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The Authentic X-Men

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If you could choose any superpower to have, what would you choose?  Your answer sure says a lot about you, doesn’t it?  If you went with the standard invisibility/flying/teleporting/reading thoughts, etc., then you’ve nailed the top answers on the planet.  Something about being a “fly on the wall” when people are talking about you, or being able to go across the globe at the speed of thought definitely appeals to us mere mortals who are confined to the mundane existence of the commonplace.

OK - what if you could choose to be any of the X-men group?  Would you bend steel or create fire?  Tough to choose for sure - for me, I think Wolverine is the top pick.  Not only am I jealous of his forest-like facial hair, but the dude also hardly ages!

But when you think about being one of the X-men, you have to factor in the reason that they’ve all banded together in the first place.  They are outcasts, remember?  They are seen as mutants, weirdoes, and outsiders.  They don’t fit in with the mainstream, so they are distrusted by the “normal” guys.

Have you ever felt like a member of the X-men? Not in a superpower sense, of course, but  if you are a follower of Jesus Christ who lives out your faith, you may soon find that you have more in common with these fictional characters than you thought:

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.  The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you” (John 15:18-20).

This is a promise Jesus gave His disciples over 2000 years ago, and it is still true today.  When we trusted in Jesus as our only hope of salvation, something radical changed in our very souls.  We were saved from hell and adopted as one of God’s very own children, but something else happened as well-

We became X-Men!

In the X-Men series, the “X” stands for an “x” gene that gives them their special abilities, and it also stands for the fact that they have something “x-tra” that most people don’t.

And in that way we as believers are X-men:

However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:7;11-12).

The moment you trusted Christ, you were given an “x-tra” ability that wasn’t in your life before.  You have been granted a supernatural ability that can impact people for an eternity.  Some of you have the ability to motivate and lead people to do things for God that they never dreamed possible.  Others of you can study and teach God’s word in a way that shapes people’s destinies.

Many of you who used to be shy and withdrawn now have the fire burning in you to meet people’s needs and help them through their struggles.

And when we use these spiritual gifts, the unbelieving world puts us in a different category.  Rather than going with the mainstream pleasure-loving, self-seeking, deceitful disciples of the culture, we choose to use our newfound abilities to draw people to the gift-giver: Jesus Christ. But as Jesus promised, when we adopt His lifestyle, we invite the same hateful attitude from the crowds that ended up costing Him His life.

In the movie X-Men: First Class, we see that the mutants choose to go one of two ways in the face of persecution.  Magneto and his group seek to isolate themselves from the world and stand in judgment of it.  Xavier’s followers strive to become heroes that show humankind that their capabilities should be used to better humankind.

Isn’t it the same with us? Many Christians are afraid and even bitter towards a culture that is ever increasingly hostile towards anyone who stand up for THE Cause of Christ, so they segregate in “better than you” clubs and even secretly savor the idea of eternal destruction for non-Christians.

Then there are those who know that with great power comes great responsibility.  One day we will answer for how we used our spiritual gifts to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and help them follow Him.

Perhaps you are reading this and you didn’t know about the spiritual “x” gene you possess that gives you a spiritual power to advance God’s beautiful agenda for salvation and redemption on earth.  Why don’t you and your Christian friends discover how to use your “superpower” this summer and be a First Class for THE Cause of Christ?

 

When you discover your spiritual gifts and put them into action in your world, believe me - it feels more like a “superpower” than anything the movies can put together on the big screen.  Being a part of seeing people pass from spiritual death to life in Christ is one of the greatest experiences you could imagine.  This week, talk to your youth leader about how to find out what spiritual gifts you have and how to use them for God’s glory.

Jesus, thank you for giving me a unique spiritual ability that you desire to use to bring people to you.  Help me discover the abilities granted to me through the Holy Spirit, and grant me the courage to use them as though I were a part of saving the world.

Romans 12:6-8. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

For help determining your own spiritual gifts, check out this free online spiritual gifts test.