Jump Start # 2471

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

In a class the other day, we were talking about how the Christian is different from the world. This is something that some do not understand. It’s more than simply adding worship to your life. The disciple of Jesus has a different outlook and is traveling a different direction than the man of the world. And this difference trickles down to things such as modesty, attitude, forgiving, and even how one views death.

The child of God is simply “wired” differently than the person of the world. It’s not that the child of God is “better”, he has simply put on Christ and filled his heart with the word of God. By doing that, he has changed. He is different. He sees things from God’s perspective. Anyone can do this. Everyone ought to do this. But most don’t.

And, one of the most remarkable differences between a Christian and a person who is not a Christian is the inside-outside direction of life. That has switched in a Christian and that change has made all the difference in the world.

The man of the world is influenced and driven by the outside. The outside shapes and determines his inside. On gray, dreary, winter days, the man of the world often feels gloomy and depressed. He has allowed the outside to color the inside. The circumstances he is in determines his mood and his spirit. So, if the line is long at the restaurant and the service is slow, it will cause the man of the world to boil on the inside. He gets upset. He often has to say something, usually, unkind and mean. If the traffic is slow, it will change how he is. If work piles up, it will change how he is. The outsides are always setting the tone for the insides. And, the real problem with all of this is that no one can control the outsides. The weather, the traffic, the mood of others are all beyond what we can do. So, in essence, the man of the world, is always on a ride. He allows others to shape his day and his spirit. Because of others, he is grumpy and down in the dumps. Because of others, he is impatient and angry. For the man of the world, the outsides control the insides.

It’s just the opposite for the man of God. His insides shape his outsides. He is transformed rather than conformed as our verse expresses today. Paul sitting in a Roman prison could be thankful, prayer and even joyful. Beaten and in a Philippian jail, he was singing praises to God. He was not allowing the outside to set the temperature of the inside. Patient. Content. Joyful. Thankful. Happy. No matter what was going on, no matter what was happening.

So, at the restaurant, when the service is slow, the people at the next table are fuming and fussy, but where the man of God sits, he speaks kindly to the staff. He understands how busy they are. In fact, he leaves a generous tip because his heart feels for them. In long lines of traffic, the man of God, doesn’t consider driving down the shoulder to pass everyone else. First, that is illegal, and there may be an accident up the road. He uses the time to talk to others in the car with him, or to pray if he is by himself. Cold, dark weather doesn’t make the man of God feel that way on the inside. He bundles up and heads out with a sunny and cheery spirit. He doesn’t let the weather set the tone for his spirit and attitude of the day. The man of God is driven by his insides and not his outsides.

The man of God is driven by the Word of God. His heart is wrapped around the teachings of Jesus. He understands that this world is not our home and that problems come and go, but God remains upon the throne. He knows that everything will be ok, if he just continues to walk closely to the Lord.

Now, with this inside-outside difference, you will notice things when you are around people of the world. First, they tend to complain more than they are thankful. They’ll complain about the traffic, the weather, the long lines, and high prices. Things are always gloom and doom for the man of the world. Politics, sports, even Thanksgiving dinner, and he’ll find something not right and something to complain about. You get the impression after awhile that some folks are never happy unless they are miserable.

Second, you’ll notice the difference in the willingness to lend a helping hand and help others out. The man of the world is often cautious and uneasy about things like that. He’ll help a friend or family, but he doesn’t go out of his way for those he doesn’t know and especially for those he doesn’t like.

Third, the man of the world tends to see everything as it relates to him. His perspective is himself. “Why should I,” is a statement he often makes. There is no greater good than himself. If it is not to his advantage, why pursue it? The man of God sees things from God’s perspective. The good Samaritan got nothing out of helping the injured man on the road other than it was the right thing to do. It was putting the golden rule into practice. Don’t get involved would be the thought of the man of the world.

Finally, the child of God realizes that there was a time when he too, was the man of the world. He thought this way. He was an outside-inside person. But, now, through Christ, he has changed. He is now an inside-outside person. His heart has been rewired. He thinks differently now. He is different. He is a child of God.

The religious community tries to blend the world in with believers. They want to erase differences and have us to think that other than going to church on Sunday we are the same. We are not. We think differently. We pray that all could think the way God wants us to. And, that difference makes all the difference.

Roger

Jump Start # 2304

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Don’t follow the world. Don’t do what the world is doing. The world is going to end up in a different place than where we want to be. Have you noticed a mini theme this week? Do not please the world (Tues). Do not be afraid of the world (yesterday). Do not follow the world (today).

Conformity means to go along. It is to flow with the flow. Back in the 60’s, many of the hippies were anti-establishment. They were against war, government, rules and about everything but drugs and free love. Paul’s words were are not political, but spiritual. There are Biblical reasons why we don’t do everything the world does.

