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Jesus proclaimed himself to be the way, the truth and the life. He offered his followers the most authentic life, one which grappled with reality while being empowered to overcome. This makes it all the more tragic when Christians are accused, sometimes rightfully, of being frauds or hypocrites. In this episode, Gary Wilkerson and Joshua West discuss how believers’ authenticity is needed to reach a world desperately longing for something genuine.
Key Points from the Podcast
• We need to be intentional in relationships to get past the surface and into deep, meaningful places.
• Genuine believers will live out their convictions in all the little areas of their lives. Our beliefs should permeate all of our decisions and patterns of living. This is what it means to live out the Bible.
• Most revivals in the United States has sprung out of sincere, ordinary people seeking God, not out of well-marketed campaigns or big-budget events.
• Culture and practice in the church can be easier to pass along than the genuine heart of Christianity which challenges wrongs and sits down beside people in their pain. Culture is not bad in and of itself, but it can become a mask to hide behind if we’re not careful.
• The draw of gritty video clips and reality shows demonstrates the hunger of secular society for something that is genuine. Believers know the ultimate truth and have access to the Spirit who gives us the strength to live authentically regardless of our circumstances.
• If we want to control how we are perceived or if we are accepted, we will lose the blessings that come from being genuine. Developing true community requires us to engage in real ways with one another that cannot be controlled.
• Not all truths are appropriate for every context, but we don’t want to lose the real message of our God behind our attempts to market the gospel.
• Each believer has a testimony that requires honesty and a real grappling with our failures. That kind of genuineness will glorify Christ more than any way that we could dress up our relationship with God. He will not bless manipulation, half-truths, or attempts to glorify ourselves through our testimony.
Episodes in this Podcast Series
About Joshua West
Joshua West serves as the Pastors Network Director at World Challenge helping equip and empower pastors all over the world. Joshua’s desire is to raise up ministers who will correctly and boldly preach the word with passion and integrity. The point of all his work and writings is to preach the gospel, glorify God and to teach sound doctrine.