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WWJD, do Christian really have any idea?

This year the American Culture & Faith Institute, headed by George Barna, reported some interesting findings on Christ followers in America.  Looking at over 100 moral issues, ranging from pornography, lying, and infidelity, they found no statistical difference between believers and unbelievers.  Meaning, if you’re looking at Christian to answer the questions, what would Jesus do, the answer is probably, the same as everyone else.

I certainly don’t have empirical data to back this, but from what I can observe Royal Ranger Commanders do fit this statistic.  Why?

I think there are three main reason for the difference: Ranger Commanders keep their sword with them at all times, we know who the enemy is and are ready to fight back every day, and we acknowledge how important it is to positively engage and influence our culture.

The Sword

We call the Bible our sword.  Only 1/33 believers have read the Bible cover to cover.  If you haven’t read the B.I.B.L.E, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth how can you live it and more over how can you be of mentor to the next generation.  Let me give you some scary stats from George Barna’s team.

48% of born again believers believe that Jesus did not live a sinless life.  The Bible is quite clear on this one.  I Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, and Hebrews 4:15 just to name a few.  53% of born again believers do not think the Bible gives absolute moral truth.  Without that we are left to the feeling of the current cultural majority.  SOME CULTURS LOVE THEIR NEIGHBORS OTHERS EAT THEM, WHAT’S YOUR PEREFERECE?  42% of born again believers believe satan is just and symbol of evil and that the Holy Spirit is just a symbol of God’s presence.  The Bible is also clear about the real enemy we face and the spiritual battle that is waged each and every day.  Also, the Bible at its core is relational and that relational foundation is the relationship between God the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Let us make them in our image.

Knowing the Bible and living out it’s tenants are paramount to be the kind of example that will encourage someone to make a change in their own life.  The is just no substitute for making a time to study and read scripture.  John Q. Adams said, it’s not so much praise worthy to be acquainted with the Bible as it to be shameful to be ignorant of it.

The Enemy

John 10:10, “the enemy comes to kill steal and destroy, but I have come to give you life, life to the full.” John Eldridge has written a great book titled Waking The Dead that really does a terrific job highlighting this.  In Ranges we say, “behind every set of eyes is a story,” or as Eldridge puts it, an epic.  We all love stories and part of our interests in them is that we are hoping we will learn something about ours.

Why does every story have a villain? It’s hard to think of a tale without one. As children, we learned to fear the Big Bad Wolf and the Troll under the bridge. As we grew older, we discovered more serious villains in the Star Wars series— Darth Vader and Darth Maul and Darth Sidious. The Wicked Witch of the West hunted Dorothy. Wallace fought against Longshanks, and Maximus went hand to hand against Commodus. The trinity in The Last of the Mohicans had to eventually face Magua, the black-hearted Huron who betrayed them all. In The Fellowship of the Ring, we come to dread the Dark Lord Sauron, the Orcs that do his bidding, and the Black Riders who hunt poor Frodo and the ring that will give the evil one power to enslave the world. Every story has a villain because yours does. Though most of you do not live like it. Most people do not live as though the Story has a Villain, and that makes life very confusing.  Eldredge, John. Epic: The Story God Is Telling (pp. 28-29). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

When we acknowledge there is a villain or enemy we begin to understand a lot about life, and then we can go to the Bible for guidance on how to stand against the whiles of the devil.

The Citizen

What would Jesus do?  Is a great question in the context of where you were born?  It certainly would make a difference if you were born in Germany, Russian, or Honduras.  Now, when it came down to basic one on one relational matters the response should be the same, but I’m talking about how Christians engage and influence the culture to which they were born.  Believers all over America don’t even vote, and I think one day you will stand before God and He will ask, “I allowed you to be born in a country that was the greatest stronghold for religious freedom the world had ever known and you didn’t even vote, why?”  We have a duty to be good citizens and to engage the culture.  The Citizenship merit use to be required for earning the GMA and now it’s relegated to a laundry list of some 95 + merits where I am sure snowboarding and water skiing instructor win out.  For years I heard, “it’s boring.”  Boring to be part of the most exceptionally revolutionary country on the planet.  The only Country in all of civilization that has thrived under one document for over 240 years.  The US makes up only 4% of the world’s population, but generates over 96% of the worlds patents, art, music and copywrites.  I am sure Johnny Barnes was grateful God birthed the Vision of Royal Ranges in his heart in the United States of America.  Royal Ranger Commanders are among the best citizen I know and I am proud to be in that company of men.

 GEORGE BARNA

George Barna is the Executive Director of the American Culture and Faith Institute (a division of United in Purpose). He founded the Barna Research Group in 1984 (now The Barna Group) and has been President of Metaformation, a faith development organization, since 2009. He has served several hundred parachurch ministries, thousands of Christian churches, and many other non-profit and for-profit organizations as well as the U.S. military. He has also been a pollster in three presidential campaigns. Barna has written more than 50 books, mostly addressing cultural trends, leadership, spiritual development, and church dynamics. They include New York Times bestsellers and several award-winning books. He has sold more books based on survey research related to matters of faith than any author in American history. After graduating summa cum laude from Boston College, Barna earned two Master’s degrees from Rutgers University and has a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University. He attends Mission Church in Ventura.

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