Are you moving or are you stagnant?

In the movie Here Comes the Boom, actor Kevin James (King of Queens) plays a burned out biology teacher named Scott Voss who gets fed up with the teaching system when he hears budget cuts will result in the closing of the music department. Instead of remaining silent he speaks up and finds himself volunteering to raise the money to keep the music program going which will in turn save the job of the music teacher Marty Streb, played by Henry Winkler (The Fonz). 

This movie has some great life lessons in it and demonstrates the act of self serving love. Scott Voss is willing to sacrifice his life and his job by becoming a fighter in the Ultimate Championship League in the hopes of raising $48,000. While we could obviously talk about the requirements of self sacrifice I wanted to touch on a smaller scene in the movie. 

About half way through the movie Scott jumps on top of his desk and starts talking to the kids about stagnant cells. He explains that cells not in motion are of no good and they leave the other cells to take up the slack. This doesn’t happen, as a matter affect that one stray cell becomes an example and other cells follow suit and become stagnant themselves. When this happens the organism begins to die. But, if one cell starts moving, if one cell starts bouncing around and moving it comes into contact of other cells and they start shoving back. This starts a chain reaction among the cells and eventually they all begin to move in synch. Once that starts to happen healing begins, kind of like a bruise healing. 

As I am watching this movie I am reminded of my own faith and my walk as a Christian. I wonder what kind of cell I am. Am I stagnant or am I in motion?

When you look at the church (the body of Christ which you belong) are we not much different than those cells? What kind of cell are you right now? Are moving or are you sitting still?

This Palm Sunday Pastor Jared taught on the coming of Christ into the city of Jerusalem. Imagine the scene in Luke 19: 37-38

37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

  

Crowds of people had gathered to welcome Christ to the city they were celebrating calling out the “Blessed King who comes in the name of the Lord”. It was, essentially, a ticker tape parade for a victorious leader. Does this not parallel how a lot of us felt when we first were saved. When we first came to the faith, we came filled with appreciation, with hope and with expectation for what was to come. We were so in love with Jesus and what He had done in our lives that we were exuberant in our faith.

But the fan fair for Christ was short lived. It was only a matter of time before those same people went from shouting praises for Christ to shouting that he be crucified. They were filled with such hatred for him that they wanted to see him die and a murderer be set free. Sitting still is dangerous. 

So I ask you again. What kind of cell are you right now? Are you moving or have you become stagnant in everyday life. Are you just living each day going through the motions? Go to work, run the kids here and there, feed them, get homework done, and then go to bed just to start it all over again? Has your exuberance for Christ as your savior been replaced with a different feeling? 

Do you wonder what happened to that excitement or what happened to that desire to follow Christ?   

If you think your faith is dying it probably is because you are not moving. 

James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.   

If you want it back all you have to do is move. Do something for Jesus. I want to encourage you to move outside of the mundane of everyday life and start doing something outside your normal day.

Do something. Do Anything. Take just one step and bump into someone else. 

Bake cookies for the neighbor who blows his leaves into your yard. Talk to someone at school/work/church that no one seems to talk to, show an interest in that person. Give them a compliment on their hair or their shirt, it doesn’t matter as long as it is positive and you mean it. Yes, even help that lady across the street!  

We have such power in our words you don’t have to be a pastor to show someone Christ. All you have to do is move. A few kind words can make someone’s day.