Key Verse

Matthew 5:13-16

¹³“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. ¹⁴You are the light of the world–like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. ¹⁵Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. ¹⁶In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Something To Think About

As human beings, we have a natural tendency to gravitate towards those who are like us and to those who make us most comfortable. So, our tendency as Christians is toward isolation from non-Christians.

I have a secret that can help you end this isolation. It’s a secret that will help you develop friendships of integrity with non-Christians. This secret has been developed and refined over thousands of years. This secret is so amazing that it will change your life forever. Never again will you wonder how to develop relationships with non-Christians. Are you ready to hear this secret? Can you handle it? OK - here it is:

Barbecue.

Food breaks down barriers. For an outsider it’s an island of familiarity in the weird world of church. It gives visitors a chance to see us at our most normal - Hey look, they eat the same food as us, maybe they’re not so different after all.

In his book, Becoming a Contagious Christian, Bill Hybels talks about the “Barbecue-First Principle.” He tells the story of a time he called out to his new neighbor who was next door in the yard and asked if the neighbor wanted to go with him to a church function. The neighbor hesitated and then responded, “No thanks, but if you ever want to barbecue let me know.”

The neighbor was interested in getting to know him first before he was willing to be influenced by any of his religious ideas. Hence, the “Barbecue-First principle.” Often, we need to invest in friendships and pay our relational rent before people will listen to our spiritual ideas.

In the Bible, one of the first practitioners of this secret was Matthew. In Luke 5:27-32, we read that Jesus saw a tax collector called Levi (a.k.a. Matthew) and said, “Follow Me”. Matthew immediately left everything and followed Jesus. He also wanted his friends to meet Jesus, so he threw a big party for Jesus at his house and invited all of his tax collector friends and others. Of course the religious leaders couldn’t understand how Jesus could eat with tax collectors. Didn’t he know that they were sinners? Jesus responded - “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, sick people do.” We need to learn the lesson of this verse. If we isolate ourselves, how can me minister to those who need to hear about Jesus the most?

Let’s Discuss

It is important that we not immerse ourselves into the secular culture so much so that we lose our message. How can we identify with the secular culture while being different from the culture?

Personal discomfort is the main difficulty that most Christians face when seeking to befriend non-Christians. What steps can we take to help us overcome these feelings of discomfort?

Who in your neighborhood can you invite over for barbecue?

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If you would like a printable copy of this devotional, we have provided one here.

A 21^st Century Christian must know how to get out of the church, off the internet, away from the iPod and into the life of others.

This is Pastor Bart Wilkins presenting the sixth and final message in our 21st Century Christian series entitled “Being A Christian In This Age Of Isolation”.

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Key Verse

Matthew 6:25

²⁵“So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life–whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing?

Something To Think About

Bill and Karen were your typical young successful couple. Two incomes, a large newly furnished home, new cars, college loans and credit card debt. They had it all. The only problem was that both of them had to continue to work to keep up with the payments. During discussions about having kids, it was decided that even if Karen wanted to stay home to raise the kids, they couldn’t afford to lose her income with all of the debt they had. Even the thought of paying the high daycare costs kept them from having kids right away. On the outside, they had the look of success. On the inside, they were miserable. Instead of owning all of this stuff, their stuff was owning them.

That is the trap a lot of people often find themselves in. In our culture, we are pressured to always drive the latest vehicle, own the latest electronic gadget, wear the latest fashions. According to the “pop culture”, you have to have the latest, greatest, biggest, coolest, hippest lifestyle available today! And tomorrow, you need more. It’s a never ending trap.

Don’t feel bad, this has been going on for a long time. Jesus told his disciples about this in Mark 8:36-37, ³⁶And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? ³⁷Is anything worth more than your soul?

You see, God doesn’t care how much you own. He cares about you. God is more interested in what you do for eternity than what you do for a living. It is important to develop an eternal perspective on our life here on earth. Once we start thinking and acting with an eternal perspective, the things of this world won’t matter much.

Paul figured it out. In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul said, “¹¹Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. ¹²I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.” _{Phil 4:11-13}

Material things will always let you down. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He will never let you down.

Let’s Discuss

What would happen to you if you lost the ability to earn an income tomorrow?

If God called you to go into the mission field full-time today, could you go?

Does your stuff own you? If so, what steps can you take to get out from under that oppression?

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If you would like a printable copy of this devotional, we have provided one here.

A 21^st Century Christian must know how to ignore the constant pressure to chase material junk.

This is Pastor Bart Wilkins presenting the fifth message in our 21st Century Christian series entitled “Being A Christian In This Age Of Bling”.

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Key Verse

2 Timothy 3:5

⁵They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.

Something To Think About

If you are a fan of the TV show, American Idol, the name William Hung most likely rings a bell. He became the face of the thousands of people who tried out for the show who couldn’t sing. My theory on why William Hung became so popular is that he truly didn’t know how bad he was. He honestly thought he was a good singer while the rest of world could hear otherwise. (Not to mention that his dancing was entertaining!)

