Acts 13:36 (NLT2) …for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors…
Yesterday we talked about purpose...just to recap, we said that there are two main purposes in life: 1) honor/love God 2) Love and serve others. Everything that we do should be focused toward those two goals. Everything.
Today's passage follows up these with an important concept to keep in mind: Relevancy.
Loving God is a personal connection between you and your Creator...there are many ways to do it and we're not going to discuss those specifically here. What I want to look at today is the other half....loving others. Can you truly connect and love others without understanding who they are and how they feel? Let's look at this study from Barna research:
Young Americans are increasingly turning away from Christianity and expressing negative views of the faith, according to a startling new survey by Ventura-based Barna Group.
Only 60 percent of 16- to 29-year-olds describe themselves as Christians, according to Barna Group President David Kinnaman. He believes that figure represents "a momentous shift," noting that 77 percent of Americans over age 60 consider themselves Christians.
"Each generation is becoming increasingly secular," said Kinnaman, who details the findings in his new book "unChristian" (Baker Books).
What's more, young people — Christians and non-Christians alike — feel increasingly disillusioned with the church, according to the results of Kinnaman's three-year research project involving 305 churchgoers and 440 outsiders.
Among young non-Christians, nine out of the top 12 perceptions of Christianity were negative. Large majorities called the church judgmental (87 percent), hypocritical (85 percent) and too involved with politics (75 percent).
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/nov/03/a-momentous-shift/This piece of an article should make you think. Why is this happening? We know that we need to love and serve others...but we HAVE to stay relevant and connected to the culture in which we are living. I'm not saying become like the world. I am not saying let's change the message of God...I am saying that we've got to know how to connect with people today. 87 percent of those polled think that the church is judgmental and hypocritical? What does that say about our relevancy? What does that imply about our generation?
Let's look at the verse again...David died after serving God's will "in his own generation." The Bible doesn't just say he died and was buried. I think this is for a reason. David connected with those that were living at the same time he was. He was relevant. He made an effort to understand his culture, his environment, and how he could integrate the two to tell people about Christ. Do you realize that the reason you are here...in 2008...is to reach people for Him in 2008? Can we do this without understanding who we are trying to reach? I don't think so.
Let's really commit today to reaching out to those that are around us in a relevant way. Let's make an effort to really reach people...to empathize and understand those around us. God designed each one of us to build real relationships...to be normal, Christ-loving, and committed believers... That's the way we are going to be able to effectively love others today...and reverse the current perspective on Christians.
Write it Down: Ask yourself these questions: 1) Am I aware of the environment around me? 2) Do I struggle with staying relevant 3) Who in my life right now has God placed on my heart to reach? Why haven't I talked to them about God yet?
Let's stay relevant!
Pastor Brian
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