And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. – Acts 4:31
I think that we can all agree that Moses played a major role in God’s story. Moses didn’t have a turnkey faith though. Like us, his faith developed over time. For instance, the Bible says that Moses had to be convinced by God that he was the man for the job. God had to use a burning bush, a staff that could morph into a snake, and a cloak that could cause and cure leprosy to nudge Moses into action. Moses needed tangible signs from God to develop the courage to go back to Egypt to face Pharaoh and his fears. You see, Moses was just like you and me. He focused more on his limitations rather than on God’s strength. I mean, let’s get real for a moment, can’t we all relate to Moses’ response to God in Exodus 4:13 to “send someone else to do it?”
I am 52 years old now and starting to deal with all of the common health issues that 52 year-old men deal with. My body may be decreasing, but my faith and boldness in Christ are increasing. I am starting to realize that it’s time to stop whining about all of the trouble and evil in the world and actually do something about it.
Please be honest and ask yourself this question. Is “liking” a social media post, or “preaching” to all of your friends that you already know on Facebook for the 1000th time really moving the spiritual battle dial? I mean I admire folks who are willing to write down their original thoughts about Jesus and their Biblical view about the events in the world on social media, but is sharing your bold thoughts with your friends and family, most of whom already know Jesus, really being as bold as you could be in your faith?
Friends, I’m putting my money where my mouth is (or fingers in this case). I believe that God has nudged me to stop focusing my shout-outs for Jesus to my friends and family on Facebook and to start focusing on the “other” folks in the world who don’t already know me nearly as well at work and on LinkedIn. I know that Linked in is a “professional” networking sight to find and post jobs, but have you surfed your LinkedIn feed lately? There are funny posts, posts about leadership, and posts about just about anything you can think of. What is more, Facebook is firewalled in some countries, but LinkedIn isn’t, so LinkedIn is a great way to reach the hurting in the world who are barred from other forms of social media. If you think that it takes courage to post your love for Jesus on Facebook, try posting something to honor Jesus on your LinkedIn account and see how that makes your heart race and your palms sweat!
If you take this challenge, don’t expect a lot of “likes,” comments, and shares on LinkedIn. It takes a lot more courage to “like,” comment or share a post about Jesus on LinkedIn! Your colleagues around the world will likely read your posts with great interest, but most of them won’t have the courage to encourage you. If you think that you can survive without a constant dopamine rush of red “like,” “comment,” or “share” alerts, give it a try! You may not get many likes or shares, but you will start to get a lot more friend requests from complete strangers as you bring your faith to LinkedIn. Do you really want to work at a company that would not hire you because you are a Christian anyways?
If this morning’s challenge is a little too bold for you, don’t fret. Moses and his older brother Aaron were 80 and 83 years old before they came before Pharaoh to demand the release of their people (Exodus 7:6). Character and faith building is a slow process. The important thing that we can learn from Moses and Aaron lives is that we are never too old to be used by God in mighty ways to accomplish His purposes. Moses had 40 years to reflect on his previous attempt to free the Israelites from Egyptian oppression before he was called back into action (Exodus 2:11-15). As Henry Blackaby points out with his life-altering book, Experiencing God, God is always at work in our lives, whether we are aware of it or not.
So how about it? Where do you see God working in the world around you? Are you feeling a gentle nudge (or a kick in the butt) from God to move from comfort to spiritual combat? Time is short brothers and sisters. Jesus is standing at the door, ready to come back to receive His family. It’s time to stop being PC and start being a champion for JC my friends. Our family is not complete yet. There are many people in the world that don’t know His presence in their lives yet! Maybe God wants to use YOU to share His love and truth. Something to think and pray about isn’t it…
Manna and Coffee 