Greetings,
This was sent out to those who helped support me back in March for my mission trip to Mexico (wanted to make sure all that should see it have the opportunity):
July 30, 2013
Dear Friends & Family,
I hope that this note finds
you and your family doing well. I sincerely apologize for how long this update
has taken me. The Lord is good, and a lot has been happening in my life, and
the life of my family since my Mexico Mission Trip. I praise the Lord for all
He has done, is doing, and will do in the days and weeks to come.
Here are a few things that
have been on my heart and will be up on my blog real soon.
God has designed us to be so
much more than Christian consumers, complacent and comfortable in our own
private lives. This we know! When this understanding
of the world and self is brought into Christian faith, two very damaging things
occur. First, consumerism reduces God from a deity to a commodity. His value,
like everything else, is determined by His usefulness to the user (i.e. the
Christian). In consumerism, personal desires and their fulfillment are
paramount, therefore everything and everyone-- including God--exists to satisfy
these cravings. This is precisely the opposite of what Scripture teaches. We
are called to live in submission to God and walk humbly with Him. Consumerism,
however, reduces God so that He becomes a means to an end. He is presented as a
useful tool that supplies us with our desires and expectations. As one
sociologist noted, “in our consumer culture we have come to view God as part
cosmic therapist and part divine butler.”
Secondly,
consumerism reduces Jesus Christ from Lord to a label. When the early
Christians declared "Christ is Lord" they were subverting the popular
belief of the day that "Caesar is Lord." It was a proclamation of
Jesus' authority and power over all things, and it was a declaration of
allegiance to our heavenly King. Where is your allegiance?
But in consumerism
the customer is king, not Jesus. As a result Christianity becomes just one more
brand we integrate and display along with Gap, Apple, and Starbucks to express
our identity. So Christians no longer carry an expectation of obedience and
allegiance to Christ, but rather the perpetual consumption of Christian
merchandise and experiences--music, books, t-shirts, conferences, and jewelry.
And rather than living out the values and ethics of the Kingdom of God, we
share the values of our consumer culture while our identity as Christians
remains a veneer.
Ultimately the
powerful influence of consumerism in our contemporary culture forces us to ask
hard questions about our faith. Are we truly seeking a life with God? Or are we
simply trying to use Him? And is our allegiance to Christ and His Kingdom? Or
is "Christian" simply a label we identify with but with no real
impact on our lives or behaviors? And as we pursue the mission of the Gospel,
are we presenting Jesus Christ as the goal and treasure of life? Or is He being
packaged and sold as a commodity to help consumers achieve lesser desires? Many
Christians find themselves at the center of this ‘me’ debate way too
frequently. “How does this affect me?” “What’s in it for me?” While in truth,
the work of the kingdom is not about a ‘me’ at all but a ‘Him,’ Jesus Christ
who bled for the sins of you and I. Living a life for Christ in that the ‘me’
will decrease so that ‘He’ may increase. Jesus has done the ‘heavy lifting,”
may we shed the layers of sins and brokenness that hinder our walk by faith and
deny the enemy daily. We do have what it
takes when we truly believe in Christ alone. Dear friend, the Lord wants to
lead us there…trust in him and give him the praise and glory always.
As I type this, I feel the
Lord calling me to a deeper Christ centered mission and I am working to be
fully submitted to Him. He has a plan & a calling on my life, this I know
and I ask that you pray hard for me. That I would not lack wisdom and
discernment, to hear Him, take action, and live more fully for the advancement
of the kingdom. Our time on this beautiful earth that God has created is but a
vapor. I do not want to live beyond my means and ask that He keeps me humble
daily. That which is mine, came from Lord anyway, may I be the best steward of
these gifts. For I have the gift of life in Him and it is “with a servant’s
heart” that I step. Thank you for letting me share with you my journey!
Living to Love & Loving to
Serve,
Justin
L. Stone
