In recent weeks, over a dozen men have worked on different aspects ofour churchremodeling project. Sometimes one person will begin a job, but a second guy will finish on a different day. And yet, no aspect of the job has needed to be redone. How is that possible? It's because every morning and throughout the day the builders consult the same set of blueprints.
A few weeks ago I asked a worker about changing thedirectionthe doors of the storage room open. The worker was willing enough to make the change, but only if the architect would first change the blueprints.
What’s true in this remodeling project is true for every cell in our bodies. For better or worse, our cells perfectly conform to their blueprint, or their DNA. Each cell in your body grows and multiplies precisely according to the DNA you were born with. You need to give thanks toyour mom and dad, and grandma and grandpa too! You can think of DNA as a microscopic blueprint. A cell with bad DNA will destroy the health and vitality of the whole body. A cell with good DNA will promote the health and vitality of the whole body.
When we are born again in Christ, we get a new set of blueprints.
Fortunately for us, we can be born again in Christ! And with our new birth in Christ comes a new set of blueprints, a new kind of spiritual DNA. As2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" This new spiritual DNA changes everything about our lives.
Our old DNA instructed us to trust in our own judgment and wisdom. Look where that’s gotten us! Our old DNA instructed to exalt ourselves, to rely on human strength, and to live according to our desires. Our old DNA instructed us to be overly critical of others, to be selfish with our gifts, to focus our love inwardly, and to suppress the truth of God. But praise be to God! The old has gone and the new has come!
Our new DNA instructs us to educate ourselves on every word that flows from the mouth of God. That is, we areto trust God’s word instead of our own judgment and human wisdom. Our new DNA instructs us to exalt Jesus Christ in everything we say and do, in all we think and feel, in order to make him our central focus. Our new DNA instructs us to rely upon the empowering presence of God’s Holy Spirit to change us from the inside-out, instead of relying on human strength. Our new DNA instructs us to offer excellence to God in holy living instead of living according to the flesh.
Our new DNA instructs us to create an encouraging, redemptive environment in which our family can excel spiritually. Our new DNA instructs us to equip people to become entrepreneursin generosity. Our new DNA instructs us to express Christ’s love to people beyond the four walls of our home, the four walls of our church building, and the four walls of our cubicle at work.
Think how boring and dull your life was before Christ. Our old DNA could only give us more of the same. Flesh gives birth to flesh. But the Spirit has given us birth into a whole new life,a life that transcends anything possible in the flesh.
Next Sunday we are going to launch into a whole new series of messages on Colossians.If you fill out your connection card and leave your complete information, you can read about it in our newsletter.
Evangelism is part of the Christian's DNA.
But this morning there is one additional aspect of this new spiritual DNA we need to talk about. It's called evangelism. Our old DNA instructed us to be afraid of new life in Christ and afraid of the spiritual changes God wants to make in our lives. Before you were born again with the DNA of God’s Spirit, you were afraid to hear God’s word. You were afraid of where surrendering to Christ might lead you. You were afraid of being forgiven of your sin and afraid of learning to forgive others. You were afraid that living a holy life might not be that gratifying. You were afraid thatloving God would create tension in your marriage, your family, and your workplace. John 3:20 tells us how we love darkness and refuse to come into the light, for fear that our deeds might be exposed.
Our old DNA instructed us to be tolerant of everything. We were to be tolerant of every belief, every religion, every behavior, and every expression of freedom, no matter how vulgar or offensive. Our old DNA instructed us to be tolerant of everything except one thing. Do you know what it is? Life in Christ! Per the old blueprint, everything is permissible except living for Christ. Have you noticed how righteousness is viewed by society as being bad and destructive?
Our old DNA instructed us to boast in our sinful ways, to mock the laws of God, to flaunt our freedom before a holy God, to test the patience of God’s wrath, and to bet our eternal soul against God on judgment day. Our old DNA instructed us suppress the truth of God, to suppress the light, and to continue walking in darkness. "How dare you question my judgment? How dare you tell me I’m wrong? How dare you challenge my ways? How dare you warn me where my sins are leading me? How dare you suggest that I’m an enemy of God apart from Christ?"
These days, Christians are not tolerated.
