A Different Life
Over the last several years, I'm guessing most of us have become way more familiar with viruses and how they work than we ever wanted. But, for those who've not been paying attention - a virus is a small infectious 'agent' that replicates inside the living cells of other organisms. And a virus is drastically different from anything else in our understanding. Because a virus acts like a living thing but doesn't really have all the characteristics to qualify it as 'living' - opinions differ on whether viruses are a form of life, or simply 'organic structures' that interact with living organisms. Viruses have been described as "organisms at the edge of life".
As I speak this morning, I want you to think of two characteristics of a virus in the back of your mind - the fact that a virus replicates, and the fact that it is vastly different from anything else. So let's make an abrupt transition to point #1, a Biblical fact...
I. Jesus called disciples
When the first 12 disciples decided to follow Jesus, they left everything and followed him. They left their families, their jobs, their friends, their lives. For three years, they followed Jesus everywhere watching His every move and listening to His every word. They were witnesses to His miracles, His death on a cross, and His resurrection.
They were 'discipled' by Jesus, and were ready to live out what they had learned. And they were also ready to 'disciple' others - to replicate. In fact, the hopefully very familiar 'Great Commission' from Matthew 28:19-20 makes 'discipling' a cornerstone of the early church.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
And understand that there's a difference between simply teaching and making a disciple. They go together, but discipleship demands a commitment to live out the teaching of the Master; it demands a change in how you live. The first disciples were extensively taught and then lived out that teaching. And because they were now true disciples, they...
A. Lived differently
The Apostle Paul - who had a massive change in his life once he became a follower of Jesus - drew a sharp contrast between the life of a disciple of Jesus in comparison to the life of those who were not. Let's look at his words from Ephesians 4:17-24 (NIV)...
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. (18) They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (19) Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
(20) You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. (21) Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. (22) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; (23) to be made new in the attitude of your minds; (24) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
The phrase, "you must no longer live as the Gentiles do". The word "Gentiles" means anyone who isn't Jewish. But in this context - Paul was referring to anyone who was an unbeliever; anyone who rejected Jesus - His teachings, His resurrection. Look again at Paul's description in Ephesians 4:18-19 (NIV)...
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (19) Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
He was describing their faulty way of thinking because their foundation of belief was faulty. If you reject God - your Creator - every other belief and way of thinking is faulty. And then you lose the ability to discern right and wrong. Your 'governing authority' is 'missing' and you become your own false authority based on feelings and emotions.
Does that sound like many in our society today, those who live outside of Jesus? There's such a moral decline and so many cultural battles and arguments being fought - based on everyone's own opinion without any regard for Divine authority. And many of people's choices are then in direct opposition to God's Word.
Paul says that those who claim to follow Jesus can't live like that. We're not to live like those in the world who don't know Jesus. There's to be a sharp contrast in our lifestyles and attitudes and choices when compared to the unbelieving world. Christians are not supposed to 'fit in' because this world is not our home! The first disciples lived differently, so we must...
B. Live differently
But understand, of course - it shouldn't be that we don't 'fit in' because we think we're better - but because we know that we can't be our own authority. God's ways are always better than ours! But it's in our submission to His authority that we then live differently. We are saved by grace, the same grace offered to everyone! But in choosing to accept that grace, we are called to live out that grace in a very different way from those around us.
The world in which I was raised is very different from the world in which I'm now raising kids. Back then, even some of my non-Christian friends lived pretty similar to the way I did - except for Sunday morning. Our general values were somewhat similar. Our attitudes, and the way we talked (for the most part), were pretty similar. We all knew the 'bad crowd' at school and respected our parents enough to try to stay away from that kind of behavior.
Now - we live in a 'Post Christian' society. You can't watch 10 minutes of TV without having something pop up that doesn't fit with God's values as laid out in scripture. And I know that this makes me sound like a 'grumpy old guy' - "Back in my day things were different..." I understand that every generation looks back on the next with complaints. But this goes deeper than that. Back then a lot might be chalked up to youthful rebellion. Now, it's an outright rejection of anything the Bible calls good.
The first disciples left everything and followed Jesus. - Because they saw what was ahead and knew it was worth far more than what they had to leave behind. Today - many believers see the lifestyles of unbelievers and may feel like they're missing out. 'They get to do (fill in the blank), they get to live however they see fit, they get to pursue whatever life choices they want, they don't have to live with so many restrictions and burdens of selflessness and sacrifice...'
King David, who lived under the Old Testament Law - who lost a son as a penalty for his own sin - who never even experienced the coming grace of his promised Messiah, Jesus - he didn't view living God's way as any sort of a burden or loss...
Psalms 19:7-11 (NIV)
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. (8) The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. (9) The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
(10) They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. (11) By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Does that sound like someone who wants to live like the rest of the world...? Even when he stumbled - and the Bible tells us that David had quite a few BIG stumbles - David still acknowledged God as his final authority!
