A conversation with our mirror

It has been interesting to hear leaders like J.D. Vance speak boldly and nationally about Charlie Kirk. I listened to Vice President Vance’s interview on Fox and heard the gospel message presented to anyone listening. It is truly a unique time for our nation and hopefully an important time for God’s kingdom purpose. As Vance recommended, every Christian can use this time to “look in the mirror,” examine their own lives, and consider their witness to others. We all have sinful tendencies that, if left unexamined, can produce wrong actions. Christians, however, also have the unique ability to function under the Holy Spirit’s direction. It isn’t difficult to know who is in control of our thoughts and words. Is it self? Satan? Or is it the Spirit?

We can begin by asking our mirror: Am I sharing my faith as a regular, normal part of my daily conversations?

Witnessing isn’t just something we do; it is who the Holy Spirit creates us to be

Acts 1:8 clearly states that we “received power” when the Holy Spirit entered our lives and we became witnesses at that moment. The word in Greek literally means we “were transformed to be” witnesses everywhere we go.

If the Spirit controls our lives, He will lead us to share our faith as naturally as we might share a story we heard on the news or information about a mutual friend. So many hesitate, fearing they don’t know what to say in that moment. That’s actually a good thing. We should hesitate before we share the gospel because in that moment, we should be careful to pause and ask the Spirit of Christ to share the gospel through us. We aren’t supposed to create the words only from our thoughts and ideas. Jesus wants to say some things through us.

When last did you share your faith in Christ with someone else as part of a normal conversation? If you are prepared to yield your thoughts and words to the Holy Spirit, you will find yourself sharing the gospel or an inspired thought from God more often.

The Holy Spirit entered your life and you were reborn – as a witness, everywhere you go.

Can we describe ourselves like Paul described himself?

I love the book of Titus. Paul wrote that letter to a slave owner, and the style of Titus is a classic Greek “persuasive” message. Paul wanted Titus, the slave owner, to welcome back Onesimus, his runaway slave, as a fellow Christian and brother. 

Paul opens his letter by describing himself as “a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” (Titus 1:1). You might say that Paul was offering his personal mission statement. If we substitute the word “apostle” with “disciple,” those words become an important mission statement for every Christian.

Can we describe ourselves as “a servant of God” and a disciple of Jesus Christ? Is our mission “to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness?” If that were our personal goal each day, how often would we hear ourselves sharing a thought or a message about Christ?

How is the Holy Spirit at work in your life to speak biblical truth as a regular part of your conversations?

Share what you know and allow God to do the rest

In his interview, J.D. Vance told Jesse Waters that Charlie would be so happy if one of the outcomes of his death were that “people would return to church” and Christian values. He hoped that more and more people would begin “speaking the truth about Christ.”

We know:

  • Jesus died to pay the price for everyone’s sins. 
  • All are invited to join the Christian family of faith.
  • “All have sinned” and fall short of perfection and God’s glory.
  • All can repent and invite Jesus to be their Lord and Savior.
  • We can all trust Jesus and receive his promised salvation if we will “call on his name.”
  • All who come to faith in Jesus will receive the “power” Jesus promised through his Holy Spirit.
  • All Christians are born again as witnesses to the gospel message.

But not all Christians live like the new, born-again person the Spirit wants us to be daily. That is the conversation we all need to have with our mirrors.

The conversation with our mirrors

We use our mirrors to ensure we present an improved self to the world. A good God conversation with our mirrors will likely enable an improved witness to others. 

  • An honest assessment of ourselves will likely provide the grace we need for others.
  • Honest gratitude toward God will create excitement in our discussion of Christ.
  • True repentance leads to the joy-filled knowledge of our own salvation.
  • Trust in Jesus leads to hope for eternal life.
  • The joy of our hope in Christ is something we will naturally want others to have as well.

