How to make a difference

Colossians 1:3,4

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people.

A new poll says that faith in God is declining in our country and the impact among young people is more evident than in any other age group. When asked to explain this decline, pastors and bishops offered reasons that range from isolation during the big covid virus years to busy schedules to lack of religious teaching by parents.

"We're missing generations of people who aren't steeped in the liturgy of the church," said one clergyman. Another blamed churches for trying to make religion too user-friendly. "We're just caving to the culture and young people are finding it uninteresting."

Was that a problem described by the writers of the New Testament as they were trying to spread the Gospel and increase the number of Christ followers in the church? No, they did not set a goal of increasing numbers, like some kind of campaign to add new members to a club by the end of the year. That kind of effort is more of a marketing objective than a mission to save as many as possible from the judgment to come.

When the New Testament Christians were spreading the good news about Jesus Christ, and the culture was filled with people worshiping hundreds of different pagan gods, what caused the church to grow? What was different about those believers and the message they proclaimed?

The Apostle Paul shared why he was encouraged about the growth of the church and it is a reason he repeated often in his letters. He was celebrating the transforming power of God's Spirit in the lives of those who believed. He described two identifying marks that will have an impact on others if they see them in your life. First, the faith you have in the truth of Christ Jesus will be a shining beacon of light in a dark world that does not have answers to the questions of life. The world has abandoned truth and we can offer it boldly. When your faith in Jesus shapes your decisions, your speech, your outlook, and your character, then your friends and family will see why Jesus makes a difference in you.

Then, when they also see the love you have for others, in meaningful, actual ways…a love for other believers and for those who are not… they will want to have what you have. Jesus said that everyone will know that you are His disciple by the way you show love to each other. Today you can impact your world by living committed to the truth of the Bible and by showing love to someone who needs it.