Mordecai said to Esther,
For if you remain silent at this time,
relief and deliverance for the Jews
will arise from another place, but
you and your father’s family will perish.
And who knows but that
you have come to your royal position
for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14
Yesterday, I left you with a call to action. With the same words Mordecai used to call his niece Esther to action, I challenged you! This is your moment. You were created for good works – called to change the world and impact the kingdom. Indeed, you were created for such a time as this!
“But the problems are overwhelming!” we scream, defeatedly.
Notice Mordecai words to Esther. He might as well have been saying,
“Esther, we know the end of the story. God wins! Relief and deliverance will come for the Jews. (Just as now, heaven and salvation and the return of Christ will come for Christians.) God wins, Esther (and Bill and Mary)! In fact, our Lord wins in the end whether you do anything about it or not …
“But if you don’t do your part here and now, you, your family, and this generation will suffer and perish in the meantime.” (Do you see that in Mordecai’s words to Esther?!)
“Esther (and Tom and Karen) your responsibility, therefore, is to use your position at work, in your neighborhood, and especially in your family to impact this world …
“You were created for such a time as this.”
BUT HOW?
Let me give you a few basic pieces of advice to transform your perspective and empower you to make a kingdom difference.
Responding Nationally and Internationally
1. PAY ATTENTION: Be vigilantly aware of the news. (Don’t say, “It’s hopeless or depressing,” rather …)
2. PRAY ATTENTION: Use the headlines as your daily prayer list. (You aren’t just a passive voyeur when it comes to events on the world stage, scanning the headlines, curious about what’s happening. God invites you to help change the world through prayer!)
Understand the Battle
“The World, the Flesh, and the Devil.” That’s a classic old book from Harold Lindsell. It’s also our primary battlefront. As I said yesterday …
1. The world lies to us. (Culture has all kinds of priorities contrary to God and his plan.)
2. The devil tempts us.
3. And the flesh is weak.
Indeed, the flesh is constantly giving into lies, temptations, and all kids of desires that we think will make us “happy.”
I am convinced that we need to quit blaming the world and the devil for most of our problems. Those two forces – the devil’s wiles and the world’s corruption – are real. And they are whelming. Sometimes overwhelming. But most of the spiritual warfare is fleshly and occurs within our own hearts.
The Apostle Paul expresses precisely this in Romans 7:14-24, “I am of the flesh, [and] I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate, that is what I do. Nothing good dwells within me. And I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
The Danger of Feelings
If the flesh is the source of weakness, then feelings are what drive the flesh.
1. Generally speaking, most of us have a battle within ourselves …
a. Do we do what we “ought” to do? … or …
b. Do we do what we think will make us feel “good”?
c. Meaning: Often we do what we think will make us feel good.
2. Secondly, we also and often “allow others” to do what they say makes them feel good.
a. “Who am I to judge?” is the paralyzing statement of our age.
b. And we do this because we want to appear compassionate.
i. Compassion is, of course, a feeling response.
ii. We want to feel good about response.
iii. We want others to feel good about their reactions.
iv. Therefore, we tolerate and even approve of many sinful things, because it “feels good.”
c. Also we don’t speak out against sinful behavior because we’re weak. Because we give into the varying temptations of “feeling good”, how dare we speak out against others.
Judging vs. Discerning
In one sense, it is definite that we are no to judge. That, indeed, is God’s role! Nevertheless, we are called to discern.
There is right. And there is wrong. And it is not me or you who gets to decide. It is God. His law is given to us. And his law is clear.
And something terrible happens when we don’t discern: We wind up “winking at,” affirming, and excusing all kinds of things that are contrary to call of God.
And guess what … We do this in our own life. And we do this in the lives of others.
Indeed, most of us are regularly giving tacit approval to all kinds of ungodliness.
Truth: The True Alternative
Remembering the battlefront of “The World, the Flesh, and the Devil,” I quoted author Harold Lindsell as saying, “Even among Christians … the spirit of this age [which is the world and the devil] ... caters to feelings [which is the flesh].”
The alternative to feelings is God and Truth. It is choosing His way, instead of our way. It is trusting that He knows better than we. As Jesus said – see John 8:32 – if you know the truth, the truth will set you free.
Knowing as Jesus just said, is head over heart. It is truth over feelings. It is godliness over flesh. Harold Lindsell puts it like this, “The great danger is to let the head [God and truth] follow the heart [flesh and feelings].”