We have a fresh start in life through Jesus and the promise of an eternal future life with the One who conquered death itself! We don't have to be slaves any longer to sin or the world and its values! We are to live with changed minds and hearts...
Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
In the passage from Ephesians, 'unbelievers' were 'unbelievers' because they ignored God's truth and simply relied on their feelings - what made sense to them, what felt right to them. Paul told the disciples that they were to use their minds as guided by God's Holy Spirit. It's not about what feels right to the majority of those around us - but Paul wrote, again...
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; (23) to be made new in the attitude of your minds; (24) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Those who would be disciples of Jesus must turn their backs on the ways of the world and pursue God's righteousness and holiness. Our old lives were dominated by the world - but our new life is to be completely centered on Jesus!
This pandemic has changed all of our lives. It restructured how we lived, how we interacted with one another, how we worked, how we spent our time and money. It changed our experience and relationship with the Church. We were forced to shift into a spectator mindset rather than a 'hands on', shared, engaged mindset. We stopped getting up and 'going to a Church service' and instead had to sit on our couches and watched online. Some still made it a point to worship together on Sunday morning - others did other things on a Sunday morning and checked in to watch later...maybe, when it was more convenient.
The problem is - for many, we started living lives that much more closely resembled the lives of those who weren't a part of the Church at all. Our priorities shifted, our connections shifted, our attitude toward serving others shifted, and it was easier. But believers have never been called to 'easier'. And many chose not to come back. Not because they're 'bad people' - but because things in the world became more important.
But if we have such a casual attitude towards God's Church, how can we really expect Jesus to have anything more than a casual attitude towards our salvation? This isn't meant to be a condemnation - but perhaps an explanation of what we're experiencing..? But even more so, it needs to be a 'reality check', a 'wakeup call'! You can't show up once a month and expect to be able to call yourself part of a Church... If I show up to a baseball game every few weeks and just watch - can I consider myself part of the team...?
It's a pretty simple outline so far - Jesus called disciples, the disciples lived differently, we must live differently... But although it's simple, uncomplicated - in practice...
II. It takes hard work
We don't earn our salvation by our work - but striving to live as followers of Jesus is hard work! It's well worth it and possible with God's grace - but it does require work on our part. Sometimes, people think that once they become Christians, they'll automatically become 'spiritual giants' no longer plagued by temptations. The Bible says that God does not remove the sinful nature at the moment we accept Christ. But what happens is the power of the sinful nature is broken so that a Christian no longer has to be controlled by it.
When we accept Jesus, and share with Him in His death, His burial and His resurrection by being immersed in baptism, God places a new nature within us - the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit as a resource for living God's way. There are many scriptures that describe a constant internal warfare going on in a believer between the "new nature of Christ" and the "old nature of sin".
The Church - this body of believers is where you work out that struggle. A large part of the mission of God's Church is to make disciples - people who grow and learn how to put Jesus' teachings into practice, and then share that message with others. KNOW - GROW - GO!
That's why I encourage you to read your Bible regularly, to pray regularly - not just to learn facts about God, but for you to have an ever growing personal relationship with God. That's why we offer Bible studies and will soon be adding more classes and groups - to learn and wrestle and live out what we learn! One believer put it this way, "You will know as much of God, and only as much of God, as you are willing to put into practice."
This is a place where we worship God together, yes, but it's also a place where disciples are trained so that worship becomes a more meaningful experience. I want us to look at the passage from Ephesians one more time, but this time - I want you to listen to it as if the Apostle Paul was speaking directly to you...
Ephesians 4:17-24 (NIV)
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. (18) They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (19) Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
(20) You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. (21) Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. (22) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; (23) to be made new in the attitude of your minds; (24) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
If any of us desire to be a true follower of Jesus - we need to examine our lives. The call for discipleship is not a call to 'lukewarm living' or to undisciplined living, or to be a name only Christian. It's a call to follow Jesus with everything you have!
So What?
I want you to think back to the virus analogy at the very beginning. A virus replicates and is very different from everything else. If a virus doesn't replicate, is it a virus? No - it's just an inconsequential collection of genetic material and proteins that affects nothing around it. If a virus doesn't act any differently than any other cell in a host's body - is it a virus? Not really - again it's just insignificant and amounts to nothing.
If a Christian doesn't replicate, if a Christian doesn't live any differently than those in the world - is that really being a Christian?
I'm encouraging each of us to make it a point to study and learn God's Word and then live differently and to tell others about Jesus. What does it mean to you to be a Christian? Is it only a title or a church membership? To become a disciple, Jesus asks for all of you. It takes time, and hard work and the beginning point is your personal relationship with Jesus. Are you willing to be a disciple?
And I promise - you get back so much more from Jesus than you can ever give!