Get Out of the Way of the Gospel

If you are a Christian, the Bible makes it clear that our number one purpose is to exalt God. This supersedes everything else. Getting a fair shake, having our say, receiving our full rights, even being safe and sound are all supposed to take a backseat to bringing glory to God. Unfortunately, too often we don’t live this way. Too often what we want and what we care about is more important than God. We don’t say it, but our actions show it. For instance, instead of gently ministering to someone who has wronged us, we want to see them get their due. Now, we aren’t going to seek revenge, for that wouldn’t be Christian, but we sure hope misfortune visits them. Ever thought this way? If you are human, you have. The problem with this line of thinking is it gets in the way of the Gospel.

  Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ  - 1 Corinthians 9:12b, ESV

Paul was writing of the fact that he and his companions didn’t exercise certain rights when he was among the Corinthians because it would have gotten in the way of the Gospel of Christ. I want you to stop right there for a moment. When was the last time as a Church we asked the question, “Would what we are about to do get in the way of sharing the Gospel?” When was the last time your local congregation asked this? What about yourself? Can’t remember? Unfortunately, neither can I. We can be so full of ourselves that we forget the great importance of the Gospel and our mission as Christians to share it in a way that others around us understand it. Note that I didn’t say anything about forcing it down other people’s throats. I also didn’t say anything about the typical political hot button topics that seem to inflame us here in the West. I said the Gospel. When was the last time we thought about its priority in the scale of all the things we were doing, caring about, and arguing over? I can hear the crickets. They’re in my backyard, too.

It doesn’t matter what side of the predestination/freewill fence you sit on (or even if you’re sitting on the fence itself), because we have been given a command by Jesus to go and make disciples. As John Piper – a very staunch predestination pastor – put it, even if you are on the predestination side it’s not your role to play God and determine who you will and won’t share the Gospel with. Leave that to God and go share. The Gospel is to be the forefront of who we are and what we do. Yes, we encourage and affirm and edify the saints. Yes, we take care of the orphans and widows in our midst. Yes, we provide for the poor around us and serve those who need our help, regardless of religion or creed. But we do all things for the sake of the Gospel. Caring and ministering give us the opportunity to share. Even if we don’t get a chance to use actual words, we share through our actions. We are different because our God has changed us. We are to be a living testimony to the power of God to transform a sinner into a saint. And by being this living testimony we will hopefully be able to explain ourselves to those who want to know why we are different.

As you move into the weekend, do a self-examination. What habits or things about you get in the way of the Gospel? What pet peeves or personal causes turn people away from you such that they would not be willing to hear the Gospel from your lips? What can you do to correct these situations? What’s stopping you? Lift these issues and their remedies up in prayer. Let us be known for living out the Gospel fully, for sharing it freely and lovingly, and for exalting Christ before ourselves. Let us get out of the way of what’s the most important set of news we can share with the world around us: that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to save sinners like you, me, and everyone else who would want to be free from their sins.

If Something Is Wrong, Seek to Help

Over the last few years it hasn’t been unusual to read news headlines and stories about how something tragic was happening and folks just stood around, afraid or unwilling to get involved. It has become frequent enough now that we aren’t shocked to see such news. However, if something is wrong and we know it’s wrong and we have the ability to do something about it, then we should.

Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. – Genesis 9:20-23, ESV

Noah proves here that he’s not a bastion of perfect behavior. He plants a vineyard, ferments some wine, and then gets drunk off of it. Apparently he did so in a way that brought shame upon himself. Ham, one of his sons, sees his father and tells his brothers about it. Now if you read that at face value, if you put no sexual connotation into it as some would, the situation is already bad.Then Ham adds to it by disgracing his father by gossiping about Noah’s mistake. So Ham took a bad situation and made it worse. His brothers’ reactions were different.

Upon hearing from Ham what happened, they decide to do something about it. The first thing to note is they dealt with the real problem. They covered Noah up; they righted whatever was wrong. The second thing to note is how they did this. They righted the wrong, but in a way that did not bring further shame to Noah. What Shem and Japheth did is what Ham should have done. And how they handled the situation is an example of how we should deal with the wrongs we see in this world.

I understand we can’t fix everything. And I know that sometimes we just don’t have the ability or the time. But when we do, we’re God’s example on earth. We’re the ones representing His kingdom, His teachings, and His ways. When we stand back and do nothing, what we are tacitly saying is one of two things: either what’s going on is okay with our God or our God isn’t strong enough and big enough to work through us to overcome the problem. I understand that what I’m saying means sacrifice. And I’ll be the first to admit I need to do a better job of following Shem and Japeth’s example. But that’s the expectation He seeks for us to meet. That is the standard Jesus set for us during His earthly ministry. He confronted folks and fixed wrongs wherever He went. He did so knowing full well the price He’d have to pay for it. Yet He still did it.

