Jesus Over Everything: following Jesus in a modern world of chaos, conflict, and compromise.
Happy February, all you wonderful people!
I want to say a heartfelt thank you for your continued support and viewership of our blog and podcast. We have team of amazing contributors the world over who are dedicated to serving the body of Christ abroad with our mission “to provide hope, equipping and encouragement to follow Jesus well in our modern world.”
In some ways, it is more confusing and complicated to follow Jesus in our modern world than it ever has… geo-policitcal division and war between Russia , culture wars in the west, the repealing of Roe v. Wade, transgenderism, denominational splits over gay marriage, critical race theory, AI, the collapse of FTX and a fastest wealth loss in history, slave-labor and unethical practices being used by multinational corporations to create many of our everyday resources, unsustainable and inhumane practices being used by mass agriculture and food industries, the abuses of power by the Catholic Church, the division and fallout by the global pandemic, and mental health crisis touting all time high numbers of depression, anxiety, drug addiction and suicide especially in Gen Z. Have I mentioned a possible looming recession, high tensions with China, the global warming debate, and a “Unholy” grammy winning duo…?
It’s easy to feel lost, overwhelmed, and uncertain of what it looks like to be a well informed, wise and loving disciple of Jesus who has a relevant impact in their sphere of influence and lives a life with conviction and without compromise. In this increasing post-Christian culture in the West, it could be tempting to lament and locate ourselves in Jesus’ predictions of the end times found in Matthew 24 and I’ve heard some folks talk like that. But not me!
Call me an eternal optimist, but in some sense I don’t think it’s ever been easier to make an impact for Jesus. When the culture grows darker, how much brighter do simple acts of love shine? How rare is it to see someone live guided by godly convictions? How impactful is to see a family live on mission demonstrating sacrificial love to all those they encounter? Or a godly, blessed, marriage in a cultural of ungodly sexuality?
It truly is in times like these that I see the people of God getting back to keeping the main things the main things. Loving God; loving people. Living Truth; showing grace. Preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God; making disciples. Giving to those in need, comforting all who mourn, and loving the unlovable. As John, the Gospel writer, wrote of Jesus, may it be found true of us: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jn 1:5
This month, on the Good Christian Co. Blog, the team and I are excited to introduce the theme of 2023 - Jesus Over Everything: following Jesus in modern world of chaos, conflict, and compromise.
The reality is: life is complex and all of us must have guiding truth and wisdom on how we will conduct ourselves in this life: this is why worldview and ideology is so powerful - it orients us in the world and informs us how to live. However, in such a cultural milieu of upheaval, the breakdown of social norms and authority structures, and the rapid advancement of technology it can be quite possible to lose sight of all the areas of life we must steward.. much less how we will do it!
How many of you know that our modern world tells us very different ways of living than what what God’s dream for us is?
This year, we will exploring the difference between what the world says and what Jesus says. The wisdom, words and Will of God in every area of life vs the humanistic relativism so prevalent in our modern day.
As the year progresses, we will seek to finds God’s hope, equipping, and encouragement to follow Jesus well in each area of our lives: spirituality, physicality, relationships, marriage/singleness, finances, identity, sexuality, work, meaning/purpose, eternity …
It should be quite a ride. We hope you stay for the whole journey and share with others in your world. If you would like to be Podcast guests, guest writers, give input, feedback, or have a topic you’d like us to tackle please email us at info@thegoodchristian.co or fill out the form on our “Contact” page. Our goal is to serve you well.
May God bless you and protect you. May His face shine upon you.
Much love,
Joshua