Be the Man

It isn't hard to find dissatisfaction in our churches, Christian schools and colleges, or other Christian environments. Besides the fact that all of them are made up of other imperfect people in addition to ourselves, there are some disturbing and disheartening trends. How much of the following sounds familiar?

Church setting: The Sunday evening attendance is one-fourth that of the Sunday morning attendance. The Wednesday evening prayer service has been discontinued. There aren't enough available workers to have a vacation Bible school. There aren't enough Sunday school teachers. Fewer missionaries are supported due to decreased giving. People show up dressed in ways that would have been shocking twenty years ago.

School/college setting: The composition of our student body makes us look like a reform school. The majority of our students are from broken homes. Some students are experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Every year we have at least one teenage pregnancy. Some of the teachers/professors attend church sporadically; their standards, activities, and lifestyle are little different than that of the students they are trying to influence. There are fewer and fewer good options for conservative families. The graduates no longer attend church or have anything to do with God.

General Christianity: I was twenty years old before I was exposed to someone I considered a vibrant Christian. When I was going through a tough time, I couldn't find anyone to counsel me. No one ever showed me how to study the Bible. I grew up thinking Christianity was a set of rules to be followed. I attended a Christian retreat that looked little different from a secular party or event. A lot of Christians I know are divorced and remarried; they have tattoos, go to bars, and dress immodestly.

The list of examples could continue. Without doubt, there are issues for concern. We could easily become discouraged. As we look around at our own spheres, many of us could conclude, "I'm in a good church/school/environment. If mine looks this bad, is there any hope for broader Christianity?" Doesn't it seem that in another generation, Christianity that is effective at impacting the world around it will be dead?

These questions leave us looking around for a leader. Who will be different? Who will make a difference? Who will be the one to influence and lead others toward better paths? Who will provide the godly example, give the godly advice, and demonstrate a Christ-honoring lifestyle? Who will demonstrate the possibility and reality of a personal, passionate, and dedicated relationship with God?

I believe the answer is found in this challenge: Stop looking around for someone else to be the leader. Step up and decide that you will make a difference. Determine by God's grace and with His help that you will be a positive factor in the lives of others. Be the one who cares. Be willing to love. Don't be ashamed to share your walk with God. Let your passion for God shine through. Serve in the church. Set the example. Mentor. Mold. Influence.

You can't do these things if you are not willing to be different. I have often heard the quotation, "You have to be different before you can make a difference." Please understand an important premise behind making a difference. The focus cannot be on how "bad" others are. Instead the focus must be on the quality of our own relationship with God. Do we love Him? Are we growing? Are we willing to yield to Him when He reveals an area of struggle or rebellion? Will we serve Him selflessly?

If we are to effectively serve God and influence others, we cannot look at others in our Christian setting merely to click off a list of their problems: single mom, divorced, has tattoos, wears holey jeans to church, swears, smokes, attends R-rated movies. We will notice these things, but they are not cause for rejecting those people. A proper approach remembers that Christians are at different places in their Christian journeys. It also remembers that God is patient and forgiving.

Others have room for growth just as we have room for growth. The specific areas of needed growth may be different, but the underlying concept is the same: we must learn what is pleasing to God and then submit to doing that. Due to background, lack of training, or limited time since salvation, those with more visible challenges may simply be lacking in the learning aspect. It is not my intent to discount those people as unable to make a difference. Quite the opposite. As they learn and grow and submit, they also can become effective as positive influences. God's grace is able to do that with any Christian, regardless of his past.

As you seek to impact others, don't be discouraged when some Christians are not interested in being influenced.  Some will take only limited steps of growth or will require a long time before the change is noticeable. Some will seem to change, but the change will be temporary. It may seem that more Christians are headed in the wrong direction than in the right direction. Are we fighting a losing battle in terms of Christian influence within our cultures? I don't know, but we must keep fighting the battle. To give up is the pathway to sure defeat. Instead of noticing and bemoaning the dearth of Christian leaders and positive influences, volunteer to be one. Seek God's help in contributing to positive change in your Christian environment. Be the man (or woman).

"I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one." Ezekiel 22:30 (NASB)

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" Isaiah 6:8 (NASB)