If we truly believe that being with Him is better than being here, and if we truly believe that He will save us, then the consequences of any situation isn’t as catastrophic as it might be for a non-Christian. “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” were the Apostle Paul’s words. He understood that the best thing they could do for him was send him home to his Savior. And that’s the best thing anyone can do for us, too. But until our God calls us out of this world, we’re supposed to live every moment for Him. We’re supposed to spend every action and effort to further His kingdom. And that means standing up for what’s right, attempting to fix the wrongs when we can, and willingly taking on the consequences that come our way. As you go through today and the rest of the week, ask the Holy Spirit to allow you to see what’s going on with His eyes. Ask for discernment to see the wrongs around you and ask for the wisdom to understand what you might do about them, and, finally, ask for the strength and courage to act. Let us represent Christ strongly to those around us.

Beyond a Single Generation

It is not unusual to see that when a powerful personality leaves a ministry for that ministry to falter and possibly even die. It’s a sad commentary on the fact that we still often build institutions for the glory of the Kingdom of God but we try to do so largely on our own power without a vision for the future. One could say that we’re so busy that there’s not enough time to get the things done that are demanded today, so how can we possibly carve time and effort off for the future? But in reality that’s just postponing a problem. And usually when a problem gets postponed it grows and grows and grows. For instance, if you have a slow leak in your house and you don’t do anything about it, that slow leak may become a bigger one, mold may begin to grow, and things get damaged that would have been okay if you had fixed that leak up front. Ministry and faithfulness and devotion to God work the same way.

But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.  – Judges 3:9-11, ESV

The people of Israel had turned to evil and therefore God gave them over to their sin. He brought judgment in the form of a foreign king until Israel realized the depth of its depravity and sought God’s face again. Then He raised up a deliverer, Othniel, who did exactly that – deliver them. For the forty years Othniel was the judge over Israel, the land was okay. But as soon as Othniel died, things started to slip again. Verse 12 tells us that the people did evil in the sight of God again and yet again He raised up a foreign king in judgment. This is actually the cycle we see repeated throughout the book of Judges. Which raises the question, “Why did this keep happening?” Why were things okay for one generation but then they went back to the way they were? In fact, why is this pattern repeated throughout Israel’s history? I have a sense that they did not prepare well for the future. Not like this:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  - Deuteronomy 6:4-9, ESV

Moses’ instruction was that we must intentionally prepare the next generation to know who God is and what He has done for us. We must teach them God’s commands and we must do so with diligence. God’s instructions are to always be a topic of discussion, more so than any other. When I think about this level of standard, I have to admit that a lot of days I’ve not gotten there. Why is Moses saying this is God’s desire? Because God understands that this world rejects His commands. It will do everything in its power, because of the current ruler, to undermine those commands. Satan does not want us to worship God, but rather, to turn from that worship. And so he targets every weakness, every opportunity to turn us from a focus on God onto something else. Moses’ words say, “Stay focused. Keep God and His Word firmly in your minds. Let it be an integral part of your talk, your work, and your activity. Let the Word permeate every part of your life. It should be more important than anything else. You can see that by how much time you spend on it compared to other things.”
The next generation partially learns from our example. When they see we’re about devotional and faithfulness to God, they can see that it’s important to us. If they see positive effects in our lives, they learn to value what we value. However, have you ever been an observer to something and not totally understood what all happened? Did a conversation later make things more clear? For instance, maybe you saw your mom or dad or someone you respected do something but you didn’t understand why. Later, when you asked, they explained and you saw the wisdom of their actions. Just watching isn’t enough. There needs to be intentional and diligent sharing from us to those who will follow after us. We need to seek to impart our wisdom and our experience so that the next generation will be properly prepared. We also need to clearly teach what God’s expectations are, what He promises, and what He has already done for us. This is true whether we’re talking about our children or we’re talking about those who will follow us in our current ministries or those around us in the body of Christ. This is the expectation God places on us. There’s isn’t an “out” here.

