Great Commission Update - Jan 2025

By Christopher Cole, ADOM

We live in a profoundly anxious age – almost everyone seems to talk, text or tweet about being overwhelmed, frustrated, angry and just plain worn out from being constantly anxious! We’re anxious about politics, global conflicts, the economy, our kids and even about the state of the church. We’re often made more anxious by the constant stream of news that pours out of our devices and even by the very entertainment we consume to try to soothe our anxieties. We’re not only anxious as individuals but we experience and often add to the anxiety of others!

Physicians advise us that our bodies aren’t meant to live in this constant state of hyper-vigilance and the stream of endorphins our bodies produce to address this anxiety. Sociologists and psychologists advise us that the state we’re in is not normal, historical or healthy for our communities. Self-help gurus may advise everything from yoga to running to high-intensity workouts or meditation, regular retreats or maybe even “quiet quitting”. Some of these practices may be helpful but it doesn’t appear as if they’re lasting, effective solutions to deeply held society wide anxieties. Recognizing this, some of us have accepted our anxious reality as a new and “necessary” normal for our modern age.

Believers are not immune to this perspective – many of us have all the same anxieties as the rest of our society. And we respond in the same ways – too often our lives are as just as prone to complaint, the pursuit of power, pleasure anesthetization, or weariness as everyone else. Perhaps more tragically, some of us have spiritualized our anxiety and told ourselves that we’re simply being “more faithful” than our “less sincere” brothers and sisters in Christ who just don’t care as much or work as hard as we do. And the world notices and wonders about the reality of our God and Gospel that seem to have so little real-world power to bring lasting, deep peace and hope.

In his excellent book, A Non-Anxious Presence, Pastor Mark Sayers reminds us of our Gospel calling in this anxious age. He argues well that the role of the Christian is to be a counter-cultural non-anxious presence specifically because of our faith in God’s work and the goodness of the Gospel!

The Apostle Paul would agree. From prison he wrote the suffering Philippian church these words, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7 ESV) Against the tyranny of anxiety, Paul advocates for a joyous, confident, reasonable, gentle life that is resting in the present God who guards our lives and inmost beings.

When the Apostle Peter advised the suffering diaspora churches “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV), he was advocating for the same type of non-anxious presence that causes other people to ask us about our hopeful confidence despite our having to live in the same trouble-filled reality they do.

What if, in this anxious age and our anxious communities, we were to begin to “shine like the stars” in a dark, anxious world because we’re NOT characterized by complaining or grumbling or fear but INSTEAD by a joyful confidence that holds “fast to the word of Life” despite our insecure temporal realities? (Philippians 2:14-16a)

I believe our world desperately needs the Good News of Jesus. And, I also believe, that they will begin to see, notice and long to hear that very Good News from those whose daily lives are radically non-anxious and hope filled. Perhaps the most powerful witness we can have is to be the very people who humbly testify not to our own strength and wisdom but to the burden bearing God who loves us so much He sent His son to live, die and be resurrected for us. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV)