If a picture tells a thousand words, then something I recently saw in person while on a football recruiting trip shockingly spoke a million words.
I was driving on a two-lane highway in rural Colorado, only a couple minutes away from the high school I needed to visit, when a car about 100 yards in front of me somehow crossed the middle of the highway and collided head-on with a car going the other direction. The vehicles on this highway were all traveling about 50 miles per hour. That image—frozen in my mind and worth a million words—was condensed to a three-word cry of my soul as I watched in horror: “Oh my God!”
The force of contact was so strong that both SUVs spun about 20 feet off the ground before landing. I was the first to arrive on the scene. A number of other cars stopped, with many folks dialing 911. Each car in the collision had just the one driver—two women, ironically both 68 years old. Sadly, the lady in the car in front of me died; the other miraculously survived. The speed of the collision smashed the two vehicles into about a quarter of their original size.
IMPACT.
As heartbreaking and crazy as that story is, the visualization can help us understand what we mean by biblical impact—what happens when people are presented with the opportunity of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Matthew 21:42a says, “Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.’”
The impact of Jesus Christ on this earth has two possible outcomes for every individual: reception or rejection. You either receive Jesus Christ as God the Son, Savior and Lord, or you reject Him. And the impact of your decision is one of astounding force—a million words condensed to perhaps three: “Oh my Lord!”
The reality of Jesus, both fully God and fully man, coming to this earth to save us from our sin had unbelievable impact in both reception and rejection.
Herod murdered hundreds of baby boys in his quest to kill Jesus. Lives were dramatically altered by Jesus as He became the chief cornerstone for many. Today, thousands of Jesus followers are murdered annually across the planet due to the non-negotiable impact of Christ. Many public schools, government buildings and places of employment in general are being dumbed down to a “neutral” status when it comes to Biblical expression regarding the sin issues of our culture.
The opposite of impact, in my mind, is neutrality. It’s a mindset that says, “Let’s choose not to verbalize or highlight the subject of Jesus Christ.” But Jesus has affected this planet in such a powerful way. Consider how we’ve recorded history—B.C. and A.D. Churches bear His name while others use His name in vain. Jesus is loved and hated. He has IMPACT. His presence never creates neutrality, only reception or rejection. Those who reject Christ will spend eternity apart from Him in Hell. And those who say they remain neutral are actually rejecting Christ.
Zephaniah 1:12 says, “And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who settle down comfortably, who say to themselves: The Lord will not do good or evil.”
Those who receive Christ can impact the world with eternal force. An authentic relationship with Jesus Christ ain’t neutral. Nothing about it is neutral. It demands a passionate collision between God and Satan; between God’s way and man’s way. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, don’t buy into the culture’s modern-day pattern of keeping expressions of praise and adoration in honor of Christ in a silent, neutral state. It’s not who we are anymore after Jesus became our cornerstone.
I know one thing—an athlete who shies away from physical impact is one who needs to be on the bench. Everyone wants an athlete to fiercely launch into competition regardless of the physical impact.
On or off the playing surface, in season or out, those of us who have been impacted by the power of Christ’s salvation are now ready to collide with any culture that would oppose God. Neutrality is not an option. It is all about IMPACT—eternal impact.
Originally Published: March 2014