  So I’ve listed five quick observations below to begin with.  Anything you would add?

1. Malcolm believed, truly believed and read the Koran as being the word of “Allah.” To him the Koran was not just an intellectual book to ponder, but rather the direct word that came from God and thus should be believed and practiced as such.  For Christians, we have hundreds of proofs for the authenticity of the Bible.  Our problem in the West is not evidence, but conviction.  When people criticize the Bible, it is not from having checked the evidence and found it wanting, but rather a fear of having to come under the authority of the Bible.  We can have certainty in the Bible, but often in West we take it for granted.  Today there are people in places like China who risk their very lives for a copy of the Bible or even a portion of it.  The Bible is real.  So the challenge for Kingdom Citizens today is what I’ve said in many sermons, “we must read and heed the word of God.”

2. Malcolm was lost and found his identity in the Nation of Islam.  The significance to the “X” following his name goes back to the fact that many slaves who were brought to America were forced to take on their masters’ last name.  Thus their true tribal last name and ultimately their identity were lost.  The connection with the X was simply that Malcolm was rejecting his American last name.  In the “X” he was creating a new identity.  For followers of Christ, we can remember that Jesus came that we might have “life to the fullest.”  One of the hopes of authentic Christianity is that our true identity is found in Christ which is greater than whatever name appears on our birth certificate.  We can have confidence in knowing that we are children of God.

3. The Nation of Islam brought Malcolm into a larger picture and brotherhood.  In Islam, Malcolm was no longer an island unto his own scratching for his own needs.  He was now part of something bigger.  For the Christ follower, we can know that we are indeed part of something greater than even what Malcolm could have ever imagined.  The Kingdom of God stretches across time from the resurrection of Christ to today.  The Kingdom of Heaven exists all across the globe defying national boundary lines.  That’s why I can travel anywhere on the face of the earth and be in unity with people of different races, cultures, and tongues.  While authentic Christians are lovers of all mankind, our true brotherhood is found in Christ first.  As an American citizen, I pay my taxes and obey the laws of the land, but my highest allegiance is to Christ and His eternal Kingdom.

4. As noted, it was in prison that Malcolm came to Islam.  The reason why he was sent up the river in the first place was due to his crime and loose living.  But when he witnessed the higher moral character of Muslims, something inside him was drawn to the power of order and discipline that he had been unable to secure in his former life.  The Bible tells us that we are to be “Holy, because He is Holy.”  The point there is not working for salvation.  The point is not another moral code.  Rather we are saved by God’s grace and we are free in Christ from the curse of the written law.  But in the Kingdom of God, we should be driven by the Law of Christ within our hearts.  When we truly love Christ, we live for Him.  It is so easy to be loose in America today.  The sad reality is that sometimes Christians live in such a way that society notices no difference between them and those who don’t know Jesus.  As Kingdom Citizens however, we are called to live a higher standard.

5. Malcolm lived his life with purpose.  Unlike some leaders in the Nation of Islam, Malcolm apparently didn’t make a ton of money off folks.  He was not driven by the buck, but by an inner purpose.  I thought this one was huge.  We were all created with and for a purpose.  It was not God’s desire that we merely exist, but live for a reason.  God created all of us for something greater than just passing our days for an elusive retirement.  There is reason and purpose for our being.  A new slogan that I’m developing states “Every Person to their Post.”  In other words, in Christ we all have a position in the Kingdom of Heaven to be worked out.  For that reason, we can no longer sit on the sidelines watching the experts “do church.” We all have a job and the Kingdom is waiting on us.

In conclusion, Malcolm Little was a lost young man in search of meaning.  At a point of desperation and openness, someone from the Nation of Islam picked him up and he found purpose in Allah and a new identity in Malcolm X.  Unfortunately this great man was led astray by a lie and his ultimate potential was never realized.  After I watched the film last week I wondered how things might have been different if a Christian man had reached out to Malcolm in his hour of need instead of a Muslim.  I wondered how America and the world might have been different if Malcolm X had experienced the true power of the Resurrected Jesus Christ.  How different things might have been.  But what about our future?  I wonder how life today and tomorrow might be different when true Christ followers live for Jesus and His Kingdom with the same devotion that Malcolm did for what he thought to be true.  I wonder how many other Malcolms are out there who might be transformed when we all reach out with the love of Christ as he called us to.

