Walk in Distinctiveness, as God's New Humanity

Opening Prayer:

Lamb of God, we know that walking is the biblical metaphor for our way of life and daily conduct. Seven times in Ephesians Paul speaks of how we Christians should or should not walk. Your people either walk in your way or walk in the ways of other gods, and the Bible shows that God contends not just with the nations of the world, but with the people he has created and called to be the means of blessing the nations. And the biggest obstacle to fulfilling that mission is idolatrous temptations among your own people. For if we are called to bring the nations to worship the only true and living God, we fail miserably if we ourselves are giving in to the false gods of the people around us. Amen.

Reflection:

We challenge one another, as God’s people in every culture, to face up to the extent to which, consciously or unconsciously, we are caught up in the idolatries of our surrounding culture. We pray for prophetic discernment to identify and expose such false gods and their presence within the Church itself, and for the courage to repent and renounce them in the name and authority of Jesus as Lord.

Closing Prayer:

Jesus, when there is no distinction in conduct between Christians and non-Christians, then the world is right to wonder if our Christianity makes any difference at all. Our message carries no authenticity to a watching world. Since there is no biblical mission without biblical living, we urgently re-commit ourselves and challenge all those who profess the name of Christ, to live in radical distinctiveness from the ways of the world, to ‘put on the new humanity, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.’ Amen.

Ask God to pour out his Spirit to stir us with a vision for Kingdom impact in every sphere of society.