Hey Christian, I’m Talking to You Now

To my fellow Christians:

In response to the presence of Pharisaical hate in the form of ‘preachers’ in the plaza of the Colorado State campus last week, I did something I do a lot.

I posted on Facebook.

I did what I’m sure many people are tired of me doing… I unleashed a multi-paragraph statement on social media containing my analysis of the situation. It took the form of an apology on behalf of CSU’s Christian community, and, to my surprise, it spread like wildfire. I re-formatted it, sent it to CSU’s newspaper, The Rocky Mountain Collegian, and it was published both online and in the paper.

I never thought it would reach so many people, and praise God that it did. I say none of these things for my own glory – all I want is the Good News of Jesus Christ to spread to the entire Colorado State campus, to Fort Collins, to Colorado, across the nation, and beyond.

That’s why I’m writing again. This time I’m writing to my family, the family I don’t deserve to belong to but the family that God has so graciously allowed me to lean on daily. I’m writing to my brothers and sisters in Christ.

I come to you with the simple message that God can use you and wants to use you for huge things. You all have a voice. Some of you speak with your actions, using words when necessary. I’m thankful for people like you, because I never shut up. Others of you are like me… you can’t seem to shut up.

Well, don’t start shutting up now. Whether your actions speak first or you have a way with words, speak loudly. There are so many people – at CSU and beyond – who are so hungry for something real, for something more. There are so many people who know the world will never satisfy them. There are so many people who want to hear what you have to say; and whether you feel like it’s true or not, there are so many people who are willing to listen.

You have everything they need, and deep down inside, everything they want. Their hunger begs for your voice to feed them with the love of Christ. You know the Truth, and the Truth has set you free (John 8:32). Why else would you be a Christian? Your heart is filled with a hope and a peace that transcends even your own understanding because the King of Kings sits on its throne.

I challenge you to speak from that heart. Sure, thousands have people have now read a letter telling them that the one true God is not a God who hates and condemns, and that anyone who does those things is not truly representing Christ. Now, they’re looking for someone to prove it. They can be told that God is a loving God, and that He wants to meet them where they’re at, but why would they believe those things unless somebody personally manifests that radical love out of their own belief in Jesus?

So love radically. Be unusual. Do extraordinary things. Don’t blend in and let regularity consume you. Regularity will become complacency, and complacency will become mediocrity. The ultimate example of radical love literally makes His home inside you. Let that love infiltrate every fiber of your being. It will not only satisfy you, but it will satisfy others. You’ll get the questions we all desire to hear… “What is it about you that’s so different? Why are you always happy? What do you have that I don’t?”

If you want to hear those questions, I challenge you to step out and step up.

I firmly believe that everyone is seeking the Truth, whether they realize it or not. Everyone needs people to walk with them down the road of life, and the people that walk with them will likely determine where the road leads. You know the destination of your road. Invite other people to walk on it with you. You might be surprised at how many people will gladly accept the invitation.

Hey Christian, you carry the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. That Spirit has placed world-changing capability at your fingertips.

To quote a song we’ve all heard…

I dare you to move.