So how best do we do this? First, we have to be in the Word and know the Word. We can’t impart and teach that which we do not know. Then, we have to build lives where we intentionally are about the discussion and sharing of God’s Word. I don’t just mean on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. It should be the dominant topic in our lives. More so than NASCAR, than SEC or Big Ten football, than our latest hobby, or how large a buck we brought down the previous weekend or the size of the bass we landed the week before. It certainly should be a larger topic than our issues at work or how we feel ripped off by a mechanic or how the government is unfair or full of crooks. I know I’m stepping on some toes here, but believe me when I say that as I consider the command God gave to Moses, I’ve done a lot of stomping on my own feet, too.  Finally, as we’re striving to accomplish these two steps, the last one is to share. We share with those who will follow us. If you’re in ministry, it’s grooming the next generation. If you’re a parent, it’s teaching God and His Word to your children. If you don’t meet either of these, it’s sharing with those believers around you who are younger and/or less mature in the faith. And I bet if we got serious about these things, we would see the revival our land and our world so greatly needs.

A New Day Dawning

Getting married can be done on a whim or it can be done carefully. My wife and I were talking about our wedding preparations and we were reminiscing about how many folks came together to make our wedding day very special. We put a lot of planning into the event, not only because we knew that it was a big step in our life together, but also because we were both college students and our budget was limited. We got help from family, but we wanted the day not to be about frills and money spent, but about love and the start of a life together. I believe that our wedding day accomplished that. We saw a member of Kimberly’s family reconcile with the rest of the family after years of estrangement. We have other great memories of that day, too – memories that 15 years later are still talked about by family and friends alike. It was a wonderful day. But there’s a better day coming. And it, too, requires our preparation. But not in the way we might think.

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. – Romans 13:11-14, NASB

We don’t know when Jesus will return. We know He will, but the when is not for us to know until He shows up. Still, what we can say with certainty is that each second that ticks by is a second closer to that special day. And that’s what Paul is getting at here. Every day we walk in the faith is another day closer to His return. And because we don’t know exactly when He will return, we must prepare for it like it could be now. In that day our salvation will be complete. In that day we will be reunited with our Savior. But there’s something He expects of us. He expects us to act in a certain way.

Note that Paul tells us to lay aside deeds of darkness, lusts of the flesh, carousing and drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, sensuality, strife, and jealousy. These are things that do not belong among God’s people and His Word is full of reminders that these are the sorts of things God does not treat lightly. These are things that represent our old selves, the way we were before being saved. We don’t have to be this way any longer. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be better. And that’s what Jesus expects of us. That’s what He wants.

We are given some figurative language as to how to behave. We are told to put on the armor of light. We are told to behave properly. We are told to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Think about those things. Still kind of abstract, right? Let me use a modern analogy. When we see a US Marine Corps drill instructor, we have certain expectations about how that person should look and act. The uniform is supposed to be crisp and perfect. The D.I. should carry himself or herself with bearing and poise. We would not expect crude or immature behavior out of one wearing such a uniform. So when a D.I. puts on that hat that marks out a drill instructor, we expect a certain level of behavior from that person. The same is true for us as Christians.

We are told to put on Christ. When we do, there is an expectation of acting as He would act. Now, we won’t be perfect. But we must try our best. We are to represent Him to the world around us. We are to show love, kindness, gentleness, integrity, honor, faith, and righteousness to those around us. Why? Because we don’t know when He’ll be back. Think of it this way… when I was in school, it was not unusual for me and my friends to wait until the last minute to prepare for an announced test. So if we knew a test was on Wednesday, there was a good bet it wasn’t going to be until Tuesday night that we studied for it. Teachers know how the game is played. And they have a weapon in their arsenal: the pop quiz. For teachers who make effective use of this weapon, we knew we had to keep up with the course. That meant doing our homework and our studying regularly rather than cramming at the last minute. Ultimately, when we approached a course this way, we learned the material better and we got more out of the course. Paul is looking at our lives the same way. If we knew when Christ would return, we might be tempted to live however we want until right before He came back. We’d treat that day like an announced test. But better for us (and for those around us) if we understood that Christ’s return was like the biggest pop quiz ever. We don’t know when, we just know it’s coming. So we prepare for it each and every day. Our earthly lives are better, they reflect our Savior better, and they serve as an example for others to see why we’re different and why Christ matters. That’s what Paul is getting at here.

So we have a choice to make. We can choose to try and guess when he’s coming back (or when we’re departing this life) and cram like for a major test, or we can steadily prepare each day. The latter is the smarter option, because we can’t predict the future. However, it’s our call. Christ wants us to prepare each day. He wants us to remember that every day that passes is another day closer to the completion of our salvation. It is another day closer to redemption, to perfection, to His victorious reign. And as we prepare, as we put on Christ each day, that preparation reminds us that we are drawing closer, that the promise given through Christ is closer. We are nearer than when we first believed. And that should give us great joy and comfort, for our Savior will deliver on His promise. So let us prepare for it.

