How to Change the World from the Bottom Up

Spiritual Advantage with Sam Stone

I was reluctant to name this message "How to Change the World" because I could imagine many people might think I was bloviating. I know I am nobody and have no qualifications to speak on such a grand topic, but I believe it’s a matter of age. The older we grow, the more cynical we become.

Let us be children for a moment because when we were young, we had all kinds of imagination and ambition to make a difference one day. But as we grew up, we gradually felt those dreams became unattainable.

Maybe that is why Jesus wants us to become like children and rekindle those imaginations and ambitions. So, let us momentarily pause our doubts and cynicism and unleash our childlike creativity to entertain the possibility of changing the world.

Jesus did change the world for good and taught his disciples how to make this world a better place to live. The world has never been the same since the moment he was born and it will never be the same unless we stop extending his great commission. To be a Christian means to be a world-changer.

Even Richard Dawkins, the renowned atheist, recently declared that he is a cultural Christian because he can no longer deny the influence of Christianity on the advancement of human civilization. Wherever Christianity thrives, civilization flourishes. History has proven it, and no reasonable person can deny it.

Of course, some religious people have done some damage in history. It’s nothing new. Even the Son of God was crucified by religious people. However, the atheist would like to cherrypick history to excuse their unbelief.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali recently asked Richard Dawkins, what do atheists contribute to the advancement of human civilization? Nothing! They only know how to tear things down, leaving a void in civilization to decay and allowing evil to thrive.

The question is, what role do you play in this world? Do you still maintain your childhood dream of making this world a better place until your last breath, or have you given up those aspirations?

We all want to improve the world, but the question is how. Having good intentions is not enough because people can make things worse with their good intentions. That’s why we need to know how to change the world “the right way.”

In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus revealed his way to change the world, but his disciples didn’t get it and couldn’t accept his method. Like most people, they believe we change the world from the top down, but his way is from the bottom up.

We are two months away from an important election. Most people’s minds are on changing the nation or the world from the top down by electing the right person. However, WWJD (what would Jesus do)? If you get the message from this passage, you will think about this election differently, and you will know your role in changing the world Jesus’ way. Let’s begin!