Monday, December 14, 2009

Spiritual Atrophy: Ashamed of the Gospel



Romans 1:16
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…

Overall, I believe that we as a people have become more passive in our interactions with others.  That passivity has seeped into our Christian relations as well.  Relations with other believers, but most importantly, relationships with the lost.

We may go all year without really connecting with others in a deep and significant way, and wonder why our interactions have become so superficial.  We watch person after person enter and then leave our lives, without ever sharing with them the hope in which we have.  And all the time, we are waiting for the “perfect opportunity”- an opportunity which never actually comes.  And all the while, our spiritual muscles begin to lose their strength, as they atrophy in the disease of our passivity. 

Some say this passivity is just happenstance- and that a perfect opportunity to really get honest with people about the gospel will eventually come, if we will only wait for it.  To this, I would disagree.  I used to believe this to be true…until I peeled back the layers of my passivity to find one thing: shame.  In a sense, I was ashamed of the gospel.  I was embarrassed.  I was worried about how to bring it up in conversation, what to say after that, and what people would think of me if I did. 

With the silence of my passivity I was inadvertently doubting the power of the gospel and the power of it’s God. I was allowing my fear of man to dictate my level of obedience rather than my fear of God.  And in the end, I was the one who came out short.  I was the one who missed the opportunities to speak the light of truth into desperate lives.  I was the one who missed out on being used by God, finding the abundance of joy in being in His will. 

Christians, I believe that it’s time for us to step it up- living a life that is in active pursuit of sharing the gospel that has changed our lives.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that the opposite of passivity is an aggressive approach.  I don’t think we need to be standing on street corners waving signs of “Repent” and warning that the end is near (although in a strange way I covet that lack of inhibition that echoes with David that ‘I’ll become even more undignified than this’ if that‘s what it takes for God to be magnified).  But let’s be honest, most of us Christians aren’t even close to that end of the spectrum. 

Let’s begin by taking an active approach in our day to day.  Let’s begin by looking at the platforms that God has given us to share his love and his truth.  Let’s begin with asking the questions that we’re afraid to ask.  Let’s begin by starting those conversation that we’re always waiting for.  Let’s begin by sharing with strangers and with friends the things that our God is doing in our lives.  Let’s begin by taking interest in those we never found interesting.  Let’s begin by taking the gospel seriously, immersing ourselves in it so much so that it is overflowing into the lives around us.  Let’s begin with one person.  Let’s begin with today.

Lord, give us the strength to boldly proclaim with our lips and with our lives that we are “not ashamed of the gospel”.

3 comments:

  1. hey wow talk about timing!
    i just got out of one of my classes and these kids in thre are always talking about being atheists and bashing christianity. well sort of they are respectful sometimes. lol idk its hard to explain so i just sit there all the time and listen to them and never say anything because i just dont know why! not that i want to force my beliefs on anyone because i feel that when you just start preaching at people they are turned off by the idea so much more but yeah. idk where i was going with this but...
    i always like your blogs!

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  2. Great thoughts Kaycee...I'm always glad to see you interacting with my posts. It's the hardest to share Christ with our peers, I think, even though they are the people we interact with on a day to day. I think it's because we get so used to interacting with them in a non spiritual way, that it's hard to make the transition. I hope you take some steps this year to be bold in that way and share God's love :)

    Thanks for the comment!!

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  3. yeah that is true. i think its also because a lot of times when we talk to peers its more of what we have the same intrests in or if we are alike in some way you know? thats how conversations go...so if they dont believe the same things or like the same things dont usually come up as often. lol idk if that made any sense. anyways, i really like your blogs! and i like that you comment back to everything people comment on yours. =)

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