As Christians, we are entering intoincreasingly hostile times. Our new spiritual DNA is feared, it's distrusted, it's not-tolerated, it's unwelcome, it's unappreciated, and it's disinvited in the public realm. One of our greatest temptations as Christians is to so easily allow our new identity in Christ to be disinvited from the very places it's liable to do the greatest good.
Just before the Super Bowl, I was getting a haircut. They charge me half price. The barber asked me who I wanted to win the Super Bowl. So I mentioned that I was favoring the Cardinals and that as a pastor, I had a lot of respect for Kurt Warner and the way he lives out his faith. For example, he prays for injured teammates. The barber launched on me, explaining how prayer and all that junk has no business in the sports arena. He was clearly threatened by religion and wanted me to agree that religionhas no place in public.
Recently, I was talking with a Christian woman from a large church in Springfield who didn’tthink we should pray at church events, even those hosted by a church in its own church building, because it offends atheists and people of other religions. Her idea was that churches should pray behind the scenes.
Here’s what’s up. Our old DNA has us apologizing all over ourselves, running from the marketplace, running from the public arena, and hiding the name of Christ even on church premises. Think of the message we sometimes send. Are we ashamed of our new identity in Christ? Are we ashamed of righteousness? Do we feel that our life in Christ is somehow inferior to the ways of the world? Do we feel that God’s wisdom cannot stand up to the foolishness of men? Do we believe that society is better off because of us,or worsened by our presence?
Boldness comes with our new spiritual DNA.
With our new spiritual DNA comes boldness. With our new spiritual DNA comes the audacity to insist upon the evangelization (the conversion, the transformation) of every human being on earth. Our new DNA insists that the old must pass away, and that our newly created life in Christ be offered to all men.
We won’t sit quiet. We won’t stand idly by. We won’t be told by the world to shut-up. We won’t remain disengaged. We won’t hide the name of Christ under a bushel. We won’t keep Christ a secretany longer. We won’t hoard the gift of God’s Holy Spirit to ourselves.
We will leverage every possible resource. We will marshal every ounce of our strength. We will harness all of our creativity. We will spare no measure to see that new life in Christ be proclaimed from every rooftop, from Springfield to the ends of the earth.
We will shamelessly preach Christ. We will teach God’s word. We will pray in the Spirit. We will worship. We will invite. We will encourage. We will love. We will live. We will witness. We will take the money other people spend on their pleasures and invest it in God’s kingdom. We will build bigger andbetter buildings so that more people can gather for worship. We will send our children to Bible college to be ministers and servants of the living God. We will send missionaries to distant lands to translate the Bible for unreached people groups.
We will stop letting the schools, and culture, and morally corrupt entertainers indoctrinate our children with their lies. Instead, we will pour ourselves into the spiritual development of our children. We will stop standing idly by as life after life, marriage after marriage, and child after child is ravaged by the power of sin and death. We will minister with love and grace, and with true compassion and justice. We will serve when we are tired. We will preach until we are hoarse. We will pray without ceasing.
Our new DNA instructs us to push forward. Our new DNA teaches us that there must be no more retreat. Because of what we have received, we are compelled to do whatever it takes that the world might know Christ. Our new DNA teaches us that this new life isn’t for us alone. It's God’s gift to the world!
Evangelism is part of our spiritual DNA.
Part of our spiritual DNA is evangelism. As we conclude this series of messages, let me suggest practical ways in which your spiritual DNA can be worked into the lives of others.
•Take every opportunity to educate yourself and others with the life-giving words of Jesus Christ. We must teach Christ, or else see our faith face extinctionand something else fill its void.
•Take every opportunity to exalt the name of Christ in the public realm. I am not talking about being rude or obnoxious.But let’s stop being ashamed of Christ and of our Christian identity.
•Seek the empowerment of God’s Holy Spirit every day. Strive for extraordinary excellence in holy living. There can be no doubt that God’s Holy Spirit is energizing your new life in Christ.
•Cultivate an encouraging, redemptive environment in your home, filled with prayer, worship, and the word, that enables your spouse and children to flourish spiritually.
•Equip other people in this church to generously use their spiritual gifts, financial resources, and abilities to serve others.
•Express God’s love in tangible ways to all people, beyond your comfort and convenience zone.
•Be a bold witness for Christ, a person who has the audacity to evangelize others and insist upon a new, better blueprint for life.