It’s Not Just About Swearing

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my speech and my words of late. Those who know me know I never swear. I don’t even come close. I was taught a long time ago that swearing wasn’t proper. That was my mom’s influence, and a very strong one it was considering I grew up a Marine dependent. Some would say that if you can’t say something without swearing, then you don’t have a good grasp of the English language. I don’t think that’s the case. I know some pretty smart, articulate people who swear. So I go back to the swearing isn’t proper. Foul language isn’t necessary. There are other ways to say things. And if this applies to profanity, what else does it apply to? That’s been something the Holy Spirit has been prompting me on, whether we’re talking about face-to-face conversation or email/twitter.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. – Ephesians 5:1-4, NASB

One of the ways I’ve been challenged is in “playful picking.” This is where you make fun of friends, but in jest. Guys do it all the time. Guys from the military do it even more. Guys from the military who happened to graduate from a military college don’t even realize when they do it because it happens so often. There has been a lot of talk about how this is all part of the male bonding experience. And the same thing goes on with the female side. I see it all the time as a youth pastor. And before I wouldn’t have thought much of it. But that was before. Then I re-read Ephesians 5 very closely.

Be imitators of God. No filthiness and silly talk. No coarse jesting. That goes beyond swearing. That goes to the playful picking a lot of us do. That’s silly talk, isn’t it? And that got me to thinking about why Paul would have included this. First, even among friends, sometimes we go too far and feelings get hurt. We don’t mean it that way, but it happens. That’s not exactly walking in love, is it? And what about others who may be observing us. Oh, now that can be a problem. Because sometimes our jokes could be seen to imply immorality or impurity, or greed. Actually, when we are picking on someone, we’re usually putting them down in some way, meaning we’re typically centering on a fault, whether real or imagined. So for the observer, immorality or impurity or greed just got “named” among us, even if it’s a joke. The observer may not see it as a joke. Or if they do see it as a joke, they may wonder if there is still some truth underneath. That’s not good.

And that’s what what God has been convicting me with. Every time I have started to write a joke along those lines lately, I have felt the very strong desire to reconsider. The potential audience is always larger than the one I’m intending. And a bad day, misreading or mishearing my words, or just not realizing it’s a joke could lead to it being taken the wrong way. And let’s go a step further. Even when it is understood that something is in jest, it still can potentially hurt. Just because the person laughs along doesn’t mean it was nothing. And if I’m hurting my brother, I’m not loving my brother, am I? So to say I’m walking in love wouldn’t be accurate.

And it’s these sorts of thoughts that have hit home with me lately. I want to be an imitator of God. I know that’s a calling far better than anything I can hope to achieve. Yet still I must try. And that includes applying a higher standard to my words. It’s not just avoiding profanity and off-color jokes. It’s about ensuring my words are said in love, that they are edifying, and that if I do tell a joke, it’s not one at the expense of another. That’s avoids hurting another or giving the impression of immorality or impurity or greed.

Being a Rebel

I was doing some studying and the author made the point that when the Church looks like the world, we’re not very interesting. But when we look and act different, then there’s the potential for revival. That got me to thinking about movies and books. More often than not, we like the rebel. We like the guy who doesn’t fit in. Take Star Wars, for instance. Most folks seem to like Han Solo a whole lot more than Luke Skywalker. Or look at the X-Men. The only character to get a spin-off movie was Wolverine. Again, another rebel. Why do Frodo and Bilbo Baggins capture our attention? Perhaps it is because we are told they are peculiar. They aren’t like other hobbits. And then we meet the likes of Aragorn and Legolas and Gimli and we realize that they aren’t like others of their races. They are bolder, wilder, different. Maybe not to the point of being a rebel, but they stand out because they are not the same as others of their respective races. Or take Rocky. Rocky is known world-wide. He doesn’t quit. Ever. When others would pack it in, Rocky Balboa keeps going. He’s different. He’s cut from a different cloth. And we pay attention. Now I’ve taken some examples from popular culture, but hopefully it’s spurred on some thought. Because we, the Church, are supposed to be different.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. – 1 Peter 1:1-2, NASB

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. – John 15:18-19, NASB

Peter describes as aliens. Jesus tells us that the world hated Him, and so it will hate us. Why? Because we are not of the world. We’re supposed to be different. We’re supposed to be the rebels of our time. This sounds strange, especially when we talk about how we want to return to a time when the Church was respected and the Christian values espoused by our religious institutions were mainstream and beyond contestation. But truthfully, even in those periods in our history, much of the Church was still pursuing the same thing the rest of the world was. And it’s the same thing now. We pursue comfort. We pursue entertainment. We pursue respect and recognition. We pursue the “good life.” We pursue all the same things those who aren’t Christians pursue. And as a result, we aren’t any different. We aren’t the rebels standing out, saying, “I don’t care if you like me or not, because I’m going to live life the way I want to live it!” This is where we’ve got things wrong.

