conforming to nonconformity

The Scriptures declare it necessary—not merely helpful—to not conform to this world. Christians, in following the greatest revolutionary, MUST follow in his footsteps! Jesus did not conform to this world or its laws, or even to its expectations! He raised the dead, made the blind see, the mute speak, the deaf hear! He made the crippled walk! Jesus did miraculous and astounding things, going against the grain and tide of the day. When others worshipped God, Jesus accepted worship and claimed to be God! He said he could rebuild a destroyed temple in three days! People thought the Messiah would come to rule with a sword—but Jesus came not merely to rule, but to die! As Christians, we, too, must shake the world. We must not conform to the ever-growing cultural consensus that it’s okay to sin; we must not conform to the world’s measure of what is success, what is to be valued, but stick to God’s measure of success and worth. If the authorities order us to renounce Jesus, we ought to disobey and break the law and praise Jesus' awesome name! We must sacrifice ourselves for others, for God—we need to see others as better than ourselves and treat them as such. We must become servants, not the served; we are here to serve, not be served. When God leads us to do things beyond peoples’ expectations and understanding, don’t hesitate—even if he asks you to become an astronaut, or—scarily—a minister in Iran! If God moves us to lie down in worship, to stand and lift our arms, to scream his name, hold nothing back! If God tells us to pray when society—and maybe other Christians—say we ought not to, pray! If God calls us to worship him in a street corner, hold nothing back! Don’t worry about what other people think—what will God think if you don’t respond to his calling for your life? Don’t be a conformist, but a nonconformist. Be wild and crazy for Jesus!