Dare To Be Different, And Still Become One In Christ

Dare to be different, and still become one in Christ. That's the message the text is taken from Philippians 2.

Many of us grew up thinking that being different was bad, and there are many horror stories about children being compared to their siblings or to other children. Parents would often assault them with the question, 'Why can't you be like John?' 'Why can't you be like Mary?' Unfortunately, this is not good parenting strategy, because it tells a child, he or she is inadequate, and they do not measure up. As a result, many have lived an entire life with low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness. Let us remember, it was the Creator who made us all different, and He always has a good reason for doing everything that He does. Of course it takes courage to stand up because when we stand up we stand out. Therefore, it takes courage to be different, but we must resist the pull of the world to conform to its low standards.

Even though the Creator God has made us all different, there are some ways He has also asked us to be identical to each other. For instance, He tells us that we should all put on the mind of Christ, we must all strive to think, and therefore act the way the Savior would act in every scenario that life presents us. He also tells us we should love each other as He has loved us. The people of God who will be resurrected and gathered on the day that the Savior returns will all be of one mind, one heart, and one spirit.

In growing up most children want to be accepted and so the world teaches them pretty quickly that the best way to become accepted is to talk like everyone else, dress like everyone else, behave like everyone else, and of course think like everyone else and do the things that everyone else is doing. But those who have been super successful or just successful in life have carved out their own little niche. Most of them do not fit well in a group because they are too busy to do group things. They're always pursuing one passion or another.

Now think about this how awesome the world would be, if we could convince young people, that everyone can have a passion for some good and beneficial thing! If we could teach them how to pursue their passion, their dream and still do something for the greater good, it would be awesome! And then if we could convince them to find like-minded persons who are pursuing the same or similar passions and partner with them. And if we could show them how they can work together, as a unified team, working together to fix some of the problems that are in the world today, it would be fantastic!

The challenge for many in the world today is that God made us all different and we do not know what to do with that difference. Some among us embrace these differences, they appreciate them, and capitalize on them. They learn to accept them, instead of being ashamed of them like so many in the world are today. And for those who fail to understand that our Creator made us all different for a reason, their life is made even more complicated by the fact that the Creator also wants us to be the same or identical to others in many ways. And, because they have refused to accept who they are in the first place and the way he has made them, there's no hope that they would ever be reconciled to Creator God, and understand the great plan that He has for their life.

The Apostle Paul gives us some direction on this in Philippians 2:2-5 where he says to us, 'Fulfill my Joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. And let nothing be done through selfish ambitions or conceit but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest but also for the interest of others and let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus we see that there is no conflict here because we can continue to be different and to have different skills, abilities, ethnic origins etc. And yet still be one in love still be one in obedience to God's Word, seeking the common good of all. In this way we will for sure become one in the Spirit.

In thinking about people who are different we can consider those that are referred to as nerds. A nerd is an individual who is different from the rest of the crowd, and often he has problems fitting in. At times, the so-called nerd stands out like a sore thumb. He's usually an unstylish unattractive or socially awkward person and very often he's a person devoted to intellectual or academic excellence. Or to put it another way, he's one who puts all of his energies into one thing into one pursuit. The word nerd was coined by Dr Seuss in the 1950s. There are also a couple of popular synonyms of nerd such as dork and geek all coined by Seuss.

But when these words were first coined they were not so cool. However, nowadays they are often considered cool, because they've been redefined recently, and thereby given new life! There has been a change in the way people view nerdy individuals sometimes.

Nowadays, being labeled as a nerd is sometimes worn with a badge of honor. The word is now sometimes used to show that a person possesses a depth of knowledge in a particular area and so today we have science nerds football geeks and so on.

Now on the matter of being different in God's eyes, someone wrote that being different means such persons do not join in, and do not give into peer pressure when others are doing wrong things, and want you to join in with them. Then someone else said, "In order to be different you need to be courageous, because if you're going to overcome insecurities and be the person God called you to be, then you must have the courage to stand alone." Being different also means that you do not allow others to determine your worth your value. It means, you will have to break out of the mold, and do the thing that God is calling you to do, even if it separates you from the people around you.

If there's one constant that stands out in God's message to the children of Israel in the days before Jesus Christ, it is that He was constantly demanding that His children be separate and be different from the people of the world. Perhaps this is the main reason He kept them in the desert for 40 years. He was making a pattern of a unique people, as He molded and shaped them into a people after His own heart.

Years ago someone came to me and told me, about a dream that he had. The individual was very gifted, skilled in technology, and was rapidly ascending the corporate ladder. Most people who knew the individual would agree that one day they would be a very wealthy and successful entrepreneur. This individual knew that they were talented and wanted all the best things that life had to offer, but unfortunately was not prepared to wait for them. And the individual said that they had a dream where they saw two figures beckoning to them. Each one was energetically calling the individual to come over to their side. And there they stood between the two, not knowing which one to go to. Further the individual said one was dressed magnificently in white. And the other was dressed magnificently in black. There was nothing odd or uninviting about either of them finally this very puzzled young person asked what the dream meant?

Of course I told told them that the figure in the black outfit represented Satan, and the one in the white represented Jesus Christ. I told them that Jesus Christ, was calling them to a new and glorious future. And I tried to make them understand that the Lord was calling them to repent and to be obedient to His Word, while the world and Satan was calling them to yet another life that might look good from the outside, but on the inside it would be something completely the opposite. The individual thanked me for the advice, and went away without giving a hint about what they were struggling with or what their decision ultimately would be. Sometime later, a story broke in the local newspaper about this youthful and dynamic person. Apparently they had been indicted on serious charges, and was headed to prison for several years.

To sum it all up, according to the Book of Genesis, the Father made us all in His image and likeness and so in this way He made us all the same. This probably refers to the fact that He made each of us a living spirit. At the very same time, we must all agree that God as Creator, never makes two things completely identical! Even the leaves on the trees are not completely identical. Every leaf has its own signature. Therefore, awesome God made us all all in His image and likeness, but He made each of us uniquely different. His expectations of us are compounded by the fact that He wants all of us to be different from those living in the world! He wants us to be different from those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and follow the commands of God given to Jesus Christ for us. He urges us to put on the mind of Christ which will cause us to become a people set apart from the world for Himself, self until the dawning of that glorious new day which is soon to come. May God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

You've been listening to this message and perhaps you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As usual we want to give you an opportunity to make that commitment today. Please engage your heart and say this prayer after me:

• Father I am a sinner.

• I am sorry for all my sins.

• Lord I crave Your forgiveness.

• I want to return to You today.

• I invite Jesus Christ into my heart.

• Dear Lord Jesus make my heart Your home.

• I give You the key to my heart because I now belong to You.

• Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

• I pray this prayer in the name of The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Welcome friend to the body of believers in Christ. There are many of us here awaiting the return of the Good Master. In the meantime we encourage you to become water baptized as quickly as possible. It is called the fulfillment of all righteousness and is a part of the salvation process. Begin reading the Word of God every day. Begin in the Book of John then go to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Pray daily. Attend at your local church. And one glad morning the Savior will come and receive us all unto Himself. And we shall for certain forever be with the Lord. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.