Our mirrors can provide us the honest view of ourselves that we need to humbly share the good news of Christ with genuine grace, love, and compassion. Paul ministered to people every day, knowing who he had been and knowing who he had become.

And Paul’s witness changed the world. 

Who will our witness impact today? Let’s take some time with our mirrors and gain an honest, Spirit-led spiritual assessment of ourselves. Those moments of quiet contemplation will allow God’s Spirit to minister to our lives so he can use us to minister to others.

Let’s remember that our mission is like Paul’s: “to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” (Titus 1:1). I hope it’s a wonderful, Spirit-driven day for all of us.

The Painted Churches of Texas

Jim and I spent last week driving through small towns in Texas that I had never heard of. The wildflowers were beautiful, the cows were numerous, and the temperature was more like July than May. I had always wanted to visit the Painted Churches of Texas. 

German and Czech immigrants began arriving in Texas in the 1840s. They settled in the lands outside of Austin and began farming, ranching, and working in other related industries. The immigrants were mostly Catholic believers and wanted to attend a church that felt familiar, which meant they needed to build their own churches on Texas soil. 

The Painted Churches still stand

These Texas churches were built to look like small but grand European churches. The pillars are often painted to look like marble, the windows are made of stained glass, and the altars are ornate and beautiful. The walls and ceilings are filled with murals depicting their homeland and scenes from the Bible. Their statues, confessionals, and lighting were surprisingly decorative and not typical of the average rural Texas church. 

Jim and I had a wonderful road trip to towns we had never visited to see these churches. My takeaway from the time we spent was this: our heavenly family will be vastly different than the typical church families on earth. 

The communities of the Painted Churches have dwindled in size, but the churches still stand. The congregations still worship at the same altars where many of their ancestors worshiped. A timeless thread of family is woven into each of those churches, evident in the historic graveyards located just outside of the walls. It was surprising how many of the people we spoke with had always lived in that one small town and attended the same rural church for their entire lives. 

The church is their family history, and they want it to be their children’s history too.  

Generational faith

God created the whole idea of a family as the ideal way to live our lives on earth. Adam and Eve created a family. Abraham was told he would be the “father” of many nations. The Holy Land was divided into sections for each family. Jesus called God Abba and called us his brothers and sisters. 

It seems like God intended the family to be the strongest of our earthly relationships. That said, we don’t have to look past Adam’s family to see that families can also have their struggles. Every family member has a unique personality and a free will to make their choices.  

That is true for our earthly family and our church family. The “Painted Churches of Texas” were a reminder of how uniquely diverse our eternal family is going to be in heaven. 

I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to live in one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone and many are related to the people they know. The trains still run through the center of town and there is one small grocery store. It’s obvious that there is not a lot of wealth, but it’s equally obvious that people enjoy a comfortable life. 

We were often asked where we were from. When we said Dallas, people shook their heads and spoke of the big crowds and rush-hour traffic. They can’t imagine living in a big city—and I feel much the same way about their way of life in their small towns. 

Different ways of worshiping the same God

There are a lot of people who worship God on Sundays that I will probably never sit next to in a pew. We live in different places, worship in different ways, and don’t have very much in common to discuss. But we share a great love for our Lord. We are a diverse family, but we are family. One day we will worship together eternally, as a family of faith.  

The Ephesian church family was both Jewish and Gentile. Some were wealthy merchants while others served as slaves. Some of the women had come to the church out of temple prostitution while others came from wealthy Roman families. Some would have been dressed in fine linen and others in beggars’ rags. Ephesus was likely the most diverse Christian church in Scripture. 

Paul wrote to this church saying, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14–19).  

Paul understood that for the church in Ephesus to thrive amid diversity, the Christians would need to be strengthened by the Spirit and live grounded in their love of Christ. Their unity in diversity was a loud witness to the Roman culture. Our world needs that same witness today.  

A God appointment

The first of the Painted Churches we visited had a beautiful cemetery nearby. It was still the cool of the morning, so we walked through it reading the historical markers and the family names. We passed by a grave that still held the flowers and wreath from a recent funeral. 