We’re supposed to be about the Cross. We’re supposed to be about being last and putting others first. We’re supposed to be about humbling ourselves, glorifying our Savior, and putting any vanity, any desire for respect or recognition by this world aside. We understand by choosing God we are putting ourselves in a position where the world at large is going to come against us. Why? Because we’re choosing against the values of the world. We’re saying it is better to give up everything than take what we “deserve.” We’re saying we willingly choose to live a life that’s not about seeking comfort and the “good life,” but rather seeking our Savior and living a life worthy of Him. Now that’s going to anger the world at large because of who is in charge of the world. But it’s going to cause us to stand out as the rebels. And when we do, we get noticed. Individuals who want a life different than the one they’re living will notice. They’ll wonder how we can stand firm, though we are so diametrically opposed to the goals that the world holds dear. The ones who have understood there is no happiness in the world’s goals because they’ve achieved some of them and found nothing of worth there will wonder why we are content. They’ll investigate us. And then we can help them meet our Savior. Then they’ll get a taste of real happiness. They’ll understand real joy. And they’ll join the rebel cause. Our cause. Christ’s cause. But to be the rebels of our time, we must intentionally and completely set ourselves apart from the world. We must be like Christ, emulating His example, seizing His goals and making them our own. Are you ready to be a rebel?

Being Set Apart

I was having a conversation at lunch today with another brother in Christ. As we were returning, we were talking about the growing of hair and the Nazirite vow. If you’re not familiar with it, you can find it in Numbers 6:

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate himself to the LORD, he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes. All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.

” ‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long. All the days of his separation to the LORD he shall not go near to a dead person. He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.

” ‘But if a man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his dedicated head of hair, then he shall shave his head on the day when he becomes clean; he shall shave it on the seventh day. Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting. The priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him concerning his sin because of the dead person. And that same day he shall consecrate his head, and shall dedicate to the LORD his days as a Nazirite, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering; but the former days will be void because his separation was defiled.
- Numbers 6:1-12, NASB

It’s not an easy vow. You couldn’t drink alcohol. You couldn’t cut your hair. And you couldn’t be near to a dead body. Break any of these restrictions, even if you had no control over the situation, and you had to start over with your vow. For instance, if someone dropped dead right besides you, though you couldn’t haven done anything to prevent it, you were starting over. If your vow was for 5 years and you were on the very last day, too bad. You would have to go through the ceremony to become clean again and then start over on Day 1. To sign up for that kind of vow takes serious commitment. But it’s worse than just honoring the strictures of the vow.

Think about this for a second. If you’re not cutting your hair and you’re not partaking of anything that comes the fruit of the grape, you’re going to separate yourself really quickly. It won’t take long for all those around you to know that you are undergoing the vow of the Nazirite. And that means those folks know what you can and cannot do. So if you end up breaking any part of the vow, they’re going to know. They know you are doing the vow and they know the rules of the vow. And they can call you on it. This isn’t the same as having a personal goal to lose 20 pounds. If you don’t say anything, no one knows about you goal except you. And they won’t call you on it. You don’t get that kind of “protection” with being a Nazirite.

And that got me thinking about how we’re doing as a Church. Are we looking to be set apart, to be examined with greater scrutiny, to live a life that brings glory and honor to our King? Think about it. If we’re living and doing it God’s way, then we should welcome the extra scrutiny. After all, it will give people a chance to see God at work. Because if we’re doing it God’s way, we’re opening the door for Him to whatever He wants to do. And that means the world around us sees Christ in our lives. That’s a good thing. That’s what we want. That’s part of our witness. But it starts with the desire to be set apart. We’ve got to separate ourselves from those who want to hold on to the things of the world. And we do so by sacrificial living for our Savior. No, we don’t have to grow our hair out. No, we don’t have to abstain from anything made from grapes. And the reward is out of this world. We receive a treasure in heaven where rust and moth can’t destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal. Sounds like a great deal to me.