Inoculating the World

As Christians, we are called to live in a way that often counters culture. We are called to love our enemies, to put others first, to control our anger, and to turn the other cheek. We are also called to remain faithful and obedient to God’s Word and His will for our lives while we seek to show others the love and peace that Jesus offers. This calling is one that stands in stark contrast to the selfish ways of the world but exemplifies the selfless love of our Savior in a beautiful way.

This contrast between the world’s standards and God’s calling can cause a lot of angst for followers of Jesus. This tension and a desire to be accepted by the world can cause followers to compromise truth, to be vague rather than being honest with Scripture, to change the message until it looks more like the world than God’s Word. God is faithful, and He promises us many blessings as His followers, but He doesn’t promise popularity.

Even from a cursory look at the religious climate among us today, it seems that many are striving for popularity, inoculating the world with a mild form of Christianity. This mild form of Christianity simply waters down the message of God in hopes of being more attractive to those outside of Christ. This is nothing short of conformity with culture. Those who fall into this trap start compromising what they believe and the way they act in order to appeal to and appease the surrounding culture. They may even genuinely believe that doing so is both loving and strategic. The hope is that somehow those outside of Christ will be attracted to Jesus through what is perceived as a "less offensive" form of Christianity and will ultimately be saved. But we need to remember that our goal is not to make following Jesus easier. Our goal is to follow Jesus (however challenging that may be) and invite others to follow with us (however challenging that may be).

We have to make sure that we keep a check on our hearts and our motives. Are we compromising the message of truth to be more attractive to the world, to be more popular or to have more of a following? Are we committed to being followers of Jesus regardless of what the world thinks about Him...or us?

Rejection and adversity may very well come, but thankfully our Savior understands those experiences to the full. He promises to walk alongside us and never leave us. God loves us more than we can imagine, and He has provided a way for us to experience and share His love, grace, and mercy to those around us. We must lean on Him and His strength as we strive to accomplish His will in a challenging world. His desire for us is to continue demonstrating love and an obedient faith in our lives and to “Be the Good” in a world that needs so much good. May we always strive to live lives that bring honor and glory to God and Christ!