I looked at the tombstone and noticed the two names. The husband had passed away and his wife was now a widow. I found myself praying for her by name and for her family, knowing they would be grieving. 

The fourth church we visited had a small gift shop nearby, so we went in. I struck up a conversation with a woman there who asked if we had been by her home church. It was that first church we had visited. When I told her I had, she said she had just been there last week for her brother’s funeral. 

I looked at her and asked, “Is Ronnie your sister-in-law?” 

She looked startled and quietly said yes. 

I explained that I had seen a fresh grave in the cemetery, then told her that I had prayed for her earlier that morning and was glad to meet her. We spoke a little longer and I left. 

I will probably never see her again this side of heaven, but I enjoyed meeting my new “sister” in that small Texas town. She is family and it was a blessing to meet her and talk to her. I was glad God had set up our appointment with one another.  

The best witness we can share with the world is the unity that our faith provides. People usually want to be part of a family, and we can invite them to be part of God’s family of faith. It is a powerful answer to the diversity and adversity our world is feeling right now. 

Whom will the Spirit lead you toward this week? We all have God appointments to keep and those moments are our great blessings. 

Will you pray Paul’s prayer today and then live led by God’s answers? God’s blessings are often tied to the appointments his Spirit leads us to keep each day. 

Family was always God’s plan, now and eternally. So, to all my brothers and sisters in Christ, enjoy this week as you serve God’s purpose in your life. 

I will see you all . . . someday. 

The State of the Union

I couldn’t help but wonder: If Jesus addressed the state of the church, would he find the people of faith as divided as our politicians?

The lack of unity seems to be the only thing our government representatives can agree upon. I feel the same about those of us who are called to represent Christ to America. Is it really possible for us to be “one nation” under God if we can’t even be “one church” under God? 

The only unifying force powerful enough to control human divisions is God. Division doesn’t exist because of our leaders. Those people just represent their followers. Division exists because we are not willing to be a nation, or a church, “under God.”  

Division is normal 

It didn’t take long for God’s people to divide. Think about Cain and Abel, Abraham and Lot, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, Judas and the other apostles, or Paul and Barnabus. Truthfully, division is the norm. Unity is rare, even in Scripture. 

Paul helped the Christians in Corinth form a church. A few years later, he wrote a lengthy letter because representatives from that young church had come to see him in Ephesus, concerned about the divisions developing in their young congregation.  

In the first chapter he wrote, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).  

Unity is rare, and of high value 

Paul appealed to the Christians in Corinth to desire unity, then he told them how to find it. They would need to have the “same mind” and the “same judgment.” 

Picture the president standing in front of the American culture and saying, “I expect all Americans to have a unanimous vote this election season.” That is exactly how these Corinthians would have viewed Paul’s statement. 

If unity has always been impossible, why did Paul make an appeal for it? 

Paul knew that unity was possible, and he knew how to achieve it. He told the Corinthians, “‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). 

Unity is rare, but possible. Division is normal, and what the average person should expect. But, Christians aren’t supposed to be average. We have “the mind of Christ.”  

We just need to think with it. 

The state of the church

If Paul were delivering a State of the Church speech, I believe he would begin his message by saying, “I appeal to all Christians to be undivided, because you can be united under God through the mind of Christ.”  

If you are like me, you would agree with Paul’s goal—but the next thought would be “impossible.” 

All things are possible with God 

God told Jeremiah, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27). 

The angel told Abram, “Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son” (Genesis 18:14). 

Jesus told his disciples, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). 

The point of this blog today is to ask: Have we forgotten that the impossible is possible with God? 

One nation, under God 

Have you stopped hoping for a better “state of the union?” 

Are we hoping our side will win, or are we hoping our country will be unified? 

Have we lowered our standards to what we hope to achieve? 

And, do we hold the same standards for our churches that we do for our nation? 

