The world is not going to be drawn to Christ by seeing Christians live just as worldly as they can. They’ll be drawn to Christ by seeing a new life and radical change that Christ has so wonderfully worked in us.
This excerpt is from the full sermon, “Children of Light, Awake!“.
If you’re trying to live as much like the lost world as possible… I just heard recently that some people from this church posted something on social media where a bunch of them were together at a party and they’re flaunting all their alcoholic beverages. And I heard one of the reasons set forth is because we’re showing lost people that you don’t have to give up all these things if you become a Christian. I’ll tell you this, if you’re trying to live as much like them as possible to show them that becoming a Christian, you can be as lost as possible or as close to that line as possible, you’re partaking of the same things, you’ll be no rebuke to the darkness. You won’t be able to shine on it. Then you know what people will say? They’re just like us. Nothing to it. You know what? You don’t want to show people that Christianity is not misery. We don’t need long faces. But you know we’re going to get to it: don’t be drunk with alcohol. Be drunk with the Spirit. If you really want to show them where the happiness is found, you should show them that you’re happy in Christ – – not that you’re happy in the bottle. That’s what they do! That’s where they run! You’re not proving anything to them. You’re just showing you’re asleep. And you’re not exposing anything. In fact, you’re being exposed. You think about that demoniac. We all would have felt just like him: Lord, let us go with You. No, I want you to go back there. And I want you to go into the saloon and drink as much as possible to show them all how Christianity, it doesn’t make you give up all those things. What? You know, the thing is, He said you go back there, and you tell them what great things the Lord has done for you. What? He’s this brand new convert! What about his qualifications? No, you know what He was telling him? You go back there and be a light. You know what He was telling him? I don’t need all these lights in this boat with Me. I just did this thing for you. You know where I need that light? Back there in that city. Why? You know in eternity, we may find that a number of people back there from his home town are in glory. Why? Because the Lord sent him back there. That was a mercy to that town. You say that was kind of hard on the guy. Yeah, but that was a mercy to the town. This man had all sorts of things to tell. And you know what he didn’t do? He didn’t go back there and condemn them for their smoking or for their piercings. You get that in the church. It’s like, no. No, that’s not what he did. If you beat people over the head with that; you just kind of frown at people. Look at that guy smoking over there! So what? The problem is the guy is headed to hell! There’s bigger issues. To go in there to that town where you have undoubtedly these pagans who are worshiping idols they don’t know, and you’re like, hey, remember that crazy guy that used to be back in that cemetery breaking chains? Yeah, we remember him. That naked guy up there? Yeah! Hey, that’s me. You think that got somebody’s attention? Like, wow, tell me what happened! If he was trying to be as much like his old person as possible to try to impress that, that you don’t have to give up much to become a Christian – the light goes out. No! He’s wanting to show them how radically different Christ made him!
