As we bring Red White and Geek month to an end, Dallas takes a look at the speech given by President Whitmore in the 1996 Sci-Fi film Independence Day. In that speech, the president makes it clear; that on that day, there were no more divisions; there would be freedom and liberty for all. How does this apply to the body of Christ? Join us to find out!
1996’s Independence Day was a Sci-Fi Action extravaganza. It has aliens, military drama, and amazing aerial battle scenes between fighter pilots and aliens. But, with all the action and drama, you find the most patriotic, most inspiring, most presidential speech given in a film for decades. President Whitmore finds himself standing in front of an army of pilots not trained for battle. Amid the speech, he begins to explain that this Independence Day will not be celebrated just for Americans; but for the world. That night there would no longer be a division between people as they unite to save the world.
I want to focus on this conversation about the lack of divisions. This is an underlining aspect of the Christian faith that sadly has been ignored time after time, either on purpose or by accident. Sadly, the Christian faith, at times, has been highjacked and used to create division and spread hate. Because of this highjack, for generations, some have believed that you have to be a certain kind of person to be a Christian or that you have to clean up every aspect of your life before God could ever love you. But what do the scriptures say?
There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:28
The scriptures tell us that in Christ, there is no division. It doesn’t matter your background. God doesn’t love one over another because of their cultural or spiritual heritage. No one can stand above you and put you down as you walk with Christ. Yes, you do need to grow in your faith. Yes, things in your life need to fall to the side as you walk through the process of Sanctification. But those are things done through discipleship amid a solid Christian Community. Those things will happen as you discover the truth in the scriptures.
Our encouragement for you devoted geeks is twofold.
To those who don’t believe in Jesus.
If you don’t believe in Jesus, I want you to know that there is room for you at the table of the Lord. Yes, many things need to change in the life of a believer; but it all begins with a single decision; coming to Jesus. So what does that look like?
First, you need to be willing to admit that you are lost and need salvation. This takes humbling yourself and recognizing the things in your life that stand against the word of God.
Next, you need to believe in the fact that Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected so that you could have the opportunity to have a relationship with God. Jesus willfully put his divine nature to the side so that He could live life as a man to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. (Philippians 2:5-8)
Finally, confess your sins to God. Confess your need for His salvation and submit your life to Him. 1 John 1:9 tell us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
To the Church
There are whole communities of people looking for hope. They are looking for salvation, but due to cultural norms and malicious ignorance, there is a man-made division between people and the gospel. We need to do a better job at presenting Jesus to people. We need to be willing to get uncomfortable and step out to reach people who typically are not seen in the church. We need to show Jesus is love, not a jerk. Yes, Jesus did get very straightforward with people at times; but to the lost, he was nearly always gentle and full of grace in speech. I’m not saying that the gospel needs to be watered down, but far too often, the church has forgotten the instructions of Paul:
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Colossians 4:5-6
Preach the gospel church, but understand that if you’re not doing it in a gracious way that is seasoned with salt; and guided by the leading of the Lord, then you’re creating a division that doesn’t need to be there.