A few things have happened in the media recently that have caught my attention and really made me think about what it means to “live a lifestyle of worship.” But first, you need the context...
I’ve been reading in Acts 6-7 about Stephen, and how he rose from obscurity into having such a prominent place in Biblical history through his martyrdom. He was elected as one of the first deacons because he was found to be “full of the Spirit and wisdom,” and later did “great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.” He was opposed by the religious leaders, who had to bribe people to lie in court. Then, at the moment of truth, he stood in front of the assembly and proclaimed Jesus as Lord. He was subsequently stoned to death by those men, and even echoed the words of Jesus when he asked God not to hold that sin against them. WOW. Oh, to be filled with God’s Spirit like that!
Here’s the key, though...it didn’t just happen at that moment before the Sanhedrin. It was who he was already! That’s how he came to be a deacon; and that’s how he was noticed and opposed by the religious leaders. His lifestyle of worship was firmly in place before God called on him to give his life for the cause of Christ.
As a part of my prayer life, I ask God to use me to accomplish great things for the Kingdom. I desire to be used by Him...to be the one who He chooses to accomplish his purposes...we all do, don’t we? And the stark truth is this: you never know when God is going to put you in the spotlight and call on you to step up and be a witness for Him. Stephen was just living his life, being who he was when God called on him...a few chapters later he’s doing miraculous signs and wonders, and addressing the Sanhedrin. I bet that Stephen couldn’t have imagined where his path would take him. The same is true for us.
In our society today, Christianity is under attack. No other religion takes the beating in the media that Christians do. It’s politically incorrect to attack anyone’s religion in the media - except for Christianity. Some of it we’ve done to ourselves (that’s a blog for another day), but I believe that most of it is because satan knows that Christianity IS the way; so he’ll act on any chance he gets discredit Christianity in the public eye.
That’s happened recently with two prominent, outspoken Christians...Miss California and John & Kate Gosselin of “John and Kate Plus 8.” You know their stories...
On stage during the Miss America pageant, Miss California spoke out against homosexual marriage. Hooray for Christianity! Then, topless photos of her began circulating around the Internet. Now, her Christian witness is smeared...regardless of how or why the photos were taken, they’re out in cyberspace and public perception is what it is. The damage is done. John and Kate had a TV show about their twins and sextuplets, and were outspoken about their Christian beliefs. Now it has come out in the media that he is having an affair. And just like that, their Christian witness is marred forever. I’m sure if either of these could could take it back, they would. But you can’t. And it’s not just them...Ted Haggard, Mel Gibson...the list goes on and on. A prominent person who does something public for Christ will be in the spotlight, and any slip-up will ruin them.
Now, I certainly don’t want to come across as “holier than thou” (I’m a sinner too, and I’m fortunate that God has not put me in such a position as to have a media spotlight my life); and I’m not advocating that any of us are capable of being perfect...we’re not, of course. So where is the line? How can you be a “Stephen” in our world, because that’s what I desire for my life. Neither Miss California or John & Kate would have been able to predict the media attention they received. It happened to them and then they were bitten by sin - one for bad decisions they had made in the recent past; and one for bad decisions they made while in the spotlight.
So it comes back to this...in order to be filled with the Spirit like Stephen, your lifestyle MUST reflect the priority of the One you claim to follow. Bible study, prayer, serving others, self-discipline, etc. It MUST be ingrained in who you are BEFORE you are thrust into the limelight. Of course, none of us ever really know when/if that is going to happen to us; but it CAN happen at any time...and of course, we want to be ready for God to call on us like that. Heck, I pray for that opportunity! At this point, though, I must admit that I've realized I'm probably not ready for it yet. I want my walk with Christ to be so close that I can hear the slightest whisper...I wish I was...I would like to be...because that's how you can know you're ready for God to call on you at any moment. When you are in tune with and listening so closely to the Holy Spirit inside you, that when you are approaching sin like that and He is screaming at you to run away...you’ll automatically respond to Him because you’re so used to hearing his voice and following his guidance. It’s not something that happens “magically” at the moment...it’s the result of a lifestyle of listening to God.
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1 comment:
Good words again friend. Lifestyle worship is just that, a lifestyle. Like healthy eating, exercise, TV watching and obsessive cleaning (no guesses on which one of those make up part of my lifestyle)worshiping God in spirit and truth is not a daily choice, it's a moment by moment choice. I've always wanted to be a part of something big for my God, but then I wonder "will I be ready if He allows that?" Apparently I'm not ready yet. He's still working on me. And I think I know in what areas. Now, I have to respond to that heart prompting. Crap. Thanks for clarifying for me Gary.
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