Change The World: Part 1 - Why?

Posted by Michael

The political landscape is changing and with it the direction of our nation.

For most Christians this is a source of great worry and stress. In the not too distant past a so-called “moral majority” existed. The “majority” was made up of Christians and people who professed and preferred Christian-based values. Many politicians were Christians (or claimed to be) because they knew they would suffer in the ballot boxes if they didn’t get a photo op at a local church and thank God in their acceptance speech. The moral majority had the ability to sway elections with the number of votes they brought to the table. If they didn’t like the way your company was behaving, they could even muster a somewhat effective boycott of your product to get your attention. Whether you agree with those tactics or not is not the point of this post (but would probably be a great post later on…). The point is that the moral majority no longer seems to be a majority, and this has many Christians wringing their hands in fear. After all, how can you change the world if you don’t leverage political, financial, or military power? The answer is more simple than you would think….

We embrace the method of change introduced by Jesus over 2000 years ago.

To do this, however, means that we have to ask ourselves a very challenging question: Do I want to change the world for my comfort or for its betterment?

That is, do I want to reduce crime in my town because I care about the criminals who are throwing their lives away? Does my heart break for the children who are left alone due to their parent’s toxic decisions? Does my heart break for the parents whose lives of hatred and selfishness have created a prison of blindness and hopelessness for themselves?

Or, do I just not like the thought of those criminals hurting or stealing from me and those I love?

Am I seeking change so that me and mine can have more and be safer? Or do I want those filled with hate to have hope and a future as well? These questions may be somewhat uncomfortable to you, they certainly have been for me. Real change begins with "why", and our "why" has to match up with Jesus' "why" if we plan to embrace his method of change. So, why change the world? To love the world for the good of the world, not for the protection or promotion of me.

Once we've embraced "why" we can get to "how"..........