Day 86 - Change the World

Here are some thoughts on Changing Our World. One of my boys and I were discussing this last night and I thought I would post a sermon I wrote about how we can be change agents in this world. Hopefully this will encourage you and cause you to think...How Can You Change Your World!

It was strange sitting there. A “veteran looking” gentleman rolled up in his wheelchair. He gruffly said, “they made me come, and my name is Gary.” As he registered, it was noticeable that he had endured a lot of emotional and physical pain in his life. Nevertheless, he was at camp to be ministered to. He got settled in and was distant for most of his stay with us. He was exposed to Christ through song, lesson, activity, and person-to-person interactions, but his emptiness remained. As he prepared to leave camp, he was sitting in his cabin waiting for his ride. As he waited, his counselor passed by and heard a “come here you.” So the counselor went. As he sat there, Gary started to open up and eventually asked who this Jesus is. At the close of this important and life-changing conversation, the counselor prayed with Gary, and he accepted Christ. When the counselor returned home, he received a message that Gary had died suddenly. It was surreal; during the next weeks, he went through a lot of emotional hurt and second guessing. But in the end, all that mattered was that Gary was with God and had no more pain (PAUSE) It took me 4 weeks to emotionally recover, but I did. Gary is in heaven, not because of me but because I was obedient to the Holy Spirit in letting my light shine,

Today, we are going to be looking at how we can change our world…how we can let our lights shine in the darkness. Before we can change something, we must understand what change is. Change is a noticed difference or deviation from the norm caused by some force; change has to begin somewhere and with someone. There are also 4 characteristics one must possess to be a world changer. Changing YOUR world begins with your Yielding – being available to God in both time and lifestyle, your Obedience to the Holy Spirit – getting tuned into God, your Understanding of the needs and situations around you – knowing your surroundings, and your Response – becoming the voice for the mute and the arm for the weak. Some of you might be frightened by the thought of being a WORLD changer. I will admit that it is a daunting task; some of you might even be thinking, “Where do we begin?” Planning out a strategy for changing our world is where we MUST start. Elie Wiesel told a story along these lines. There was a certain Jewish man who set out to change the world so that man might repent and Christ world return. He was convinced that he would be successful, but where would he start? He said, “the world is so vast , I shall start with my country, but it is so large that perhaps I should start with my own town. But my town is so large that perhaps I should start with my own street, no my house, NO my family, Never mind, I shall start with MYSELF.”

Our ministry to those around us can’t and won’t be successful if we are not obedient to God’s command in Micah 6:8 which says, “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God”

Changing your world begins with YOU! Before you can minister to those around you, you need to be “walking humbly with your God”; you Must be in God’s will or you WILL fail. This was never more real for me than my sophomore year of college. This was the year my world came crashing down; it was the year that I found out that my father resented me because of my disability. Because of this realization, my world fell apart. My relationships were strained, I drew into a deep depression, and God took a backseat (for a while). Then one day, a dear friend took me to meet with a minister. After several meetings, my life began to turn around. My relationships began to be less strained, and the depression soon subsided because God was back as head of my life and as my Father. Before I could be effective, I needed to clean up my light so that I could shine for the Lord. As we start to examine our own life in respect to our walk with Christ and how we can change our world, let us not fall into some familiar traps laid in the path. The first is “the Pharisee.” This trap is the one most perfectionists fall into. I was one of these but soon learned not to anticipate but participate in God’s will. Like the Pharisee who passed the beaten stranger, these people can’t get passed their legalistic background to see the need in front of them. The “Do-gooder” is the next trap. This is the trap that causes us to be motivated by our own recognition. My grandma often told me that the best deeds go unnoticed. Remember, it is NOT about you! If that isn’t enough, “Savior Complex” is right around the corner. Feeling the burden of the entire world drives these persons into service. They feel that they need to be the personal handyman of the world. But we must remember that only one person can hold the world in His hand. Finally, we could succumb to the “Burned-Out” trap in which we are simply not plugged into God. Many people have high ideas about changing the world but do not have a realistic plan.

However, we can avoid these traps by following the example of Christ. Changing our world starts with us, and we can sustain this ministry through a life of piety and setting realistic priorities.

Now that we are walking with God and have our light burning brightly, we can begin to light the darkness around us. We begin to “love mercy,” that is, we can understand the needs of others and have a desire to help or show mercy. We can show mercy to others through our actions/attitudes, prayers, and friendships. Let me explain.

