Wake Up, Look Up

Hello, everyone, and thanks for listening to Wake Up, Look Up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Zach Weihrauch, and in today's episode, we're asking the question, does God want weird? This is prompted by an interesting article I read recently by Andy Kessler in the Wall Street Journal called Take a Nonconformist out to Lunch. And the big idea of the article was that many of the people who actually change the world, who develop things that change the way we live, are the kind of people who are deemed by society as a little different, a little weird, a little idiosyncratic. Think about people like Bill Gates or Paul Allen or Elon Musk or Steve Jobs. Think about the musicians or the actors and actresses that kind of shape culture. And much of what we know about them is they're just, a little different. Change makers, taste makers are often labeled as kind of weirdos, rebels, non conformists. But Kessler's point is that's actually what makes them change the world. They, they see things differently, they're comfortable with stepping outside of what is perceived normal, and as a result, they dramatically move our lives forward. And Custer's point is, hey, if you got somebody like that in your circle, somebody like that in your life, maybe you ought to lean into them instead of away from them. And the thing is, if you're listening to this podcast, my guess is you're a follower of Jesus, which means you do have a non conformist in your life that, that you probably should be spending a little more time with. And his name is Jesus. my point is that we are all living in a culture. You know, the old adage goes, fish don't know that they're wet. We think in a cultural way. We think as Americans, there are things to us that seem normal, that seem good, that seem right, that seem acceptable, that are actually not. And it's not because America is any worse than any other culture. That's true of every culture. It was as true in 1st century Rome as it is now in America. Which is why the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Paul says, look, if you aren't in the business of transforming, then you are in the business of conforming. In other words, if you swim with the current of what is normal, you'll never be what it is God intends for you to be. And the reason why that's important is because a major obstacle to our own growth and our own discipleship is that oftentimes what Jesus is calling us to is weird. It's just different if we lean into the way Jesus wants us to do something, if we give forgiveness when no one else would, if we don't watch the television show that everyone is talking about because we know it won't be good for us, if our weekly rhythm is a little different than our neighbors and colleagues and friends, then we're going to be perceived as weird. We're going to, maybe even more importantly, feel weird. And most of us, speaking for myself here, are wildly insecure. We don't want to stand out. We don't want to be weird. But Paul's point is, in a culture that is in rebellion to God, in a culture that is leading people to hell, and that's every culture outside of the kingship of Jesus, we should want to be weird. Our prayer before we approach the Bible, our prayer as we go about our day should be, God, show me the ways that being like everyone else here isn't good for me. Show me the ways that being like everyone else here isn't honoring to you. It isn't even good for everyone else. God, give me the courage to be weird. And as I lean into obedience in these areas of our lives. Because just as non conformists have changed the world as we know it and change our culture as we know it, Christians who are okay with being different are the ones who will change their family, who will change their neighborhood, their community, their, place of work, because the contrast will make it so that the glory of God shines. Maybe the people around you are are desperate for weird. Maybe the people around you are desperate for another way of living life. A different way, a better way. And maybe you can show them that by leaning into the non conformity of Jesus. So if you're looking for a non conformist to take to lunch today, make it Jesus and let him make you weird for the glory of God and the good of people around you. Hey, thanks for watching this episode of Wake Up, Look Up. If you enjoyed it, please help us get the word out by sharing it with someone you think might benefit from it. And while you're here, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get further content or even download the CCC app, where you'll find even more resources to help you grow in your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Have an article you’d like Zach to discuss? Email us at wakeup@ccchapel.com!