Happiness, fun, and self are the themes that the world follows. These themes takes the world down the road to immodesty, indecent language, materialism, greed and a life without Christ, and all that comes when one isn’t following the Lord. The measurement is always shallow external things. Look how big my house is, someone declares. Look what car I’m driving. I must be doing something right, because I have all these toys surrounding me.

That thinking appeals to young people. Stuff is where it’s at, we are told. The more stuff you have the better. So, you have to have the latest phone. You have to have the latest tablet. You have to have the newest and largest TV. You have to have, never seems to end. And, you have to have never seems to satisfy. You never see an ad on TV that announces, ‘this is the last phone you will ever need.’ Nope. That won’t happen. And, the reason is that the world needs stuff. And, with stuff comes prestige, and popularity. Who wants to be the dumb kid at school who doesn’t have the latest phone? Who wants to be the guy at work who doesn’t watch Netflix at home? To be somebody, who have to have the latest stuff. The more stuff, the greater you are. So, stuff and status are linked together. More stuff, more status. If you want to be somebody, you better have the stuff. The latest gadgets. The newest outfits. The coolest house. The new car. And, with this status, the world bows and thinks, “I wish I had what you do.” The ultimate status is the rock star athlete, movie star, or CEO who can have it all.

I was picking a friend up at the airport the other day. While waiting I noticed two massive digital signs. They were opposite of each other and you couldn’t miss them. They were beautiful in color and massive in size. One had three bottles of tequila and the other was a large bottle of bourbon. I looked at those and thought, “welcome to our city, let’s drink.” Of all the things for people to first see, why booze? Why? Because the world believes you can’t get through a day without one little drink. The world is looking for happiness and they believe alcohol is a fast way to get there.

Be not conformed to the world. Here’s why:

First, all the stuff that the world wraps itself around neither satisfies nor does it last. Christ is coming. The world will be destroyed. All the stuff, will be no more. If it takes stuff to define me, describe me and make me happy, then I am a shallow, empty person. For the child of God, His walk with the Savior makes all the difference. It doesn’t matter where he is. It doesn’t matter what he’s going through. It doesn’t matter how tough things are, Heaven awaits him. Forgiveness, love, hope and joy—there are no price tags for that. You cannot equal those values with stuff. And, because of Jesus, worry, fear and death are nothing. The world can’t handle death. The world is obsessed with fear and worry. All the stuff that the world surrounds itself with cannot properly deal with fear, worry and death. Only through Christ do we find our way out of those things.

Second, being transformed means being changed. It’s allowing Christ to be the Lord of your life. It’s letting the Lord dwell in you. You now live with a purpose and a plan. You have definition, not by the labels you wear, but by the Lord who is in your heart. You have crucified self and now you carry the role of a servant. You’d rather give than receive. You’d rather help than be helped. You’d rather put a smile on someone else’s face than on your own face. There is an energy, a passion and a love that comes from Christ and His word that the world cannot understand. How boring sitting through church services, the world thinks. How dull must sermons be, the world thinks. Too many rules. Too many demands. Too little of self. And, off the world goes, like a three-year-old, merrily thinking that they are the best. Don’t be like that. Don’t follow that. Don’t be conformed to that thinking. You and I were once there. We left. We left by choice. We don’t ever want to go back again. What a difference Christ has made in our lives. And, there is a hope that is only found in Christ. A hope that is real. A hope that lasts. A hope that endures.

Third, not only are we not doing what the world does, we are not interested in the world liking us, agreeing with us, or what they say about us. We belong to the Kingdom of Christ. Our eyes are looking towards Him. We live as if we have one foot already in Heaven. So, there will be movies that everyone is talking about, but you. When co-workers find out that you have never seen that movie, they will think you live in a cave. That’s ok. When everyone is talking about going to a certain event, and you are not, they will think you are odd, boring and have no life. When they talk about their wild weekends and the drinking and the partying and the loose living, and you show no interests in that, they will conclude that you are just one step away from being a monk. Let them think that. You don’t have to find a way to fit in, because you can’t. You don’t have to find a way to make your faith seem “cool,” because it never will be to the world. Jesus, as the world wants Him to be, cusses just a little. He plays around and flirts with the girls. He’s cool with drinking. He bends the rules now and then. He’s just like everyone else. That’s what the world wants. But, if that be the case, why did He even come?

