Boldness

3-26-2009
The song you hear when going to www.loganstout.com is by a Christian band called Casting Crowns, and the first time I heard this song I was blown away. I felt convicted in a way. I want to encourage you to listen to the song all the way through, and really focus on the words. The message I receive is “Be the Body of Christ.” Christ called us to love one another, to have pure hearts, and to be Christ like. Here’s the problem, too many people have no idea who Christ really is. You cannot truly love something or someone without truly knowing them first. If you don’t truly know Christ, you cannot possibly love Him, or imitate Him.
When I was a youth minister, I recall a couple of times when people would say to me, “you just don’t seem like a youth minister.” I would of course ask the question, “What makes you say that,” knowing all along why they made the comment. “Well, you’re just…just…you have such a strong personality. When I think of a youth minister, usually I think of someone with a very nice personality and sort of passive in a way, and they are very non-confrontational. You seem so driven.” I would always sort of chuckle and then move on.
You see, the reason I chuckle when that is said, is I 100% agree. Here’s the problem I have, Christ wasn’t a typical youth minister. Christ went against the grain. He was bold, and yes, he was confrontational. Take a quick look at the first time Jesus cleared the temple in John 2: 13-17, and then again in Matthew 21:12-13. The Bible says, “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.” Does that sound like someone with a weak personality? NO. Does that sound like someone that is passive? NO! If you read the words and actions of Christ, he was the toughest man alive! He had the strongest personality of anyone I’ve ever known or read about. He was bold for what was right, and literally overthrew tables in the temple when the merchants did wrong! Jesus is the most driven person to ever walk the earth, and YES HE WALKED THE EARTH. Jesus did not dodge confrontation and he certainly didn’t beat around the bush. He wasn’t concerned with disrupting others beliefs, He delivered the message of God both with His actions and His words. Does this sound passive, “My you never bear fruit again,” I think not. How about this one, “Have you never read in the Scriptures?” You get the point.
When I see believers of Christ, and yes many times they are the leaders of churches, act the way a “typical youth minister” is described, I immediately get concerned. We cannot change the world if we are weak and passive. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe in beating people over the head with the bible. I believe in standing up for what is right, and BEING THE BODY OF CHRIST, as the song on the website describes. Live how Christ lived. How do we know how Christ lived? Read the bible! You will be blown away at His boldness and fearlessness. Read the book of Matthew and pay close attention to Christs’ to the point message, and his boldness. I love Matthew 26:38, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” This is Christ speaking bluntly and directly to his disciples.
I love Christ’s drive. I want to encourage you to read Jesus last words, also known as His Great Commission In Matthew 28: 18-20. He was driven to spread the message for His entire life on earth.
My message this morning could possibly lead people the wrong way, so let me clarify. Do not try to be someone you aren’t. We are all born with different demeanors, and some of us are more passive than others. Christ is the only sinless person to ever walk the earth. Christ is patient, kind, humble, and everything he did was out of love, and this has some people confused about the demeanor of Christ. Stand up for what you believe in, and stay driven to continue to spread the word of Christ, and yes, sometimes that means you are going to have to be a little confrontational. In everything you do, do it out of love, and hopefully you don’t have to overturn tables at your church. J
Application:
1. Read as much of the “red letters” in the book of Matthew and notice how to the point Christ was when he spoke.
2. Do you truly understand the personality of Christ? If not, read about him in the book of Matthew.