Out of Your Mind Persuasion
When you look at the King’s Hill logo I hope there is one thing that has stood out, the K is backwards. You might think that is just a neat stylistic idea for a logo but it is more than that. It is there to remind us that the Christian life, the Christian ethic is completely backwards to how our world thinks. It a reminder that Christ followers are to look different than those that don’t believe in God.
Yet, though we are to look different we aren’t removed from the world but are sent into the world to persuade and reason with those who don’t believe in Christ. In 2 Corinthians the Apostle Paul is writing to the church to do just this, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” (2 Corinthians 5:11). In the verses that follow I believe Paul gives us 3 ways to look different from the world, while at the same time being winsome and persuasive for the cause of Christ.
Worship Authentically
“…So that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God…” (2 Corinthians 5:11-12)
Paul seem to be acknowledging that there are some people in Corinth that are calling him crazy. When they see him worship God it seems that he is “beside himself” (ESV) or “out of his mind” (NIV). To this point Paul doesn’t disagree. He says, if I appear out of my mind then good, because my worship isn’t supposed to fit within your standard of what is right, but my worship is solely for God. He is the only target of my worship. It isn’t about outward appearances, but it is an overflow of what is in the heart.
One way of persuading others of your faith then is to express authentic worship. Worship most simply defined is expressing love, adoration, honor, or even longing to God based completely on who He is. Here I’m primarily thinking about your worship in the context of the corporate gathering of the church. When you sing, is it in response to what is in your heart? What does your posture indicate about your longing for God? If you are more stoic in worship, is it because of a heart that is luke-warm to God, which is a real possibility, or is it out of fear of what others will think about how you worship God?
We could extend the idea of worship to how you act and make decisions. Does the way you handle your finances indicate an authentic worship of God? Do the choices you make on how to spend your time reflect right worship? Do you seek to put the needs of others first or prioritize your own needs? If you are authentically worshipping God with every decision in life then you will look backwards to the culture around you.
Paul’s encouragement is that we should look out of our mind when worshipping God, but that it is simply reflects the authenticity of the worship that is occurring in our hearts.
Understand Your Faith
“…if we are in our right mind, it is for you.” (2 Corinthians 5:12)
Even though Paul at times seemed out of his mind he also is described as being of a right mind. He was articulate, clear, reasonable in the way that he spoke. If you read through the book of Acts you see him entering Jewish synagogues and reasoning from the scriptures, and then shortly after going to the city public squares of debate and reasoning for Christ from a purely secular starting point. While Paul’s worship was authentic and counter-cultural, his words reflected understanding and reason.
This didn’t happen purely by accident. We can learn from Paul to be a good student, to study our faith, and to know why we believe in God. Paul had been a disciple of the Jewish Pharisee Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) and so had deeply studied the Jewish scriptures. So much so that he persecuted the early church as he believed they held to wrong beliefs. After his encounter with Jesus and his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) Paul reports he spent 3 years in Arabia before the rest of the ministry that we see recorded in Acts (Galatians 1). I firmly believe that Paul’s understanding of scripture, and experiences that he had growing up in Tarsus helped him understand his faith, and how to apply it to the lives of those around him
How can you grow in understanding your faith? There can be no better method than to be regularly in God’s word. God’s word is truth and without regularly and systematically consuming His words there will be no foundation for your faith. In addition to reading directly from God’s word being in small groups, life groups, discipleship cohorts, and mentoring relationships will challenge you to dig deeper. Studying with others helps you to see things you didn’t see on your own, and helps sharper your skills of understanding.
If you have built a solid understanding of God’s word then also reading and engaging with those with a different worldview and perspective helps you understand the world better. The German Theologian Karl Barth famously said that we should, “Keep the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.” This is important because it is the missing step to help us understand what is happening around us from a biblical worldview. You read a headline, something anyone in the world is currently dealing with, and then think biblical to how you can make sense of it as a Christian. If you regularly practice this habit, then it is easier to persuade others of the faith from the events of every day life.
Be a Bold Ambassador
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Perhaps you have a friend that has tried to convince you to try something new. They just came back from eating at a new restaurant and they tell you, “you have to come try it!” Your friend has now become an ambassador for that restaurant. They want others to know and experience what they have. In the same way, Christ followers are ambassadors for Christ. We are to appeal to others around us to be reconciled, to find restoration and life that is only found in Christ.
If you knew that your friend and tried a new restaurant but then didn’t tell you about it when they returned, what would be your impression of it? Without asking them I would guess that you would think the place was underwhelming. If it wasn’t, then why didn’t they tell you about it? I wonder if the same would be said for Christians. If you have found the fullness of joy, fullness of life, hope found in Christ why do you not tell others?
Paul’s example in 2 Corinthians 5 is to be persuasive of others, to appeal to them to be reconciled. This takes boldness, it takes risk. To do it well it takes an understanding. If the faith you have is authentic then it means it will even look a little weird at times. It is worth it though if more would be reconciled to Christ. Consider the words and the example of the Apostle Paul. Seek to live a life where you seem out of your mind for Christ, yet persuasive to have others join you.
