“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” Mt 12:30

Christianity is not for spectators. For the believer, there simply is no such thing as taking a neutral stand, to be a man in the middle or one who teeters on the fence. In His encounters with people, Jesus does not give them multiple options to choose from. When He says, “Follow Me”, either you do or you don’t. Either your feet move, or they don’t. As much as we would like Him to, He does not come to bring peace, but a sword. If you think He is going to clean things up, think again. He may just start to flip your tables over.

While Jesus walked the earth, he was not moved by intelligence, position, or eloquence. Right thinkers and smooth talkers were not a part of His band. It is the Good Samaritans, the Action Takers, who earned His praise and embrace.

In Luke 11:31-32, Jesus contrasted the men of His generation with the Queen of the South and the citizens of Nineveh. What was special about these two examples? When the Queen of Sheba heard of the wisdom of Solomon, she did not just “like” it or post some feel-good emojis; she made the tortuous journey just to sit at his feet and learn. Nineveh was special because they were serious. Others heard the same urgent message; but Ninevites declared a fast and repented in sackcloth at the preaching of Jonah.

Yet Jesus does not only exhort us to action. He warns us against inaction. It is not just weapons that kill. If I know there is danger and I say nothing, silence can take a life too. Jesus’ words in Matt 12:30 are rattling. If we are not pursuing and promoting Him in tangible ways, our passivity can lead to real life consequences. Things do not just stay the same. An untended garden is soon overcome with weeds. Darkness must be pushed back. Lies must be exposed then replaced by truth. Demons cannot be ignored; they must be cast out.

The world was shockingly catatonic as six million Jews were exterminated. Those who were not standing against it abetted it by their complacency. Ignoring Hitler did not make the evil go away.
Jesus could not have been more right. Nobody drives in the median of the highway. Truth is, we are all either going in the right direction or the wrong one. Even when we think we are standing still, life’s treadmill keeps sucking us gullibly away from the Savior’s side and mission.

So many of us have been numbed by the screens before us. In this imaginary space, when we or our teammates get shot, we just press reset and voila, we’re up and firing again! How many succumb to depression because people they’ve never met beat them to a virtual pulp? No black eye, no scratches, yet these Wi-Fi borne sticks and stones are breaking bones, hearts, and dreams like toothpicks.

Mistakes in the virtual world lead to a loss of points or fewer clicks. Being unprepared in the real world can lead to loss of security, or limbs, or the most cherished things in life. You may be able to send an assignment or report through the web, but it is contradictory to believe you can be a disciple of Jesus without getting your feet wet and your hands dirty. Good luck sending the hungry a virtual hamburger, or covering the naked with a CGI jacket. Want to truly follow Him? Get into the fray.

Beloved, the tools and gadgets of our age have empowered us and given us advantages in so many ways. But we’d be duped if we think that we can be a disciple of Christ virtually. Roll up your sleeves and pick up your cross. Live in the real world where your favorite action hero is not in the theater, but the gutsy guy or gal in the mirror who’s making His Lord proud.