HOW TO LIVE IN A MIXED-UP, CRAZY WORLD…

1 Corinthians 16:13-14: “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. Do everything in love.” CSB

OBSERVATION: I am on vacation in Hawaii! My room looks out over the rocky shoreline of the Big Island. I can hear the waves crashing while the cool breeze fills my room. For a moment, I have no cares in the world. Until…I am interrupted by Facebook alerts and News blasts. Suddenly, the wind and the surf give way, and I realize,

This is still a mixed-up, crazy world!

Many times, we are tempted to think that the world we live in is unique. We believe that time and civilization have passed millennia, and we have somehow progressed and become different than our predecessors. However, the world in which we live has not changed. It is the same crazy world that Paul encountered when he planted the church in Corinth.

Corinth was filled with pagan religions, ungodly practices, and a church that was failing to do everything in love. The Corinthian church was filled with division, sexual immorality, misuse of spiritual gifts, and infighting. Sound familiar? Paul was not only standing up against a godless culture, but he was also standing up against a church that was out of control.

It was and still is a mixed-up, crazy world!

All that being said, Paul loved this troubled church. He was their spiritual father, and a father does not turn his back on his children. In the closing words of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, he gives them a simple exhortation that would prove to be the key to living in a mixed-up, crazy world. These are timeless words, and we will do good in taking them to heart.

BE ALERT!

Paul calls the Corinthian believers to be alert. The word means to stay awake and be on watch. This is a call to spiritual discernment and wisdom. We live in a day where many are being deceived by false teachers in and out of the church. This is not a day to be complacent or naive. It is a day to be fully awake, as the day of Christ’s return is upon us.

1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8-9: “So then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self-controlled…But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord  Jesus Christ.” CSB

STAND FIRM IN THE FAITH!

Next, Paul reminds us to stand firm in the faith. This was a call to be people of the Word. Today, there is a great falling away among mainline denominations. What were once vibrant movements of faith are becoming divided over issues that are in direct conflict with the written Word of God. It is not merely a matter of differing interpretations. It is the complete abandonment of truth, and we are seeing the consequences. The only way to survive a mixed-up, crazy world that is out of control is to stand firm in the faith!

2 Thessalonians 2:15: “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, whether by what we said or what we wrote.”CSB

BE COURAGEOUS!

The King James Version translates this statement – “…Quit you like men!”. The word means to be manly. So what is Paul saying? A real man (or woman) does not quit! A real man or woman is one who is filled with the Holy Spirit and is walking in the will and purposes of God. There is no confusion. There is no gray area. As with Joshua, we hear the voice of the Lord calling us to be courageous in this day of battle for the souls of men and women!

Joshua 1:7-8: “Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you.  Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth;  you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.” CSB

BE STRONG!

A believer, saved by grace through faith, filled with the Holy Spirit, and called to fulfill the Great Commission, must be strong. Yet, this strength is not that of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps. It is not a strength found in knowledge or ability. It is not a strength that is inherited or earned. It is a positional strength. It is being found trusting in Christ alone in every challenge, every decision, and every step we take in life! Our strength is His Strength!

Ephesians 6:10-11: “Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.” CSB

DO EVERYTHING IN LOVE!

Finally, we must be rooted and grounded in love, the love of Jesus Christ! We are not loved because we love Him. We love – because He first loved us. Without Jesus Christ, we neither know what love is nor do we have the capacity to love. Yet, when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we are called to the same love with which we are loved! We freely love because of His love that was given freely to us. Love becomes our beginning and our end. Everything we do must be marked by the love of Christ, which is continually being poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit!

1 Peter 4:7-8: “The end of all things is near;  therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.” CSB

I would say that Paul gave us a checklist of life advice in one simple closing statement. As we pastors will often say, “That will Preach!” (And I think it just did!) It would be good to commit these words to memory and ponder them when I feel my world spinning out of control. The wonderful promise of God’s Word is that we have a sure hope and a sure anchor in Jesus Christ. The world may be a mixed-up, crazy place, but we can stand confident and secure in Christ and His Word!

Heavenly Father, today, help me to be alert, to stand firm in the faith, to be courageous and strong, and to do everything in love, the love of Jesus Christ my Lord!

In Jesus’ Name!