Thursday, August 17, 2023
Why Christians Should Be Different
So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. (Ephesians 5:15-16 NLT)
Why is it that the Christians of the first century were able to do so much damage, in a positive sense, in such a relatively short period of time?
And how is it that these first-century believers, without the tools, technology, and media that we utilize today, were still able to radically impact their culture?
The short answer is they followed and practiced a Christianity that isn’t known by many in the twenty-first century. When we read about Christianity in New Testament books like Acts, we might classify it as something that was radical, over the top, and perhaps a bit on the extreme side.
But for these first-century believers, it would have been nothing less than ordinary Christian living. It is not that their faith was so radical. Rather, it’s that our faith is wimpy. Our faith, many times, is anemic. It doesn’t measure up to the standards of the New Testament.
Christians should differ from non-Christians in every realm, not just the religious realm. We should differ from non-Christians not simply because we show up at church on the weekend or attend a midweek Bible study.
Rather, we should differ from non-Christians because we conduct our businesses differently, we treat our spouses differently, and we raise our children differently. Our values should be different from those of non-Christians. People need to see this in our lives, but all too often, it simply isn’t happening.
Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15-16 NLT).
If we want to impact our world as the first-century believers did, then we have to get back to the principles they applied. It starts with the Christianity they practiced.
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