I was told a story once about a woman who had just finished her last exam of her college career and could not wait to do anything but party. As her afternoon unfolded, she had some minor set backs but nothing to discourage a good time. As she was headed for the party, she was stopped at a light; it was rainy and she couldn’t clearly see the cause of the stand-still. Then she saw a young man from her college; his wheelchair was stuck in the intersection. She thought that someone else would stop but soon found herself parking her can and pushing him uphill to his apartment. He invited her in to meet his mother. As she talked to his mom, she saw tears in his mom’s eyes. She said, “in 4 years, no one has offered. It isn’t that he needs it, but it is a nice gesture.” This truly became better than any party could have been.

See, that’s just it. Our actions and attitudes can and do make a difference, just like the young lady brought light to a life in need. Our actions and attitudes can either build up or tare down the happiest and brightest attitude can effect the hardest heart. Even as Corrie ten Boome left the Nazi concentration camp, she asked God to bless her captors and rejoiced before the guards. Her Christian action brought some of these men and women to God, not because of her but because of the Holy Spirit working through her.

Our prayers, though they often go unnoticed, can bring change to the live of those we faithfully lift before God. My grandma is the prayer warrior of my family. One day my mom came home shortly after leaving for school because she has forgotten something. As she approached her room, she looked down the hall into my grandparents’ bedroom. There she saw her mom on the ground by her bed. Later my mom asked grandma if something was wrong to cause her to be on the ground. Grandma explained to her that she was praying for the family and those she didn’t know because she knew God would take care of all their needs for the day. Grandma changes her world on her knees.

Our friendships can lead people to Christ. By being an ear, a shoulder, or by having opened arms and a caring spirit, people can see our faith by how we live and can see that we are a true Christian friend. A friend of mine accompanied me to camp this year. He had not been active in a church family and had a hard heart toward God. Throughout the week, I noticed some marked differences in him and had opportunities to speak with him about God. He had seen the care and compassion of those around him and wanted to understand where it came from. Talking with him about my past and life experiences, he began to see the light. On Saturday night, he accepted Christ for the first time. He had seen what true friendship was and wanted to be a true friend to those around him. He felt the same feeling that you feel when there is Agape left for you. He has experienced a great change in his life.

When we begin to see these changes, we must remember to nurture these new relationships through study and prayer. How you live tells people who you are and can make a world of difference. Will you light the world around you or will there still be darkness?

The last step to changing our would is to do justice. We are called to help society and represent the greater good. Showing the world what we believe by our priorities and actions can lead to change, but shirking from this responsibility leads to chaos and despair. Chicken Soup for the Volunteer’s Soul has a story that depicts this well. An elderly woman was contemplating suicide. She called the suicide hotline to taunt them with this fact. Instead of her intended reaction, she got a new lease on life. The young man who answered happened to have gone through this same situation with his grandma. Yet the greater point of the story is NOT that he wanted to prevent the suicide but that he wanted to know what would drive this woman to such means. By choosing to approach the situation this way, the young man helped the woman to see that she had a reason to live and that people cared about who she was.

This is how we are called to minister to and change society. It is different that loving mercy and reaching out to help our neighbor. Loving mercy is a turkey served at a shelter on Thanksgiving. Doing justice is trying to solve the problem that would put someone in that situation. In society, we are called to exemplify Christ. How will you be Christ to those in society this week and from here on out? Will you actively represent Christ to the world? Where will you let your light shine?

Do you remember the old VBS song “This Little Light of Mine?” Perhaps you even held your finger in the air as you sang. The message of that song, whether we realized it when we sang it, is that we are to carry God’s light to those in the world who need it the most. We are called to never let it burn out. Has your light burned out? Do you need to rekindle the fire within? Now is the perfect time because we should leave here equipped to face a hurting world with a clear plan and purpose for changing our world.

Before I close, I would like for you to hear this song by Chris Rice. It is entitled “Go Light Your World.” As the music plays, you will ignite your candle from your neighbor’s candle. At the end of the song, leave you candles lit and remain standing. Please stand and meditate on the words of this song.



Matthew 25:40 tells us that whatever you have done for the least of these brothers of mine, you have done unto me. This has become my credo and life-verse. When I wipe a nose, change a diaper, clean a pair of glasses, or tie a shoe, I do it because the one whom I serve is a precious child of God and deserves the same attention I would give Christ. Changing our world starts right here and RIGHT NOW! You MUST commit yourself 100% to Christ’s call on your life. Remember to pace yourself and have a clear plan of attack (Rome wasn’t built in a day.). Take root in God and let Him branch out to others through you. Change isn’t easy, but it only takes one person (one voice) to bring a new beginning to one who is in need. Just think, had Gary been ignored or pushed aside, would Christ’s light have entered his life? How will you take Christ’s light to others? How will your approach to those around you be different come Monday morning? Will your light shine brightly or will it be dim? (PAUSE) How will you Change Your World?

LORD of ALL, help us all to find a way to bring Your Light into this world! May our lives blaze with your glory!
AMEN!