He’s not like us. He’s holy. He’s pure. He’s God. We don’t want a Jesus like us. We are in a mess. We have trouble here. Jesus is not a more improved version of us. He’s the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God. Rather than trying to make Jesus like us, that’s conformity, we need to become like Jesus. That’s transformation. That’s re-wiring the house. That’s seeing things differently. That’s denying self, taking up the cross and following Him. That’s discipleship. And, that is exactly what’s missing in the modern churches and in the world today. It’s not a hip-hop Jesus that we need. It’s a world that will bow to the Savior and confess that He is both Lord and Christ. Drop the rock ‘n roll in church. Don’t try to be “religious” rock stars. Be followers of Jesus. Christians have never fit in the world. They didn’t back then and they won’t today.

This concept is hard for young people. It’s also hard for us older people. The world is loud, flashy and in your face. Money talks. Stuff is impressive. But in the end, it’s all superficial, fake and meaningless. What matters in not what’s in the showroom, but what’s in the storehouse. What matters is what’s in our hearts.

The world shouts. You don’t have to jump. The world demands. You don’t have to follow. The world says you have to, but you don’t. You follow Christ. And, if you stay at it, you’ll end up where Christ is, in Heaven.

Not pleasing the world. Not afraid of the world. Not following the world. Not impressed by the world. We are not of this world, we are just a passing through.

Roger

Jump Start # 937

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This week we have taken a look at a few negative attitudes that we often carry with us. Those attitudes affect our relationship with God and they tarnish our relationships with others. Some of these are so common and ingrained within our culture that we accept them without realizing that this is not the way God wants us to be. Our series has taken us through guilt, jealousy, anger and hatred. Many of those are connected together. It is not uncommon to witness these all in one day.

Unfortunately, there are many more that we could have included in this list. In the works of the flesh Paul lists: enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying. To Timothy, Paul warned that there would be some who are:  lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

What ugly lists. Why do people become consumed with these things? Why do they allow themselves to think this way? Many, do not know God. Many grew up with these attitudes being the norm. Many do not know any other way. Most of this can be summed up by the expression, “stinkin’ thinkin’”. Stinkin’ thinkin’ leads to stinkin’ behavior. Stinkin’ thinkin’ is very contagious. One person starts gossiping and soon every one else jumps in and does the same. One person starts being negative and the whole conversation turns sour. That’s what stinkin’ thinkin’ does. It dominates the work place. It is all too common at home. It is found much too often among God’s people. We accept it. We get used to it. We join in with it.

Our passage today is often directed toward behavior, but it begins with our attitudes and our way of thinking. Do not be conformed to this world—that is true in dress, attitude, lifestyle, morals, behavior and in thinking. Conformity means to go along with, blend in, accept, be a part of. The world is drifting downstream. We are upstream people. Paul told the Thessalonian church that we are of the day and not of the night. We can’t change the world, but we can certainly change ourselves. It begins with our thinking.

Renew the mind. Make the mind new. Think new. Think like Jesus. Throw out those stinky thoughts that hurt others. Through out those mean things that shouldn’t be said. Throw out this obsession the world has with self. Have this mind in you that existed in Christ. Put on the mind of Christ is what the Philippians were told. Renew. Fresh. Godly. Righteous. Good.

It’s time to get back in the driver’s seat of our thinking and not let the nightly news determine what kind of mood we will be in. Do not let the weather determine your spirit. Do not let the work place, the class room, or even the church house set the tone for how you feel and think. Rise above that and renew, make new, that mind.

Easy to say, hard to do. Hard to do when all you see is stinkin’ thinkin’. It’s hard when stinkin’ thinkin’ makes you think that way. In many ways what our verse is telling us is to take leadership of our mind. Instead of being a follower and doing what everyone else is doing, take the lead. Renew…do not be conformed…prove what is acceptable to God. Your thinking is going a different direction than others. Your thinking is based upon other things. Your thinking sees beyond the obvious. Your thinking is dominated by the word of God and you see the big picture of things.

The opposite of renew is staying old. Old paint on a wall looks dull and dirty. Old salad needs to be pitched. Old thinking doesn’t cut it. Renew. Refresh. Thinking from above. This is what Paul is driving at.

Our culture is dark and negative. The Christian isn’t. Our culture is mean and selfish. The Christian isn’t. Our culture is stuck on ‘woe is me.’ The Christian isn’t. Our culture’s favorite song is: “Gloom, despair and agony on me.” The Christian isn’t singing that song. We live here but we are not from here. We live here but we belong somewhere else. We live here but we are different than the natives here. We don’t fit in. We don’t belong. We are not comfortable. We are sojourners that are passing through. This world is not our home is our song. The thinking of this world is not our thinking.

The Christian ought to be the fountain of hope, optimism and answers. He ought to be the breath of fresh air in a hot and stale world. All of this comes from our thinking.

Renew your mind. Today would be a great day to start!

Roger