Conflict of Interest
Many of us today don’t give this impression to the world. We’ve kind of made the believer an ordinary person; someone who is just like anyone else.
(2 Corinthians 5:17) “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has
become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
Instead of looking like new people in the world…
We have become chameleons of sorts, that just blend into the
back drop of the world.
In New Testament times and in early church history those people
who became Christians were noticed by the world; and in a fairly short time,
they turned the world "upside down."
The Church then came to lead the world, because the Christian person had something the world did not. Today this distinction in many ways….. is lacking.
It’s been said “If a good person outside the Church
can stand for the same things a Christian does, there is no use becoming part
of the Church.”
Many choose to just be activists for causes…rather than
followers of Christ.
Believers have to testify that we have something that can’t be
had anywhere else. This isn’t done with arrogance, pride or malice, but
it’s done with boldness and conviction. It’s done in the way we live our lives.
To do this we must absolutely understand the real nature of
Christianity.
What does it really mean to be a believer?
Too often Christianity is thought of as simply living a moral
life.
Some people think that as long as they don't lie, and abstain
from many of life's pleasures, they are good Christians. But that kind of view
of Christianity is totally inadequate.
If that’s all there is, where does Christianity transcend the secular
world?
There is an urgent need to build an understanding between merely
being a “good person” and being a Christian.
One of the best ways to do this is to truly know Jesus…and what
he said!
Jesus was loving and welcoming and forgiving, but he also didn’t
mince his words. Jesus invited everyone to follow him
BUT TO DO THAT REQUIRED SOMETHING MANY COULD NOT DO.
SURRENDER!!!
Luke 9:57-62 says “As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow
you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and
birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”
The
man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury
their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”
Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will
follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”
But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the
plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
In other words, Jesus is saying..You need to put ME first.
Then in Mark 10:17-22 it says “As Jesus was starting out on his
way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your
question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit
adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat
anyone. Honor your father and mother.’[a]”
“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments
since I was young.”
Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for
him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions
and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then
come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for
he had many possessions.
We can replace money with anything here…things we possess or
hold on to that we don’t want to give up.
Those can also be old ways that we hold on to, out of nostalgia or simply
the comfort of sameness.
What do we see here?
Do we see Jesus saying…."Hold on to the things you find
important and bring them along….and follow me.” Or
“Keep your loyalties to other beliefs and things…..and follow
me.”
Or “Keep your allegiances to other people and follow me….” Or
“Keep the status quo of your lives and follow me…..”
No….Jesus doesn’t say that.
We like to live in the “come as you are” picture of
Jesus…
And he does want us to “come as we are”, but He wants us
to surrender all we are to him.
In each of these scenarios he’s asking for complete surrender.
Notice the invitation is there for each and every person.
Jesus does not exclude anyone!
But he requires their complete devotion and attention.
Jesus knew as he says in Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you
will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and
despise the other.”
What are our Masters?
Where is our allegiance?
What makes us prideful?
Is it a title? A way in which we identify
ourselves?
Is it a behavior or habit that we hold on to
even though we know it challenges our faith?
Are we truly following Jesus….or are we just
keeping him in our line of sight?
Are we just packing him away in our peripheral…….for
when we need him?
Sometimes we put our own agenda’s ahead of
Gods.
We create a conflict between who we believe
ourselves to be…. and who God says we are.
That’s when we filter things like social
justice through our own perceptions and opinions and emotions…. rather than first
following Christ.
When we first follow Christ….when we surrender
to His will…..
THEN we become a vessel for HIS Social Justice.
We are no longer leading with anger or pride or
opinion…..
We are allowing Jesus to work THROUGH US!
When we get ahead of Jesus….we become like the
anxious follower.
We become like the man waiting for his inheritance.
We become like the man who puts his personal
relationships ahead of his relationship with Jesus.
They each had a conflict that got in the way of
their relationship with Christ.
They had “conflict of interests” instead of
living lives THROUGH faithfulness to Christ.
See the difference?
We’re not bringing our priorities to Christ and
asking him to work around them.
We bring our surrendered selves to Christ and
ask him to work THROUGH US!
There’s a big difference there!
C.S. Lewis once said that “all genuine
religious conversions are blessed defeats.”
You want to know the secret to finding God’s
will? A surrendered spirit.
This means we have to change how we approach
God and his will for us.
Instead of deciding what we want to do
and asking God to bless it,..
we decide to surrender all we are to God and
ask him what he wants to do with us.
We put ourselves at the disposal of God.
Then and only then, will we be clear about our
Lord’s will for our lives.
God will break through our lives like
dynamite!
Because, if Jesus is really Lord of our lives,
then he will rule every area of our lives. imagine what we could become
with a surrendered spirit to God. Imagine what our churches could become with
congregations of people putting down their ways to follow Gods will.
It’s time to crucify our “conflicts”
And when we crucify our conflicts on the cross
of Jesus, we become transformed.
In the words of Romans 12:1-2: "Therefore,
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies
as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of
worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God's will is -- his good, pleasing, and perfect will."
It's time to Confront our conflict, correct our
ways and let go of the “Masters” that compete for our lives. It’s time to Crucify
OUR desires on the cross.
When we do that….our conflicts die, but our
spirits rise again.
And that’s when we become true believers, with no “conflict
of interest."
-Pastor Patti
Love it! Thank you!
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