While pastoring a church earlier in my life I preached a sermon entitled "My Resignation". This threw the congregation into a panic as they thought I was resigning as pastor! I didn't learn of this until after the sermon but found it quite funny. I preached on resigning myself to be the Christian Christ wanted me to be. Simple things like praying, serving, witnessing were all within the context of my sermon. Christians then and now have two different takes on resignation. The one group looks at resignation as giving up while the others live their lives with Christ rising up in their lives to proclaim the Gospel in any way God sees fit. But, what are Christians today resigned to be and do? Let's look at some of the ends of the Christian spectrum. Keep in mind that for every action there is an equal reaction. If we do little, little will get done. If we don't speak, nothing is said. If we don't live for Jesus, we don't live at all. Being a resigned Christian means we resign ourselves to no live but have Christ living through us. I wish this were true of all Christians but it's not. There are those who are resigned to doing nothing, saying nothing, and thinking even less. Their input into the world God has put them in is little or nothing. We may claim to be Christian but the Word tells us that when we are before Jesus he could say "Well done, good and faithful servant." or he could say, "Away from me. I never knew you. Both choices are before us every day. You and I are left with our free will to make that choice.
Many times the Christian life lived well leaves people feeling uncomfortable and shaken. The Christian life should do that to those around them as the Holy Spirit convicts people of who and where they are not. Being a Christian who has resigned to do and say nothing people's attitude is to just ignore them. Satan ignores the do nothings as well. Why? Because their testimony has no power given through the Holy Spirit. Only those resigned to die in order to have Christ live through them are able to shake up the world around them. When those resigned to be the best example of Christ extend themselves to others, the world is changed. Sometimes one person at a time and like Jesus feeding the 5000, sometimes it's lots of people. those who are resigned to do and say nothing have little or nothing in their lives that make people hungry for what they have. Should you have the power to do so, through examination of all of the days of my life and the interactions I've had with people, there would be lots of times when I resigned myself to do and say nothing. There would also be lots of times when I not in that space. During the times where I did and said nothing for Jesus, there was no fruit on the tree. Who would want what I had during those times?
We get caught up in what the world wants from Christians instead of what Christ wants from Christians. One wants us to mind our own business and the other wants to be the business through us. I imagine many of you have made a major purchase in your life and had to listen to a salesperson tell you why you can and should be and do what they want you to be and do. You know the pressure as they tell you how this car is going to be the perfect perfection for your wife and children causing no little amount of pressure to protect your family. That house or major appliance you are buying is no different. In the midst of this world of pressure to do what the worlds wants versus what God wants, there is a need to check out what people around us are resigned to do and say. Should we examine the church we find the same dilemma. Pastors and other church leaders focused on membership and tithing have resigned them to ignore the power of the Gospel to save the lost. While resigning yourself in words but not words that present the Gospel, you are resigned to what the world wants you to do in the world. Priorities are paramount in the Christian's life. The first resignation the Christian should have is to be resigned to die and let Christ live through us regardless of the cost. You have two choices before you today. You can resign yourself to live for the world or you can resign yourself to die to self and live for Christ. It's always your choice.
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