It’s been a slow year for for new content at #LiveFully. That changes today.
We have three convictions here at #LiveFully. They are simple, but I’ve lately been reminded of their importance:
1) Jesus alone redeems people and cultures.
2) The redemption of Jesus transforms every area of personal life and positively impacts every channel of cultural life.
3) Followers of Jesus should be most recognized for what they contribute to the world instead of what they are against in the world.
Despite believing these three things, I personally find it hard to live according to them. It’s more natural to simply point out people’s sin and condemn them, but it’s typically ineffective. Sin is often the source of people’s satisfaction, it may be a broken source, but people won’t change until you offer an alternative. Furthermore, people cannot redeem themselves or genuinely change the way they live.
All of these problems, however, are resolved by Jesus. He is our alternative to sin, he is our redeemer, and he transforms our lives and communities.
The World, Remade by God
I recently listened to a brilliant sermon by Tim Keller. I highly encourage you to listen. If you need some extra motivation, it’s primarily about sex. Click the play button below or download it to listen later.
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Keller defines the Kingdom of God as “the world, remade by God.” Christians aren’t meant to escape this world, rather, Jesus will return and make all things new. There will no longer be pain or sorrow or tears, and we will experience a more abundant life then we ever thought possible.
The Bible calls us to actually live as if the Kingdom of God were already here in its fullness. After all, God has already remade us into something new: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).” Kingdom living, of course, would not just transform our Sunday mornings, but literally everything we do.
We would not cheat in business for personal gain, but rather work with integrity. We would not be selfish or power hungry, but rather we would serve others. We would not use sex for personal gain, but rather to build oneness and intimacy with our spouse. In short, we would work to strengthen our communities and culture, instead of seeking personal gain.
We know the Kingdom of God will bring peace and satisfaction beyond measure. Therefore, following God’s commands will not result in a boring life. Instead it produces peace and satisfaction. God’s version of sex, money, and power don’t destroy lives, but actually build life and make communities stronger.
I find this remarkably inspirational. I want fullness of life, and I want to positively impact the world. When people see the way I live, work, play, and even eat, I want God’s work in me to shine. I want to make my community stronger and healthier because of the way I love Jesus. I want to be known for what I contribute to the world!
Do you know what I don’t find inspiring? Being told nothing but, “you can’t do this and shouldn’t do that.” If I had to guess, I bet that’s true for most of us. If that’s all we hear, then the best we can ever be is neutral. If I want to help make a community stronger, then yes, I need to know how not to cause damage. But, even more importantly, I need to know how I can make positive contributions.
The brilliant thing is, when you focus on seeking Jesus and making positive contributions to the world, you won’t have any time or desire to sin and cause damage.
The Kingdom of Heaven is upon us. Let’s start living like it.
Join the Movement
If that inspires you, if you are interested in contributing positively to your community, then I’d ask you to join the movement. There are a few ways to do that:
1) Seek after Jesus, everyday. He is the King!
2) Invite others to do the same. Celebrate people who demonstrate the Kingdom of God. This is a work for the community.
3) We want #LiveFully to be a global community of believers who are living in this way. Join us facebook or twitter and share your stories.
4) Share this post and invite others to join our global community of believers seeking to #LiveFully.
5) Over the next few months, we’ll be posting regularly about Kingdom living that results in a full life for you as an individual and your whole community. Subscribe below to receive email updates and make sure you don’t miss a thing.
#JoinTheMovement
