Passive Observer or Active Participant?

A few months ago, Crossroads Church Circleville embarked on an adventure to reach college & career aged young people. We began meeting on Sunday nights after 8 (which is the name of the service). As Pastor Dan and I began to look at the needs of that age group, we wanted a theme or series that would fit close to home and speak to this group where they live. As a recent college grad, I can say without a doubt that this season of life is full of transition and change. Our hope is to help these students and young adults to navigate these times transitions and turn them into times of great transformation.

As we looked at scripture, no person exhibited more change and growth than Paul the Apostle. He spent his entire recorded life in a constant state of transition. We went on three missionary journeys that took him all over the known world at the time. However, his story did not that way. In fact, his story did not even start as the persecutor of the church from before his conversion. To get a sense of where Saul (then he came Paul) started, you have to go back to Acts 7:57-58. At this time, Stephen had made some enemies with his relentless preaching of truth and we find ourselves picking up in these verses as he was about to be stoned to death. If we look at these verses, we find Saul in a different role than we see down the road. "At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul." Saul was not a part of the group that stoned Stephen. In fact, he was only used to watch the clothes of the witnesses. At this point, he was a passive observer of sin. This may not seem like much of a theological point, but look at where Paul ended up before he was converted. He went from passive observer to active participant, and eventually became one of the most feared men in the church.

As we look at our lives, we must be careful of what we are passively observing. It may not seem like it is influencing us, but the story of Saul tells a different tale. If we allow ourselves to be passive observers for too long, eventually the moment comes when we actively participate. These are the moments that the enemy thrives on. He wants us to watch and be amazed by sin. Don't give the enemy that much territory. Actively RESIST sin through the strength and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

-Pastor Ethan

"Ethan is the Communications Pastor at Crossroads Church Circleville. He is a recent graduate of Ohio Christian University with a degree in Emergency Management. He also co-leads the College & Career Ministry and the heads up the church's Emergency Response Team. His heart is to build a set of online platforms where people can come to regularly hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ."