Impacting Our Culture
This morning at 5 AM we had 17 men gather to finish studying John 16. It was a stimulating discussion as we tried to answer my question to them from last week. How are we different from Jesus' disciples in John 16, who trusted Jesus and really made an impact on their culture? Why have we failed to make an impact as they did?
It is a very serious question, since they had none of the technical advantages we have like radio, TV, or even the printing press. However, they managed to trust the Lord Jesus and spread the gospel to the entire inhabited world in one generation. We could do it today, but what is the difference?
Of course, there is no one answer, but we came up with several. The disciples of today have not fully given themselves to Jesus to do His will. There is not an overwhelming desire to reach the world for Christ like they had then. Yes, they saw Jesus, and we haven't, but we have the whole Word of God and many easy ways to travel and communicate. Each of us can carry a personal copy of the Bible. However, today there are probably more distractions for people, and people have had a long time to develop hard hearts to the gospel. However, the main way we are different is that we have allowed fear to stop us from following the Lord and witnessing. We have not given it our all. We have not been wiling to die for Him. The big difference is our commitment to follow His Spirit wherever He sends us.
We agreed that we wanted to pursue Jesus and His will with all of our hearts so that Stockbridge could be impacted for Jesus in our time. Please, pray for us and for our church.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 1-2 and Acts 7:22-43.
It is a very serious question, since they had none of the technical advantages we have like radio, TV, or even the printing press. However, they managed to trust the Lord Jesus and spread the gospel to the entire inhabited world in one generation. We could do it today, but what is the difference?
Of course, there is no one answer, but we came up with several. The disciples of today have not fully given themselves to Jesus to do His will. There is not an overwhelming desire to reach the world for Christ like they had then. Yes, they saw Jesus, and we haven't, but we have the whole Word of God and many easy ways to travel and communicate. Each of us can carry a personal copy of the Bible. However, today there are probably more distractions for people, and people have had a long time to develop hard hearts to the gospel. However, the main way we are different is that we have allowed fear to stop us from following the Lord and witnessing. We have not given it our all. We have not been wiling to die for Him. The big difference is our commitment to follow His Spirit wherever He sends us.
We agreed that we wanted to pursue Jesus and His will with all of our hearts so that Stockbridge could be impacted for Jesus in our time. Please, pray for us and for our church.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 1-2 and Acts 7:22-43.