People Are Fascinating – We’re All Wired The Same.

When our stations are broadcasting and our sites are streaming numerous messages about life following Jesus, people are listening from all sorts of backgrounds. Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Communists & Atheists. You name it, our listeners come from every spiritual background.

Part of our God-created brilliance means we’re all wired for the same things – we seek significance, security, self worth. We long for freedom from pain, guilt and strife. We’re all wired the same.

One of the great things Christian radio does is it offers a fresh way of  seeing life. To the Buddhist or Muslim listeners, for example, the answer to our questions about significance and security is very different from what Jesus teaches.

For example this weekend is Festival of Lights in Thailand. This is when people “float their bad karma away” in burning lanterns. Air traffic is halted for a night – you can imagine why!

Another example.  I heard in the local Mosque this afternoon a sermon about the test people will face on the day of judgement. This test is essentially five questions, and it revolves around the deeds of your life. The tricky thing is – the preacher also said, “No one will escape Allah’s justice on that day!” Unfortunately, no assurance was offered, only a possibility of mercy.

We’re all wired to distance ourselves from our mistakes, our bad stuff. And we’re all wired for justice. Bad behaviour must be managed.

The message on our broadcasts and from Christian lips and lives this weekend (and always) is absolutely incredible. For many it might be too wonderful to believe, so we need to pray for faith.

“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. …through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that none can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (Ephesians 2:4, 8-10)

We’re wired by God, for good works. Big difference? We don’t work in order to have our sins removed, or in order to be good enough for heaven and pass a test. We work because we are already set free from our mess-ups, by the grace of God. When we believe Jesus, we are gifted a clean record and an A+ pass, because of Jesus.

Be encouraged. And please pray for listeners everywhere.

Thanks,

Matt