A simple scan down yesterday’s listing of the FOXNews RSS feeds reveals there was:
1 story about a parrot that could speak English
2 stories regarding pop/tv stars
3 stories about scientific/technical achievements
6 stories about politics/economics
7 stories regarding death/killing/kidnapping
7 stories about war issues
8 stories covering sex acts/sex crimes
Not necessarily uplifting news! But I think Kathy Griffin’s story truly showed the pulse of our society. I’ve included a few snippets of the story below.
Before Kathy Griffin won a creative arts Emmy last weekend for her reality show, “My Life on the D-List,” she joked that an award would move her to the C-list. She was right: “C” as in censored.
The TV academy said her raucous acceptance speech will be edited when the event, which was taped, is shown Saturday on the E! channel.
In her speech, Griffin said that “a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus.”
She went on to hold up her Emmy, make an off-color remark about Christ and proclaim, “This award is my god now!”
The comedian’s remarks were condemned Monday by Catholic League President Bill Donohue, who called them a “vulgar, in-your-face brand of hate speech.â€
After reading the story about Kathy, I sat, not disgusted or angry or disturbed, but sad. Obviously she only believes in Jesus as somebody to be mocked. So assuming that her spiritual condition (her relationship with Jesus Christ) lines up with her words, where does that put her in eternity…hell.
Then I thought about the many people whose lives were taken from them in the seven stories regarding deaths and killings. Did they know the Lord? Or what of the people involved in the sex crimes stories? How would those events effect their ability to trust/accept the Lord?
Then I thought about the pop star stories. These people are living it up and have every thing (according to the world’s standard) but do they have a personal relationship with Jesus?
When was the last time you watched TV or a movie and looked not at the characters but at the actors and actresses and wondered if they were saved? How about the people you work with? The people you pass by every day?
I heard one pastor say that life’s little delays are God’s way of putting you were He needs you, so that you can be a minister to the people waiting in those delays with you. What do you think? I think think there’s some truth to it. So often we get caught up in what we’re doing or what “has to be done” that we’re in such a rush we don’t notice the people next to us or in the line in front of us — unless they get in our way.
One thing Paul made clear in his Epistles is that life is a race. There’s a definite starting and ending point and many challenges along the way.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
What main points do you pull out of this? For me I see three main things:
- Run to win the race.
- We run for an eternal crown.
- Major discipline is required.
Now take a look at this passage once more. What context do you think Paul is placing it within? I’ll give you a clue, it’s not just an analogy for life. No, it’s an example of a believer living a life fully committed to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ!
Let’s read the full context starting with verse 19.
1 Corinthians 9:19-27
19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Paul made sure he used every moment of his life to 1) lead somebody to Jesus or 2) prepare/discipline himself to lead somebody to Jesus.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then this is what this life is all about! If life was simply about getting saved, then God would pull us out of this world the minute we got saved. But we don’t see that happening. No, instead, after a person accepts Jesus’ death and resurrection as paying the penalty for their own sins, they are then to go into all the world and tell other people the Good News!
D. L. Moody, when talking about sharing our faith, said that in Heaven we will do all things perfectly except for that. Think about that for a moment. In heaven we will do all things perfectly, except for sharing our faith with somebody who doesn’t know Jesus. Sharing our faith is something we can only do while we’re here on Earth.
So I have a few questions for us (myself definitely included). And don’t just scan over these. Let them sink in and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you regarding each of these areas.
- What race are we running?
- Are we signed up for the right race?
- Are we running in such a way as to win…to win souls to Jesus?
- Are we burdening ourselves down with unnecessary things/cares of this world?
If the Holy Spirit just revealed something or a few things to you…things you need to do or things you need to stop doing…then stop reading and ask Jesus to help you with those things. Take a moment now and get things right between you and God.
Evangelism, sharing your faith, can be an intimidating thing. But I want you to know you are qualified to share your faith. If you have genuinely given your life to Jesus, then you are qualified to share at least your testimony. In addition to your testimony, anything that God has revealed to you during times of Bible reading, studying, or hearing of His word through biblically grounded teachers/preachers you are qualified to share. And if you want specific training on how to share your faith with people, then check out these two options.
Ask God to give you “divine appointments” to share your faith with people. If you are serious about wanting opportunities to share your faith with others, Jesus will give them to you! And you’ll also find that you’ll be on the look out for them as well.
And lastly, there’s always room for improvement. There are probably things we are unnecessarily burdening our lives with; things that hinder us in sharing our faith. Get rid of them! Also, the Bible says we need to study to show ourselves approved by God (2 Timothy 2:15). Get into the Bible! Read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it! Take some Bible study classes just for personal/spiritual growth. Try one or both of the evangelism programs listed above. Then let the Holy Spirit do the rest.
With the condition of our world not getting any better, and our RSS news feeds only getting worse, let’s be about our Lord’s work.
Titus One One 