How to Share Your Faith Using the Election
"Change, change, change…" Both presidential candidates have camped on the mantra of change during this loooooonnnngggggg season of political maneuvering. How they will change the future direction of the country. How they will change the economy. How they will change things in Iraq and Afghanistan. Filled with promises for a better tomorrow, the sound bites and speeches have stirred both hope and cynicism, and sometimes a strange combination of the two. In the end, it's all about being a change agent.
The longing for a better tomorrow tugs at something in the human heart. We're all aware that things are not quite as they should be in this world in which we live. So we long for change. And we're looking for a change agent. Throughout history change agents have come in all shapes and sizes, and delivered on their promises with varying degrees of success. But the most impacting change agent in the history of the world was Jesus Christ. He changed the God/human relational dynamic for all eternity and turned the world upside down with his radical, revolutionary spiritual truth. The Bible describes it this way:
"It's urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living" (John 5:24, The Message).
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God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating (Colossians 1:13-14, The Message).
You get the picture. Humankind was spiritually locked in a dark dungeon until Jesus came to earth and changed the whole equation with His free gift of a restored relationship with the God of the universe.
Anyone who's hungry for lasting, meaningful change needs to know that the ultimate 'something more' out there that all human's long for is found in Jesus. This week as the election and post-election buzz hit the mega-decibel level try talking with your friends about the path you've discovered to real, lasting, transforming change. Introduce them to the One who's the biggest change agent for all eternity. Here are some ideas to get you started:
• Polls show that 80% of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. Do you agree or disagree?
• Do you agree 'change' was an effective campaign theme? Why or why not?
• The desire for change has it source in feeling like things aren't quite right with the world. Where do you think our sense of 'right' and 'wrong' come from? Share what you believe about our God-given sense of right and wrong.
• Did you know that the Bible says that 'sin' is the reason that things don't seem quite right in the world? Explain that 'sin' means 'missing the mark' or falling short of God's perfect standard and that sin is the reason bad things happen in our world.
• Much of this election cycle has focused on change. Ask your friends who they think was the biggest change agent in the history of the world? Listen, then share what you believe about Jesus and His message.
The presidential election may change things up in America for the next four years, but Jesus' radical, revolutionary message of grace changed everything in the universe for all eternity. Let your friends know.
