Dangerous

​We’re well into the New Year; the grind of the urgent has begun after our time of holiday, the resolutions we pledged to make are slipping away.  Back to the same-old-same-old. If I’m honest the same things happens in ministry and the church and opportunity for change or perhaps a new perspective (or dare I say a fresh wind and a fresh fire) goes with it.
 
But not this year.
 
This month, rather than talking about vision or moving forward I’m going to speak to one of my pet peeves in the church-our obsession with safety. We pray for safety all the time (don't get me wrong, I'm not reckless) and I wonder when we'll hear prayers that we may be dangerous to the darkness-filled work around us.  See if you agree with what you read:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.(Ephesians 2:10)
 
Now answer this question: what is the biggest threat that faces not only Christian youth but also the church?
Sex, drugs and rock and roll? Post-modernity?  Our Liberal Government?
 
Not even close. I think the biggest threat that we face as the church is something far more pervasive, but a threat that very few see coming. It's the threat of accepting the safe life. It's the life the elder brother chose in the story Jesus told about the prodigal son. It's a life defined by what you are not.
 
And yet we are God’s handiwork, created to do good works.
 
Are we or are we like most Christians who are satisfied by ‘not being bad?’ The issue is as long as you are content with who you are not, you're not embracing the person who God created you to be.
 
The gospel calls you to more, so much more. If you read Ephesians 2:10, you find that God considers each of His children a masterpiece, created as His finest work, to display His glory.  The gospel calls you to your original purpose, designed before the world began.  You were born for something. Hint: it’s not to sit around and live safely, measured, easy lives. You were born to live out a radical, difference-making life.
 
So what does that look like?  It could be in full-time ministry. God called me out a successful (and enjoyable!) career in the investment business.  Or instead it may be as a difference-maker in the fields of art or athletics or law or medicine.  The sky is literally the limit.
 
Be careful!  The enemy wants us to be content with just being the good little Christian who doesn't do anything wrong, but doesn't really do anything transforming either.  But the gospel calls you to something more.   Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 28 to go INTO the world and makes disciples of all nations. That means we need to be in the mix, get our hands dirty, roll up our sleeves and be engaged.
 
What does that look like?  I wish I could tell you but I do know that when you find it, it won’t be safe, in fact you’ll be dangerous. Dangerous to apathy, dangerous to status quo, dangerous to safe. Yes, it does have a cost and it is hard at times (trust me, I KNOW this!) but you have a God who put this plan together before the beginning of time, you are his HANDIWORK, his creations, and he has PLANS for you. How cool is that?
 
So want to make a resolution for 2019 (it’s still not too late!)?  How about seek to dive deeper into God’s plans for you and become dangerous?  If you’d like to jump out of the boat and start to swim and need someone to journey with you (like the Nave SEAL Swim Buddies) let me know. I don’t care if you’re from the GBC family or not or if you’re reading this on another continent, I’ll walk (or swim!) with you to the end of this. See this is how I want to be dangerous this year, by helping others do the same thing. Want to do it together?

#dangerous #faith #hope #livinghope #getoutoftheboat #journey

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