Let me put that another way … It is disastrous to follow flesh and feelings rather than God and truth. Indeed, it is blasphemous! It is saying that our way is better than God’s way. That our personal wisdom is greater than God’s omnipotent guidance. That our desires for our lives is better than his desires for us. Now, we all do it. But … it’s a lack of faith and trust. It’s one thing to sin, fall short, and admit that we’re weak. It’s a totally different thing to wink at, affirm, and excuse sin. Indeed, giving tacit approval to sin is blasphemy!
Solution: Ephesians 4:15
“Speak the truth in love.” That’s Ephesians 4:15.
If we want to change the world, we don’t need to be legalistic. The first word out of our mouths doesn’t need to be negative. We don’t need to appear judgmental. Rather, people should know us by our love!
Yet our love should serve a couple of purposes.
1. First, it’s simply what we’re called to do. If we’re not winsome and loving, we may need to examine how we’re like Christ at all!
2. But there’s a second and critical by-product to our love: It gives us an audience. When we’ve loved others enough, they might just be ready and willing to listen to the Truth.
And we are called to speak truth!
And it’s an art. (After all, some of us blunt and tactless. If that’s you, you probably need to serve lovingly ten times more than you speak!) And yet there are times when we do need to speak. Indeed, we need to learn how to express God’s calls and commands in ways that are loving rather legalistic.
For example, why shouldn’t couples live together before marriage? How do you say that in a winsome way? Maybe you say this: “God’s guidance on sex and marriage are not because God is legalistic and un-fun. No! God invented sex. And he blesses us with marriage. Indeed, God desires marriage to be life-long partnership! But sadly, statistics show that just about the greatest predictor of divorce is living together before marriage. God gives life-giving guidance. He doesn’t want us to be hurt, and that’s what divorce is – a destructive pain. Divorce is a disaster for the man, for the woman, and especially for the children. That too is why sex is to be reserved for marriage. It’s a fundamentally procreative act. And we shouldn’t engage in even the potential of baby-making until we’re committed covenantally to that potential baby’s parent. And besides, when Christian’s live together before marriage, we’re not only mocking God’s authority in our own lives, we’re encouraging others to mock God and forego his ways too. We’re promoting the culture of divorce. We’re celebrating lifestyles that are leading to an epidemic of single-parenthood. God isn’t legalistic, he wants to bless every life.” So what would happen if more people stopped following their feelings (sex is perhaps the most powerful feeling driving people and culture today) and started following God’s design? There’d be a lot less pain, divorce, and lost children.
Claim Your Territory
One of my favorite passages is Joshua 1:10. As Israel is getting ready to finally cross into the Promised Land, each individual is given this charge: ‘Prepare your provisions … to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess.’
Your life is your (earthly) Promised Land.
Your family is the territory that you are called to possess.
Your work place and neighborhood is the land you are called to influence.
Prepare yourself is the first cry. Which means, learn more about the ways of God. Cling to his commands. Learn to follow his ways.
The second cry is “do it.”
· Claim your family for God.
· And witness to them.
· Speak the truth in love. (“There is right.” “There is wrong.” “And most of all,” as my wife likes to say, “God’s way is the best way.”)
· And most of all … live it. Quit compromising. Why? Because our kids have finely tuned hypocrisy meters. Until you’re living in God’s way – winsomely, not legalistically – your kids aren’t likely to want to follow in this way.
“Do it.” But be patient. It’s easiest when we’ve started early. It’s harder to steer (or re-orient) adult children! The world is approving of all kinds of things that God doesn’t. Many of our kids have bought into it. So how do respond – especially to grown children – don’t be legalistic. Pick your battles. Nevertheless, let them see you joyfully clinging to God’s truth. Let them see how it’s making you more joyful, more confident, more wise, and more loving. Let them see that you’re not judgmental, rather … you’re free!
Transform your workplace. But be aware of the rules. Public school teachers, for example, may not be able to outwardly proclaim Christ. Nevertheless, they can live in such a way that everyone wants to know what’s different about them. They can pray for their students and co-workers. They can be a light in an increasingly darkened world. And they, like the rest of us, can love people until they ask them, “why?”
Go and take possess of the land that God has given you to possess. Learn more. Follow more closely. Discover the joy. And let light and hope and love pour forth.
We live in a complicated world. Our lives are more complicated by our own feelings and desires. We have loved ones who stray.
Know the Truth
Is there where you first need to
invest your time? In learning?
Live the Truth
Find accountability systems and
partners to help you work past sin.
Speak the Truth
… in Love
Proclaim truth. But learn to do it
winsomely rather than legalistically.
And Pray
… a lot.
There are many things you
can’t change … but God can.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who wants to
take possession of the land
that God’s giving us
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