I just read a great article in the Wall Street Journal about how divorce in America has affected Generation X folks.  It was a well written piece and thought provoking.  But like most media today, it said little about God and His design.  So I posted a comment to the article online and have pasted it below.  Enjoy and feel free to chime in here or at the WSJ site itself.

I was born in 69 and having gone through more than one divorce as a kid and a number of men coming in and out of my life, I really resonated with the article.  I was there and I get it.  Thanks and good article Susan.  I know the pain that so many people my age have experienced and have likewise heavily invested in trying to have the “perfect” marriage.  But maybe a different slant in my marriage has been that of a Biblical foundation that is often foreign these days.  In other words, we have tried to base our marriage not so much even on the kids as that of God’s design for marriage.  Divorce has never even entered our minds.  The reason for that hard stand has not actually been for the kids, but because we made a commitment to God first, and each other second.  All this is not to say that we’ve done everything right.  We’ve both REALLY blown it at times.  We have been furious with each other and really hurt each other at times.  But because we’ve made God the focal point of our lives, we just celebrated 20 years of marriage this past June and are already looking forward to year 25 and so on.  All that to say; I wonder why folks don’t at least consider the whole God and marriage thing.  I’m not talking about mere words in a ceremony, but the reality of divinity and HIS plan for life.  Even looking back into the past, it appears that children may not have actually been the major focus, but rather a sense of “marriage is marriage.”  It was a divine institution and once you got in, you were in; no questions asked.  For us, since divorce is not an option, we have been forced to just grow up, make sacrifices, and work things out. Then in time, what we’ve found out is that by actually putting God and the other person first, positive change comes.  So I suppose in conclusion, it seems like the whole “God and Marriage” thing worked for generations of yesteryear so why are we so afraid as a society to look into that option again?  When you think about it, it couldn’t hurt.

Ouch!  Sometimes when I think about the lives of the first disciples of Jesus I feel a big sense of conviction.  By looking through the lens of history and observing those early Christians it’s easy to notice that there was something radically different about them.  The truth is that they had a deliberate conversion from the old life which is often lacking in our day.  I wonder at times if we haven’t gotten a bit soft and sleepy in the 21^st century west and are no longer able to show any difference between us and the world around us.  By this I don’t mean we need to act weird and pick up man made traditions like the Amish.  But sometimes we forget that we as authentic followers of Christ are part of a greater Kingdom and therefore are called to a new way of life.  The first followers of Christ seemed to get that.   A dramatic illustration of this is found in Acts 19:18-19 where believers burned their sorcery scrolls which amounted to an enormous financial sacrifice.  They took their commitment to Christ seriously and therefore the faith spread.  They were so serious, that they were willing to make huge economic sacrifices in order to live a holy life. The life of those first Christ followers was a completely radical call contrasted to the world of non-believers.  Describing these early Christians, a Greek physician of the day named Galen stated that, “They include not only men but also women who refrain from cohabitating all through their lives, and they also number individuals who, in self-discipline and self-control in matters of food and drink, and in their keen pursuit of justice, have attained a pitch no inferior to that of genuine philosophy.”^[1]  They lived to please God and other folks took notice.  These early saints lived in the spirit of those listed in Hebrews 11 who were focused on Christ’s Kingdom.  About the early Christians, the Letter to Diognetus, written at the end of the second century, states that “They live in their own countries, but only as guests and aliens. . . Every foreign country is their homeland, and every homeland is a foreign country to them.”^[2]

As the Church grew in the first century, they became increasingly more distinguished from society.  Acts 19 records the church in Ephesus as being so influential that the trade of the silver smiths who made idols was affected negatively.  With the church’s teaching that the man made idols were really no gods at all, the demand for the silver statues diminished.  In other words, their lives influenced society.  They didn’t try to shape the city through politics, they just lived out a serious commitment to Christ and change came naturally.  As the US approaches Independence Day, I wonder if American Christ followers can learn something here.  It would appear that the ancient way of shaping culture was not so much done through politics or coercion, but through love and daily influence?  What are some practical ways that you can raise the bar in your life to reflect what it means to live a Kingdom life in the here and now?

So what are some practical ways that you can raise the bar in your life to reflect what it means to live a Kingdom life in the here and now?