The Big Diehl

Okay I had absolutely no intention of creating an evangelism blog series this week - it just sorta happened! So here’s the impromptu part 3!

Steven Curtis Chapman has a song called “Live Out Loud.” Check out these lyrics:

Imagine this, I get a phone call from Regis. He says, “Do you want to be a millionaire?” They put me on the show and I win with two lifelines to spare. Picture this: I act like nothing ever happened - I bury all my money in a coffee can. Well I’ve been given more than Regis ever gave away, I was a dead man who was called to out of my grave. I think its time for makin’ some noise.”

How true is this?! I agree with SCC, we need to LIVE LOUDLY! Christians should LIVE so loudly that everyone around them can hear, “Jesus!” HOWEVER . . .

God never intended for us to be cookie cutter Christians, He knew what he was doing when he made each of us differently. Living loudly isn’t going to look the same for all of us. Your personality will effect the style of your loud living. But one thing remains - we must live loud.

I remember a few teachers in High School that loved teaching. There were just some teachers that loved teaching so much that you could tell it wasn’t just a job to them. They genuinely loved teaching. I also remember a couple teachers that hated teaching. Especially several substitute teachers. You could tell. They never said they hated it but it couldn’t be hidden. It was obvious they hated teaching (two of the teachers I’m thinking of are no longer in the education field!). Kids can always tell how their teachers really feel about their job — they can’t hide what’s on the inside.

That’s what it means to live loudly.

Living loud doesn’t (necessarily) mean that I have to get on a soap box to share Christ. Living loudly means that my internal life is being revolutionized by Christ (I use the present tense, “being,” because its a never ending goal). Folks - this is the secret right here, but it often gets unintentionally ignored and overlooked (even by pastors and leaders) because its not observable and measurable by others. But that’s the key to living loudly - our relationship with God must be loud on the INSIDE before anything else. After that, it will come out of you through and in the style of your personality, in everyday situations.

Steven Curtis Chapman says it best, “If we’ve really been given the gift of life that will never end and if we’ve been filled with living hope we’re gonna overflow and if God’s love is burning in our hearts we’re gonna glow — There’s just no way to keep it in.” 

I had heard a lot about Scientology. It’s a religion created out of thin air in the past 100 years, and has thousands of followers. I had heard it was all about removing the aliens from your mind, created by a science fiction writer (both of which are true facts) who was quoted as saying something to the effect of, “Religion is where the big money is at.” But nobody would actually head into Scientology thinking they have aliens in the mind, right? I mean that’s a little far fetched. So I decided to do some checking about what the Church of Scientology advertises about Scientology. I watched numerous videos on their website asking myself the question, “What’s the draw? Why are so many people believing this?” Here’s what I came up with:

Scientology is practical! They provide real life solutions and answers to what we’re thinking and feeling. I think that right there is the kicker - its relevant! (I’m not saying its truth, but relevant to our everyday lives).

Christians, take a snapshot of your daily life. Imagine someone else looking at that snapshot. Would they see a life that has been and is being revolutionized by Jesus? Would they see a Jesus that is stagnant and insignificantly in your life . . . or would they see a Jesus that is passionately renovating your entire being? Would they see a Jesus that applies to today?

With that in mind, I understand why 55,000 Americans have picked Scientology over a stagnant and insignificant relationship with God. Psh - I DON’T BLAME THEM!

The key to evangelism in every situation is to show the one that is seeking for Truth that Jesus is the Truth they’re looking for. People around us are already looking for Jesus - they just don’t know it. Scientology provides answers when Christians (and their lives) remain silent. Start living louder.

Earlier today when I was mowing my lawn kept singing the first line of “All My Life” by Foofighters:

“All my life I’ve been searching for something…”

Then it hit me - I’VE GOT WHAT HE’S SEARCHING FOR!

Christians, the world around us is truly searching for Jesus - they just don’t know it. They’re not interested in the Jesus that shakes his finger at anyone who sins and takes the fun out of life. They’re searching for a Jesus that is loving, just, accepting, sovereign and brings fulfillment and revolutionizes lives. Why don’t we give them what they are searching for? (Maybe you haven’t even let Jesus REVOLUTIONIZE your life???)

The key to evangelism is not standing on a soapbox declaring “The End is Near” or knocking on doors (although if that works - more power to you). The key to evangelism in every situation is to show the one that is seeking for Truth that Jesus is the Truth they’re looking for. People around us are already looking for Jesus - they just don’t know it.

I am not perfect. There it is. That’s the big announcement. The rumors are true - Adam Diehl indeed is still trying to fully put to death his sinful nature.

If my pastor gave an altar call for people who are struggling with something and need God’s help, every Christian would fit into one of three categories:
1) Christians who are struggling, awknowledge their struggle, and respond to the altar call.
2) Christians who stopped struggling and have started to live complacently with their lousy lives rejecting the power of Christ. These people don’t even realize they stopped struggling and are stuck in a rut.
3) Christians who are struggling, but they lie to themselves and do not respond to the altar call.

Sometimes I feel that if I admit that I am struggling with a sin than that makes me less of a Christian — like people will think I’m a horrible person if I admit a struggle. If someone admits a struggle, Christians should say, “Yahoo! They’re FIGHTING and not giving in!” Struggles are universal and guaranteed, but how you respond to your sinful struggle is another story.

Too many of us are lying, arrogant pigs on the inside (of course it doesn’t look this way from the outside!). C.S. Lewis wrote much on this subject of pride. Our religious pride causes us to become outright liars to ourselves, justifying our own sins, actions, and motives so that we don’t admit we have a problem. We all have a battle of our two natures; struggling with sin is a GIVEN - so why do we hide it?

A great man once wrote, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you can be healed” (James 5:16).