Look up the definition of the word “toxic” and here is what you will find: containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation; extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful.
Open the newspaper today and you’ll have no doubt that we live in a “harsh, malicious, and harmful” world. Mass shootings, bombed airplanes, the Zika virus, and much more might tempt you to stay inside and lock the doors. Add to that the latest acidic insults traded by our presidential candidates, questions about the refugee crisis, and the controversy over gender specific bathrooms, and it’s enough to make you want to move to another country!
What is the Christian response AND responsibility to these and other “toxic” issues? Should we circle the wagons and wait for Jesus to return? Or should we say, ”If you can’t beat them, join them”? In John 17:14, Jesus said that we are “not of this world”, but just a couple of verses later He said “I have sent them INTO the world.” How are we supposed to do that?
This Sunday we start our summer series “Living for Christ in a Toxic Culture”. That is, how we are to live IN this world (location) but not be OF this world (identification) while reaching out TO this world (mission) in the name of Jesus. We’ll look at specific Bible passages about war, terrorism, relativism, politics, Islam, immigration, and other current topics. Join us at 9 am (traditional worship) and 10:45 (contemporary worship).
Safe and secure from all alarms,
Kurt Jones
P.S. Don’t forget that it’s Father’s Day too! 🙂