You're the Message so---Don't Mess-up!

1 Thessalonians 1 (The Message)

 ^7-10Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master's Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don't even have to say anything anymore—you're the message!


I have had so many people say they read my blogs.  So, every night I sit down, look through the verses for the night and instantly feel pressure.  I feel like I just have to come up with something "valuable" to write. I don't know exactly how big the provinces of Madedonia and Achaia were. Maybe they were the size of Dekalb County or maybe northeast Indiana.  Regardless of how big they were,  I am sure Paul felt a little pressure when he was asked to share the message.  i don't want to build-up my little blog as having a bigger impact than it has. But, I do feel pressure when I think about what I write and then how I live my life every day.  I feel so exposed in that, just like Paul, I am sharing my faith. What happens if I mess up?  What happens if people discover the mistakes I have made in the past? What happens if I don't live up to my own words?  I don't want to be a hypocrite!

The message for Christians is the same across the entire planet.  People are watching you and you ARE going to mess-up! I really think that's why so many Christians don't share their faith.  It exposes them to the pressure to live up to the message of christ. When people really don't know your beliefs, it's easier to just act how every you want. When we openly talk about our faith, we open ourselves up to criticism by those who don't understand the true message of Christ. We should not feel that kind of pressure.  We need to know that we are going to sin.  We are not perfect.  We will mess up.  We shouldn't spend so much time worrying about messing up.  We should spend more time trying to figure out how to react to our mess ups.  We should be more humble, more honest, more accepting, and more open about our mess-ups.  The only way we can lead a life where we are exposed to the scrutiny of "the world", is to rely heavily on the grace of God to help us through. When we rely on our own understanding, our own will, and our own resolve we are in for a big fall and we are in danger of destroying the message we are trying to share.

God's grace is sufficient to get us through. He is the only judge we need to face. When we accept the fact that we will fail and that Gods grace wipes away those mistakes, we can live a life that is truly free!

Dear Lord, Please provide me with your wisdom.  Please provide me with your grace.  I want so much to present your pure message to the people I know.  Yet, I know I am a sinner.  Help me to be open and honest with those who see me everyday! Help them to see me as a humble servant who accepts your grace and realizes without it I have no message to share.  With your grace, I am the message! Amen!

There's more!

Galatians 1 (The Message)

 ^10-12Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or curry favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn't bother being Christ's slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. 

I was reading in the newspaper today that Christian films are gaining in popularity.  They mentioned "The Passion of the Christ" as the movie that proved the general public would go to a "Christian" movie.  I love movies like "Facing the Giants" and "FireProof".  I guess I would say they are "In your Face" type movies. They lay out in front of you the christian life and leave nothing to question. When you watch these movies you know that you need Christ, you need prayer, and you need to study the word of God. I also like movies like the "Chronicles of Narnia" or "Blindside".  They are much more subtle, but certainly provide a great christian message.  They don't directly teach the Gospel but, they do hold true to the great ideals of the christian life. Both types of movies have a great place and can help direct people to Christ.

But, as a christian we need to be careful not to always rely on being so subtle. I know more than one person who believes you can get to Heaven by being a good person. In reality, I guess I used to be one of those people. Paul was telling us, in so many words, this is not a popularity contest.  In the society we live in today, it's not popular to say their is only one way to receive eternal life. It's not "politically correct" . We can't water down the message of Christ.  We all know we must be great examples of Christ for everyone we meet.  We know that our actions speak louder than our words. Very rarely can you FORCE someone to become a follower of Christ. You need to build the relationships in order to have the opportunity to share. But, somewhere, you need to share the simple, clear, direct message that Christ was the one and only son of God, He lived on earth, died, and was raised from the dead for the salvation of our sins. You need to tell them the only way to gain eternal life is to believe this message, repent or ask God to forgive you of your sins, and to ask God to come into your life.

It's not about being optimistic. It's not about being a good person. It may not make you the most popular person. It might not gain you a standing ovation in this world. But, If we don't tell them, how will they know?

Heavenly father, help me to build relationships with the people I see everyday.  Help me to be an example  to non-believers. But, Lord don't let me forget the beautiful and simple message you want me to share.  Help me to be bold and confident to share with others.  Help me to see the opportunities and not to wait until it's too late!  Amen!