In Jesus’ most well-known message, the Sermon on Mount, He gives
a detailed description of the lifestyle that’s pleasing to God and
says that our lifestyle is an accurate reflection of both our
values and priorities.
In Jesus’ most well-known message, the Sermon on Mount, He gives a detailed description of the lifestyle that’s pleasing to God and says that our lifestyle is an accurate reflection of both our values and priorities. He said, “A tree is identified by the kind of fruit it produces. Figs never grow on thornbushes or grapes on bramble bushes. A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart” (Luke 6:44-45). Jesus integrally linked the concepts of good and evil to our lifestyle, so it’s imperative that we have a lifestyle that is grounded in love and intent on showing God’s goodness to those around us.
All of us are either thermometers or thermostats. Thermometers reflect the environment around them, while thermostats set it. God wants us to be thermostats, to penetrate our environment by positively influencing others. “Live an uncorrupted life, be a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Live clean, innocent lives in a dark world. Be a beacon light, shining forth the Word of Life” (Philippians 2:15-16).
If you study the parables of Jesus, you will see the concept of penetration over and over (salt penetrating meat, light penetrating darkness, yeast penetrating dough, etc.) When you become a Christian, you become an agent of God (but hopefully not a secret agent!).
Sometimes I hear people say, “I wish I could just work with other Christians; I’m tired of going to a job that’s so influenced by negatives and non-Christians.” To which God would say: “Time out! You’ve missed the point. I want you in that environment so you can be a positive influence, so you can become friends with others and demonstrate to them the lifestyle of joy that being a Christian is all about.”
In many ways, Christians today have created an alternative, parallel culture: they’re only friends with other Christians and they only go where other Christians congregate … but God says the answer is not in isolation from the world any more than it’s in imitation of it; rather, the answer is in insulation and infiltration.
What I mean by insulation is this: ever ate a fish caught in the ocean and wondered why you need to put salt on the fish? Even though that fish lived its whole life in salt water, it was insulated from it. Christians are to live the same way. When we live according to God’s Word, it is indeed possible to live in world corrupted by sin yet insulated by the power of God.
Then we need to infiltrate our environment with the message of hope found in Jesus Christ. Isn’t that why we are here? Think about it … if the goal of life after salvation is just to fellowship with other Christians, why doesn’t God just take us up to heaven immediately after we become believers? After all, Christians are the only people there!
I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it, but there are only two things you can do on earth that you can’t do in heaven: one is that you can influence people that don’t have a relationship with Christ; the second thing you can do on earth but not in heaven is live in sin. Which of these two do you suppose God is keeping you here to do?
Consider Titus 2:11-12, “For the free gift of eternal salvation is now being offered to everyone; and along with this gift comes the realization that God wants us to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures and to live good, God-fearing lives day after day.”
Why does God want us to live this way? So we can penetrate the spiritual darkness with His light! Christianity is more than just something you believe; it’s a lifestyle.
