New Wineskins
Well, the one thing no one can fault our new president for is inaction in his first week in office. With executive orders to begin dismantling the Affordable Care Act to a temporary ban on refugees from certain Muslim nations to Vice-President Mike Pence’s headline speech at a pro-life rally in Washington D.C., the new administration has quickly become the left’s bane and the right’s delight.
Seemingly more than ever, social media has become the front line in the clash between values and ideas. It would be a grave mistake, however, to think that our responsibility to live out the gospel begins and ends with a ‘share’ button and a heartfelt Facebook rant. If you want to continue to add more vitriol to our toxic political and social climate, then by all means social media is the place to do it. It’s high on opinions, low on relationships, responsibilities or real-world actions.
But as believers, as followers of Jesus, we’re called to do much more than promote the gospel through social media. We’re called to live it out. And in today’s hyper-charged political environment, here are three powerful ways to move from words to action.
1. Treat your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19 speaks to the extreme value of our bodies. So, what kind of temple are you maintaining? Are you in shape? Do you eat right? Do you promote and live out healthy living? We can cry foul over the Affordable Care Act all we want, but the ugly truth of the matter is that too many Americans (including Christians) are overweight and out of shape. It’s our health problems, our inclination to pop a pill rather than do the hard work of maintaining our temple that has led to a breakdown in our healthcare system. So, as much as you might disparage the notion of Obamacare, don’t do it while downing your soft drinks and twinkies. Living the gospel can start with something as simple as eating better and getting in shape. If all Christians truly maintained our bodies as temples, our entire healthcare system would be in a much better place.
2. Befriend and help assimilate immigrants and refugees in your town. I live in small town Mississippi, seemingly the last place you would expect to look for refugees and immigrants, yet I know for a fact that there is a sizable population of migrant workers from Latin America that live on the outskirts of town. I know there are folks from China that operate several Chinese restaurants in town. There are several dozen nursing students from Nepal that are attending classes at our local college. None are proficient in English. None have as yet assimilated to make our town (or culture) their home. If our small town has refugees and immigrants, than so does yours. Now, that’s not to say that advocating for or against Trump’s travel ban isn’t worthwhile. It’s a very poignant issue. But greater than talk, we as Christians have an opportunity to live out the gospel to those who are already in our communities. The question is, are we doing it? Is the gospel action to us, or merely words?
3. Become a foster parent. Better yet, adopt a child. I am and will always be unashamedly pro-life, yet my commitment to this should not end with a bumper sticker or a slogan. If you want to truly live out your pro-life convictions, rather than simply pronounce your conviction that all babies matter, go to the next level and be part of the solution. Open up your home to those babies that are born with no homes. It’s easy to advocate a position when it doesn’t cost you anything, but lives change when you put your money where your mouth is. If every Christian opened up their home to a child in need of a home, then the foster care system in American would cease to exist. We’re great at chanting slogans, but do we actually live them out? (And if you’re asking whether I live this, the first two of my four children are adopted, so I’m naturally passionate about this issue).
Let’s ‘share’ less on social media and live our convictions more in our everyday lives. May our ‘rants’ not be on Facebook but through our everyday actions.
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