Why did he become this cultural phenomenon? Is it that people like to see others make fools out of themselves so that they can feel better about themselves?

When you think of the “ideal” family as presented in today’s culture, what comes to mind? Two successful professionals, 2.5 kids, a dog, a large home in the suburbs, the kids involved in numerous activities outside of school. Church every Sunday. Everything is hunky-dory. Not a care in this world! Right?

That is the image that a lot of this world tries to keep up. We have the false ideal that we try to live up to and I suspect that for most people, it is a fragile shell. That is why watching William Hung sing “She Bang” is such a relief for us. For that brief moment, we can watch someone else completely make a fool out of themselves and we can forget about the facade that we have built up around our self.

Now think about what the world thinks about Christians? Let’s look at a few recent examples:

• Rev. Pat Robertson advocating the assassination of Hugo Chavez
• The preachers wife who just shot her husband.
• The priests that molest boys.
• Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart affairs.
• People who in Christ’s name bomb abortion clinics.
• How about the guy at the office who surfs porn on the Internet and gets fall down drunk at the company picnic but is known to be a deacon at his church?
• How about the woman who teaches Sunday school, attends Bible Study faithfully, but then gossips, spreads rumors, acts selfishly and betrays their friends?

As Christians, we need to be real.

Jesus gives us the freedom to be real.

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can come to Him and confess our own sin. We can be assured that we are forgiven, plus, we can be confident that He will continue to transform us into holiness. Will we ever be perfect? Not while we are here on this earth, but that is the point. Because we are followers of Christ, we can knock down the unreal facade and bare our ugliness to Christ so he can cleanse us from our sin. Then we will be able to say to the world, “Yea, I’m sinful but look at what God is doing in my life.”

That’s reality.

Let’s Discuss

What did Jesus think of hypocrites? (Matthew 23)

Since Jesus gives us the freedom to be real, does that give us a license to sin? (Rom 6:1-2)

What are the benefits to you by being real? (Gal 5:22-23)

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If you would like a printable copy of this devotional, we have provided one here.

A 21^st Century Christian must know how to cope with real life situations and issues.

This is Pastor Bart Wilkins presenting the fourth message in our 21st Century Christian series entitled “Being A Christian In This Age Of Reality”.

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Key Verse

Matthew 28:19-20

¹⁹Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Something To Think About

Who are you to judge me? Where do you get off telling me that I am wrong? Don’t push your morality on me! You’re just a bigoted homophobe. That might be your belief but it’s not mine. You should just accept everyone’s belief. How can she call herself a Christian acting like that? She is such a hypocrite.

How many times have you heard things like this? Maybe you’ve even said some of these things yourself. In today’s world, we are constantly pressured to just accept everything. The new definition of tolerance today means avoiding offending someone. This often times flys in the face of Biblical truth. So, how do we as 21st Century Christians speak truth in today’s climate of tolerance?

The first thing we have to remember is that people won’t understand the truth until they know the Savior. We should always be ready to share Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection for them when they are ready to hear the message. Look at the key verse once again. It’s actually two parts. Part one says to make disciples of all nations. The second part says to teach these new disciples to live like Christ. If we reverse that and tell people that they have to live like Christ before they believe in Him, nothing else we tell them will make sense.

Most importantly, along with truth the second thing we need to practice is love. We must learn to embrace everyone while not embracing all beliefs. We need to learn how to listen to and learn from all people without necessarily agreeing with them. We must aggressively practice love by actively seeking to promote the good of another person.

So how do we do this in the real world?

When Tolerance says, “You must approve of what I do.” Love says, “I will love you, even when your behavior offends me.”

When Tolerance says, “You must agree with me.” Love says, “I will listen to and learn from you without necessarily agreeing with you. I will speak the truth because I believe the truth will set you free.”

When Tolerance says, “You must allow me to have my way.” Love says, ” I will love you even though I know you’re way isn’t the right way. When you are ready to receive it, I will tell you about the right way.”

A principle that I say frequently is, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Purposefully develop love relationships with those people around you think are the farthest away from Christ. Through your love, following Jesus’ example, you will have an impact on them.

Let’s Discuss

How do you respond when people say, “You can’t legislate morality!” or “Don’t force your morality on me!”

Why is it important to belong to a group of Christian friends as it relates to tolerance?

Jesus said, “Don’t throw pearls down in front of pigs.”_{(Mat 7:1-6)} What did he mean by throwing pearls down in front of pigs and how does it apply to our topic of tolerance?

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If you would like a printable copy of this devotional, we have provided one here.

A 21^st Century Christian must know how to present God’s truth in a culture that only values grace.

This is Pastor Bart Wilkins presenting the third message in our 21st Century Christian series entitled “Being A Christian In This Age Of Tolerance”.

Direct Link To MP3 File