I was not aware of who Charlie Kirk was until news of his being killed grabbed the media headlines. Perhaps what struck me the most was how authentic and invested he was in his faith in God. His target audience, the young people, often quickly identify a charlatan. Regardless of whether you liked him, there was no question about his authenticity. In fact, from what I understand, it was who he was and what he stood for that motivated his killer to shoot him.
It led me to ask myself, am I believable? Or am I only another so-called Christian? I find it striking that neither John the Baptist nor Jesus tried to use any form of promotion to get people to come to them. In fact, Jesus even told some of those He healed NOT to tell anyone, albeit it would be hard to hide a healing of a former blind or otherwise handicapped person.
Jesus’ strategy for letting the world know they were believers was for them not to say much of anything. Jesus stated His primary indicator when He said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 (ESV). He revealed His strategy, saying, “… I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father… “John 14:31 (NLT2). His obedience to the Father authenticated Him.
Lord, as a disciple of Yours, I must not only believe but be believable. There is no use in telling others of God’s grace unless that grace has been operating in me. Even businesspeople know this concept is true. That is why they tell their employees, “My reputation is in your hands.”
Ezekiel pointed out in 36:27 that when regeneration occurs in a human, that person will naturally desire to be careful to follow God’s decrees and laws. The apostle Paul later said, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT2) Dallas Willard said when a person is genuinely living in God’s kingdom while still on this earth, His presence is actively working in their life. That person lives interactively with God and is caught up in what He is doing. It was this kind of living that far exceeded the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. (Matthew 5:20) I assume that to mean that God’s presence in our lives is not so much focused on what we do as it is why we do it. If my heart is that sold on what I’m doing, others will see it.
The best salesperson is one who is totally sold on the product she/he is selling. They personally own and use it. They confidently put their product up against the product that has the greater share of sales. It is like that product is in their blood! As I look at my life, my greatest goal is to leave a legacy of someone who ‘bleeds’ loving God with all their heart—as Jesus loved His Father. It is that passion that crushes other attractions in my life. However, although that is my greatest passion, is that the fragrance that follows behind me? Obviously, I cannot see what others see in my life, so all I can do is to be genuinely authentic in what I do. My favorite verse is Paul’s words to the church leaders of Ephesus, “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus…” Acts 20:24 (NLT2) Your spiritual passion is probably something different. That is not the point. The point is what’s in your ‘blood’ that motivates you to be who you are. Does your scent reveal where you’ve been?