Episode 2: Changing the Me to You
Table of Contents
Podcast
Scripture
- 2 Corinthians 3:5
- Romans 3:21-24
- Matthew 25:40
Notes/Highlights
Welcome to He Brews Faith, a podcast focusing on Biblical views for being a Christian. My name is Eric Hansen, founder of He Brews Ministries and youth pastor at Olive Branch.
One of the hardest things we can face, whether you are a new Christian or not, is letting go of ourself. You probably hear Christians commonly say it’s because of God that they could do something, or that some event happened. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:5 (NLT) has a different thought about that. In these words we know that what we are called to do and be is from God.
However, when we start to replace “we” with “I”, such as “I created this” or “I brought these people to faith”, this is where we start to think of ourselves greater than God. These moments are where we can either continue down this path of self-righteousness or realize our sin of replacing God with the world. The way to resolve this is simple, we need to stop thinking about ourselves.
Being a Christian is not an easy way of living, nor is it a “get out of Hell free” card to just say you believe in Christ. We need to be a walking light for those who are lost in their own darkness.
I strongly believe there are do’ers and senders of the Good News. You may be a do’er, someone who goes out and evangelizes, plants churches, spreads the Good News yourself. Or you may be a sender, someone who who mans the station and makes sure the ship stays on course. Neither person is better or worse than the other, and we need to work together to make Christianity effective these days.
So what are some ways a do’er can move away from “what about me” and start thinking “what about them”?
- Food banks in your area could be needing supplies
- People could be looking for a light in their own darkness or just someone to talk with
- Churches could be needing leaders in various areas
Now what can senders do in this same regard?
- Reach out to other churches or missions to see how they can be helped
- Be a good steward of church administration such as treasurer or organizer of events
- Find those with interest or gifts to help in areas that need it such as those looking to enter ministry
Back when I first started really exploring my faith, I hit plenty of road bumps. There were a lot of moments where I dealt with self-doubt and depression because ultimately I knew I couldn’t be me anymore and I was afraid. When you live your whole life thinking you accomplished everything because you were awesome, then a book and strangers tell you you’re wrong, it can be hard to swallow.
But I can tell you that you are not lesser a human because of this fact, you are actually one step further along your walk in faith. I was agnostic; I did not believe in the Bible but was not to the point of being an atheist, as I believed in God, Jesus, etc… One way that I started working through this was to have someone I could be accountable to.
I had my wife, but really in these cases of needing hard truth about yourself it is best that they are not deeply attached to you. So this also means you truly should look at family, best friends, etc… as last resorts, not the first. Basically, if they can excuse you eating a Big Mac when you’re on a diet because it has lettuce on it they fall into the last resort category.
These type of people are great for support, but for the most part they will probably allow the excuses you’ll come up with to be accepted. I say you’ll come up with because you will, we all do as pointed out in Romans 3:21-24 (NLT).
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
So making these excuses is sin, that’s evil trying to separate you from God and the more you try to keep God in your life the harder it’ll be working on you. Those times you decide to watch TV instead of reading the Bible, watch football instead of attending church, etc… are other examples of these sins However, if you have not yet found a church, and this is something we’ll discuss in another episode on things to look for and avoid, then the 2nd one is a bit harder to gauge.
But this is why since you are wanting this to be focused inward, towards your spiritual side, finding someone who is deeply spiritual and unbiased is a must. For me it was my pastor, but for you it may be someone else, but make sure that they 1) will truly hold you accountable and 2) are spiritually led as well. The point here is to have someone you know who will call you out and keep you inline, but will also help guide you as well.
An interesting fact is that therapists have their own therapists they go to, and pastors have their own mentors as well. So don’t think you’re weak by having a mentor yourself, those who want to spread the kingdoms grace will either be happy to mentor you or help you find someone.
One quote my pastor always tells me when I come to him asking “why God” questions is “it’s not ‘why God’ but ‘what are you trying to teach me?'”
This is important, as most of your issues will be mentally focused, as you start having to remap how you problem solve. Maybe you were wanting to see that new movie yet someone called you to pick them up as their car broke down. Or you got home from a long, hard day at work and your spouse or kids wanted you to spend time with them.
These are times where it can be difficult to put others ahead of yourself, you want to relax and enjoy your life as well. However, a very powerful mentality to have here is found also in Matthew 25:40 (NLT). This isn’t to say you should not have time to your self even if someone calls you for help, but we also need to think of what the situation is.
If you really do not feel like skipping out on that movie or sitting in front of the TV after coming home, try to always ask yourself, if you asked this request to God what would happen if he told you no? God will tell you no sometimes in your prayers, but we should continue to always come to him regardless. Perhaps God is trying to use you to answer someone else’s prayer even.
Whether it’s for you or someone else though there’s never a bad time to ask God “what are you teaching here?” The more you ask “what” instead of “why”, the more you focus your attention on God and His grace and less is spent on your desire or demand to solve a problem.
I want to thank you for listening to He Brews Faith and if you haven’t yet feel free to subscribe. A new episode comes out every week, and our website HeBrewsMinistries.org is always there for you to ask questions you may have. With that said, until next week have a blessed season of growth!