“CAN WE CHANGE IT?”

I was watching the news when they ran a story about how we can protect ourselves from different types of threats. The reporter, as she led into the story, after giving a brief description of what she was going to show said, “Because that’s the world we live in.” It got me to thinking, why does that have to be the world we live in? The simple answer is because Satan is in the world and introduced sin to Adam and Eve. They gave in to temptation and so now we live in a world where temptation and sin is all around us.

The world we live in can be a great source of joy as we see so much of God’s handiwork and power all around us. It also can source of great sorrow as we witness pain and death, sickness and separation. It is telling in the fact that we are no longer shocked by random acts of violence. I believe most of us still feel for the victims and wish it would stop, but we are not shocked when it happens.

As much as we would like for the whole world to seek the way of Christ, we know it won’t happen. Jesus told as much in Matthew 7:13, 14-13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” This is a stark reminder that there are always those who feel they don’t need God.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, He left the fate of His mission to His disciples. That mission: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). The mission has not changed, and we who are called disciples today, still have the responsibility of carrying out that mission. We need to remember our job is plant and water while God gives the growth (I Corinthians 3:6). Since God created man with free moral agency, after one hears the word, they will decide what to do. They will either open their heart to God or reject Him. Jesus put this way in Mark 16:16-16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Notice that there is no middle ground. Until one decides to believe and be baptized, they stand condemned.

So going back to our title question, “Can we change it?” Well, not on our own. Only through the power of God will we be able to change the world for good. This begins within our own hearts, making the deliberate decision to do God’s will everyday in our lives. That is teach by example. In all honesty, there are many people searching for something, and Jesus says when we let our lights shine, God is praised (Matthew 5:16). To those who are seeking, they will be intrigued by our happy life and ask questions, and we can tell them the source of our joy and hope (I Peter 3:15).

We will not change the whole world, however, if we continue to take the message of God into the world and live our lives as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1), we will draw some. We will be like the First Century Christians were described in Acts 17:6 as turning the world upside down (NKJV). That is a world I want to live in!

Read Matthew 28:18-20