The Power To Change A World Series

The Power to Change a World

ľ The eyes. They eyes tell it all. There is an entire world within every eye we look into. These amazing beings God has created, these humans, each represent for us an entire cosmos, a galaxy of potential beauty, of ability, of love, and creativity. As we gaze into the eyes we gaze into the window of the immortal soul but what often looks back at us is a frail shadow of what could be.

ľ Look into her eyes on a Sunday afternoon as the shadows break through her window. She lies on her dirty bed at seven, a child sex slave since the age of five-she has learned to watch the crack below her bolted door for the shoes of the next man who will rape her for pay.

ľ Her eyes tell it all. An entire world of pain, a history of suffering, a heart void of hope.

ľ C.S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory said "There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations-these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit-immortal horrors or everlasting splendors."

ľ But if I may be so bold as to correct C.S. Lewis, may I say to you that as we look into the eyes we see both immortal horror and everlasting splendor. What we see as we gaze in is both horrible as well as beautiful.

ƒæ It is into the eyes of immortality that we look as we look into the eyes of people-people, these amazing objects of God’s love. You, here, beloved of God, are amazing, each in her own way with her own history and hang-ups and cares and concerns-you are amazing-and God loves you!

ľ But the truth of the matter is that we need power-power to resurrect and bring life where there is death.

ľ The brokenness of our world and the brokenness of our souls are the result of sin, of a soul-sickness. Sin has contaminated all that is good and darkened the window of our souls and we need power to be free, to be cleansed, to be made whole.

ľ We need light to overcome the darkness of the world out there and the world in here and I want to tell you today that there is such a power.

ľ There is a power to change her world as she crouches by the dirty bed praying to a God she does not know.

ľ Power for a world filled with anguish for a childhood lost. Power for a world of sickness as sticky men dump their disease into her 7 year old body. There is a power to change her world.

ľ The despair of the AIDS orphan in Africa, the fear of the homeless child in Mexico, the hopelessness of the child sex slave in Indonesia, the despondency of the Congolese child soldier-there is a power to change their world.

ľ You see there is a power that can change a world-the world of the individual, the immortal soul of those lost in this soul-sickness, in sin.

ľ And as we take this power and apply it to their lives we change their world. May I say to you today that when we change a world we change the world?

ľ There is a power that can change our world as well-the world impoverished American spirituality-of the emptiness and consumption that calls us to turn inward to our own lusts and away from a life of communion with Jesus Christ.

ľ There is a power to change the world of the cosmos that is shell-shocked and decaying because of all that is evil.

ľ The great news is that Jesus Christ has come into this world not only to take away the soul-sickness of men but also to bring the Kingdom of God to Earth.

ľ God calls every Christian to this work, the work of evangelism, to take this power into the dark world as heralds.

ľ We are all heralds of this great news! The word "herald" is an antiquated word that goes back to the days prior to the printing press when news would be verbally delivered by designated messengers. A herald would be the one who would go to the street corner and hilltop and shout to a town or village, announcing what was of utmost importance for the people to know.

ƒæ We are all God’s designated messengers of the ancient good news for a new age. Regardless of what campus you are on, Christian or secular, we are to herald the good news in a culturally relevant way.