We can step into the disillusionment of those around us for the sake of God’s mission.
Pick the topic these days and you’ll find no shortage of opinions and plenty of people willing to give them. It’s tempting to simply write off the angst of those around us or, perhaps worse, to join the fray by spewing our own bloviations. These choices, however, are not the only two alternatives.
We can step into the disillusionment of those around us for the sake of God’s mission.
Shared Struggle
For starters, disillusionment with the state of the world provides a point of contact with those far from God but close to us. It doesn’t take a Spirit-filled conscience to notice when cultural trends are out of step with what is good, beautiful, and whole.
Those filled with God’s Spirit are empowered to see beyond superficial, temporal answers to complex problems in a sin-fractured world. God’s kingdom citizens often grapple to find beachheads to proclaim the good news of Jesus in an increasingly secularized culture so such shared disillusionment allows them to demonstrate for others why the good news is actually good news in concrete situations.
A Disruptive Voice
For such witness to take place, Christian missionaries must stop short of sharing the despair of others. Disillusionment is a valid, even expected, emotion for those living as aliens and strangers in this world.
Despair is not. It’s the natural outcome for those whose only hope is tethered to this world. Despair happens when hope disappoints, a reality that should not be true for those whose hope is tied to something that nothing in this world can take away.
Disciples of Jesus can disrupt despair by pointing beyond this life to an eternal hope that will not disappoint.
A Wasted Opportunity
Many intuitively recognize the need for Christian ...
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