The Whole World Is Watching
When is it the easiest to be a Christian? Most likely it is while you are at church! We try to shut the world out of our minds for just a little while and focus on God. In the sanctity of our surroundings it is easy to give a testimony. It is easy to read our bibles in church or Sunday school. But, how does it go on Monday? When you are cast back out in to the world. You may not be fortunate enough to be surrounded by Christians at school or the work place or amongst family. Your credentials as Christian may not be respected outside the doors of the church. Many times you may feel you are standing alone representing God. The Apostle Paul had a similar situation. He found himself standing alone representing God. Do you remember when Paul was a prisoner on board a ship? He was on his way to stand trial before Caesar. Acts/Chapter 27/Verses 15-24 Listen as Paul stands up for God in spite of their disbelief. Can you relate with Paul? Have you ever been the only one in a crowd who was willing to represent God and his views? Sometimes people will test your faith to see how you respond to their actions or speech. If they use fowl language or tell off color jokes they are watching to see how you respond. And I realize some people just don’t care. They just do as they please no matter who’s company their in. But, realize this! Often, the eyes of the world are on you. Paul had the full attention of these men on this ship and Paul knew that he was standing alone. Not a one of these men worshiped Paul’s God. If they worshipped any God at all it was an idol of some sort. What does it take for a Christian to stand tall when you are standing alone? First of all, we must remind ourselves that we are not standing alone. You and God make a majority. What did Jesus say to us in his written word? I will never leave you nor forsake you. Lo, I am with you always to the end of the age. We have angels watching over us - who will inherit our salvation. We may never see them manifested in our sight but, that does not mean that their not there. Acts/Chapter 27/Verses 23-25 Let’s read about Paul’s angel. That took courage for Paul to speak up like that. Where did his courage come from? Paul knew who he belonged to. Paul knew who he served. The angel encouraged Paul : do not be afraid. God in his grace had everything under control. As bad as these men on this ship wanted to hear good news - they were not worshiping the God who brought Paul courage. Do you get the picture? When we are standing in a confrontation such as this - our rights and our thoughts must not take priority. Seeking his directions for each situation. Nothing else matters except standing up for Jesus. Who do you belong to? Who do you serve? Who do you want to please? Jesus is the answer for our world today! When people share with you their problems. How do you react to their problem? ( Jesus is our help for today, our hope for tomorrow.) Do you immediately see an answer for their problem? Nothing is impossible with God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am the Lord the God of all mankind. Is anything to hard for me? The Lord is good a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. Greater things shall you do because I go to the father. If we know who we belong to and know who we serve we should feel confident - to share with people - the answer to their problems. Psalms/Chapter 1/Verses 1-3 We are to be like a tree planted by the rivers of water whose leaves will not wither and whatever he does will prosper. It will bring forth fruit in season. It is possible to spend your whole life knowing about the truth of God - but, never experiencing any of them. Simply knowing about the truths of God does not mean that they have become a part of your life. What are you doing with what you know about God? It is application: I believe that God brings people in to your life to see how we react to these situations. Loss a loved one, broken marriages, those with drinking problems, short on food on their table, the lady seeking help on a Sunday morning or the older gentleman seeking help with gas and money for a trip to Georgia. Who is God sending to you? Matthew/Chapter 17/Verses 15-17 Let’s look at a bible account that expresses this idea. Did Jesus give them the power to heal? Yes, he did. Matthew/Chapter 10/Verses 7-8 Why was Jesus so upset with them? Because they were supposed to be on a mission with him. Jesus used some very stern words with them. He called them faithless and perverse. Jesus wondered how much longer he would have to put up with this. We can become like those disciples if we get spiritually disoriented. It is up to us to spiritually discern what God is doing in our life. Who is he sending to us? Who is God wanting us to comfort or encourage or pray for their healing. Who is God wanting us to pray for : the strong holds to be broken over their situation. We can get distracted from God’s mission. Jesus’ disciples got distracted one time; worrying about who was going to be the greatest. We ourselves can become distracted by religion or the busyness of this world. We can become so involved in religious activity and worldly attractions that we are no longer any help to anyone. We need to take an inventory of our life and see what is fighting for our attentions. This is part of Satan’s strategy. If he can’t turn you away from Jesus, then he will just get you so busy that you are no longer effective for Him. We need to be faithful stewards of every life that God sends our way. Yes, my friends the whole world is watching and you have the power to help them out. What are you doing with your Christian life? Are you making a difference in peoples lives? God wants us to produce fruit. The whole world is watching. But more important yet, our Lord is watching. Who do you belong to? Who do you serve? Who do you want to please?
