There are many things that need to change in the world around us like suffering, human trafficking, and suffering. But what needs to change in the Church and in our own hearts so that we can affect that kind of change? In this video, author & pastor, David Platt, discusses just that and what’s he’s seen through his trek in the Himalayas.
The entire video is above, and the complete transcript is below.
So what needs to change in the western church? Like when I hear that question, my mind goes in all kinds of different directions.
We need to pray more. We need to like seriously pray and repent of our pride and prayerlessness as a church. Our attempts to manufacture church according to our own means, own power, own efforts.
We need to read the Word. I mean, especially in western culture that is increasingly, increasingly doubting God’s Word and the truthfulness of it, the authority of it, the goodness of it. We’ve got to hold fast to God’s Word. We’ve got to believe it and proclaim it.
I wrote in a book and Bible study called Something Needs to Change and part of what I’m addressing in that is things that need to change in the world. This book and Bible study are based out of time trekking through villages in the heights of the Himalayas just that are marked by urgent spiritual and physical need.
And there’s things that need to change in those mountains. Like physical need. Girls, young girls, don’t need to be trafficked. That needs to change. And children don’t need to die of preventable diseases. That needs to change. And people are dying without ever even hearing the gospel. That really needs to change. So these are things that need to change in the world.
But I think in order to affect that kind of change there’s change that needs to happen in our hearts. And I think it goes back to some of the change that I mentioned in the beginning.
We need to open God’s Word and ask the question, “Do we really believe this?” Do we really believe Jesus is necessary to know God and to have eternal life? Because if we actually believe that, then we will be driven to make Jesus known. Right around us and in places where His name is not yet known. So we’ve got to ask the question, “Do we really believe God’s Word?”
And when we see the goodness of God and the justice of God and the mercy of God on the pages of the Bible, do we really believe this in a way that compels us to go and make His goodness and His mercy and His justice known in a world of urgent need?
Part of the purpose of writing that book and Bible study was really just to be honest about struggles I have in my own heart before God when it comes to some of these questions. But I want to, in my own heart and life, and in the lives of those I lead, and hopefully through that book and Bible study, my aim was to bring our hearts together before God and to ask God, not just why this or why that, but God, what are You calling us to do? Especially, with all the grace You’ve given us, the gospel and the resources You’ve given us in the western church, God use our lives however You want to make Your glory known in a world of urgent need. God, help us to maximize the little bit of time we have on this earth to make Your goodness and grace known among people right around and people far from us.
I guess, it’s not just the western church. I guess it’s my own heart and maybe yours that we need to ask: What needs to change in us to bring about that kind of change in the world around us?
