Being Christ's Light in Crazy Times
Pastoral | October 24, 2024 | By: John Corpstein
We live in a time when many norms feel upside down—lies are truths and truths are lies, and we are left wondering which way is up. Thankfully, the Lord gives us hope from His Word and wisdom to decipher the craziness. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding (Psalm 111:10).”
During this election season, it’s tempting to pin our hopes on the outcome we desire. But we obviously can’t depend on governments to turn our culture toward a biblical worldview. And yet, we shouldn’t be passive either, as God calls His children to be good stewards and good citizens. This includes being active and engaged in our communities and sharing the hope we have in Jesus, “with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:14-15).”
It also involves stewarding our opportunity to make wise choices with our vote. As Jesus said in Mark 12:17, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And today, we get to help choose which Caesar! People in many other nations with dictators and kings don’t enjoy this right. But surprisingly, a Barna Group survey found that 32 million professed Christians will probably not vote in this election.
As SBC’s Stewardship Pastor, I’m passionate about us exercising our stewardship in all areas of life, including our rights as citizens. Although we cannot legislate a moral compass, history has shown us that when we authentically live out and share our faith, world-changing revival is possible.
The mindset of stewardship is recognizing that God created everything and owns it all, and He give us the opportunity to manage it, use it, and steward it. Your body is God’s, as is your family, your possessions, and your time, talents and treasure. I would add a fourth T to these last three: your testimony. Our world needs to hear about how God’s grace has transformed you through Jesus Christ and the power of His Spirit (2 Cor 3:18). God wants your heart, which means He wants all of you—and if Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you are already His. When you offer yourself in worship of Him, it changes you and those around you.
Our world needs to hear about how God’s grace has transformed you.
My wife and I accepted Jesus in 2004 at SBC, and a year later we came to the conclusion that Christ pursued us and we had nothing to do with it! Realizing that He laid down His life for us caused us to reexamine our lives and start to take a different path forward. In late 2011, I surrendered everything to God and He took me out of the business world to attend seminary. In 2018, we ended up back at SBC where God has opened some amazing doors, allowing us to use our gifts to point others to Him.
I’ve discovered that once we give God our all, He uses everything—our time, our talents, our treasure, and our testimony—for His Kingdom. Do you and I give these things with a cheerful heart? Do we freely give our testimony when the time is right? This is where understanding stewardship intersects with generosity and evangelism.
We live in some precarious and strange times. If we want to see miracles, the world needs to see us loving God with all our heart and loving our neighbors as ourselves. When truth is wrapped in love and grace, the world will take notice (John 13:34-35). As we steward our lives and give of ourselves freely, we can be light and salt in a post-Christian world that needs God but doesn’t know it. Darkness may surround us, but God will not let it prevail. Remember, it is His timing and His plan, and His plans are always perfect!
John Corpstein
Stewardship Pastor
Discover more about these concepts with our Stewardship Resources where we explore what it means to honor God with our time, talents, treasure, and testimony. You can make a meaningful impact!
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