If so, we are not thinking with the mind of Christ. If we don’t believe unity is possible, it won’t be. 

If my people . . . 

God told King Solomon, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). I often teach the key to that verse is the first three words: “if my people.” 

Christians can change the world. Nothing is impossible—with God. 

The key is to stop trying to change other people’s minds and do what is necessary to change our own thoughts. We need to stop thinking like the world. 

Christians have the mind of Christ. Let’s use it. 

If you . . . 

How will Jesus change your thinking today? 

The state of our lives, the state of our union, and the state of our churches will begin to change with his great thoughts. He just needs his people to think with them. Jesus needs you to think like him. 

Our first thought needs to be: Do I believe unity is possible? 

The second might be to pray: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” 

Nothing is impossible with God. 

When the Whole World Agrees

Churches all over the world prayed. The breaking news was reported in every language. The boys were coming out of that cave and they were safe. The whole world responded with jubilation and praise for the rescued and for the rescuers. It is easy to agree when we all believe in the same outcome.

I was struck by the contrast in the news reported. People everywhere cared about those boys in Thailand and wanted them to be saved. But, after the lead story united the country, the next stories divided. Our Supreme Court candidate is a positive for some, a negative for others. There are decisions to make about the children of immigrants who remain separated from their parents. Another angry, and probably frightened, police officer’s actions are recorded on a cell phone. And all of us will be impacted in some way by the higher tariffs on imported goods.

But, the most compelling story is the rescue of those boys. I like what that says about our world. We disagree about a lot of things, but we all agree that we should fight for the lives of those children. That outcome is worthy of our best efforts, and we can be unified by a shared goal.

I’m ready for Christians to be unified again. There are a lot of debates among us that remain unresolved because we each have our own opinions of right and wrong and our own values based on personal comfort and security. Jesus knew that would happen to us so, as he waited for the soldiers to come and arrest him, he prayed that his disciples would be unified. His prayer was preserved in Scripture so that we would understand how that unity is possible. Jesus prayed to God, saying, “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:23).

A disciple of Christ will impact a lot of people in a lot of different circumstances. But we have one message that will always unify us and dignify Jesus. Jesus called it the gospel message, the good news that is for everyone. When we are one with Jesus like he was one with God, we will show the world that God so loved every person, he sent his Son so they could be saved (John 3:16). People need to know how much they are loved by their Creator.

I imagine those boys are going to be amazed at the interest the world has taken in their lives. Two weeks ago, only a small number of people knew their names and cared about their lives. Now, an entire world wants to know more about them. But, two years from now, who will continue to care? I imagine those divers who risked their lives for those boys and many of the reporters who camped at that cave will still care. The families and their friends will still care. And God will love them in the coming years, as much as he loves them today.

There is a popular Pinterest quote by Dr. Frank Hayden that says, “I cannot make a difference in the world, but I can make a world of difference in a few people’s lives.” Jesus taught the same lesson when he said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). It is easy to feel powerless when we focus on the big picture. Most of us will never have a national impact with our lives, but Jesus said all of us would have an impact as his disciple—if we follow his lead.

Those boys will remain the focus of world news until reporters have exhausted the story. Soon, another story will become the most compelling news in the world. But Jesus walked this planet more than two thousand years ago, and he is still impacting the world every day. Jesus has disciples who are still his followers. Individually, we aren’t changing the world, but each of us is making a world of difference to some.

If you are one with Jesus, your life will impact someone else today for a kingdom purpose. How do I know that? Because Jesus said, “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:20). When you are one with Christ, then Jesus will say something through you today, and his words always have an impact.

It is easy to be unified when we all share the same desired outcome. Everyone you meet today is going to heaven or to their death. That is the outcome that should unify and guide our lives today. Disciples are one with Jesus and share his priorities. Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

You might not impact the world today, but you will impact heaven, forever. I think we can all agree with the importance of that outcome.