āThe world is full of evil and lies and pain and death, and you can’t hide from itāyou can only face it. The question is, when you do, how do you respond? Who do you become?ā
An excellent question from Agent Coulson from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., wouldnāt you agree?
And who wouldnāt agree to be on the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division? According to Coulson, these are the folks who are āthe line between the world and the much weirder world.ā
But alas, there is an equal chance of me becoming an S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent as me attaining the bicep status of Thor.
That being (painfully) said though, I recently came to the realization that in a very real sense, I am an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D! As a Christ follower, I represent a line between the physical world and a much weirder (but more awesome) spiritual worldānot because I am a superheroārather just the opposite:
Look carefully at your call, brothers and sisters. By human standards, not many of you are deemed to be wise. Not many are considered powerful. Not many of you come from royalty, right? But celebrate this: God selected the worldās foolish to bring shame upon those who think they are wise; likewise, He selected the worldās weak to bring disgrace upon those who think they are strong. God selected the common and the castoff, whatever lacks status, so He could invalidate the claims of those who think those things are significant. So it makes no sense for any person to boast in Godās presence. Instead, credit God with your new situation: you are united with Jesus the Anointed. He is Godās wisdom for us and more. He is our righteousness and holiness and redemption. As the Scripture says: āIf someone wants to boast, he should boast in the Lordā (1 Corinthians 1:26-31, The Voice).
I used to think that Christians needed to be superheroes for THE Causeāthat I would need the strength of The Hulk, the courage of Captain America, and the ingenuity of Tony Stark just to keep up with a world that is so āfull of evil and lies and pain and death.ā
And to be sureāI have supernatural power through the Holy Spirit who lives within me, and I can do āall things through Christ Who gives me strengthāābut honestly, sometimes I feel as weak as a kitten with the flu.
But then I realized that as a part of the āchosen people,ā God doesnāt call the equippedā¦He equips the called!
Do you feel called as an Agent of G.O.D. (God Opens Doors)? If not, then you are in great company, my friend. The 12 Apostles who changed the world didnāt either, but when they realized that they didnāt need to be superheroes to serve the risen Savior, they rocked the planet with the gospel!
The Apostle Peter denied Jesus three times before His crucifixion, yet he went on to establish the church that now holds a membership of 2 billion people! Not only that, but he boldly stood for Jesus in the face of his executioners and asked to be crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to be killed in the same way as his Lord.
The Apostle Thomas (aka āthe doubterā) refused to believe that Jesus came back from the dead until he was able to feel the nail marks in His hands and touch the spear wound in His side.
Jesus granted his desire for proof, and Thomas took the gospel all the way to India where he was eventually run through pine spears and burned alive.
The Apostle Paul carried the weight of guilt for murdering Christians before he gave his life to Christ, but he went on to be Godās pen, composing the majority of the New Testament. Not only that, but his missionary journeys established churches all over the worldāand his life ended as a martyr at the hands of the Roman Empire.
The stories of the original Agents of G.O.D. go on and on. In fact, if Marvel produced a series about these courageous and audacious servants of the Most High God, it would be perhaps the most fascinating television show to ever invade our living rooms!
But that is not going to happenāwhich is a good thingābecause we need to turn off the TV and get busy for THE Cause. We were called out of darkness to carry the torch that our brothers and sisters from ancient days ignited, and if we donāt fulfill our missionā¦who will?
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. As Agents of G.O.D., are we any different? Our world is dominated by the evil one and the father of lies. There is real physical, mental, emotional and spiritual death all around us, and we must face it!
The question is, when you do, will you respond? Who will you become?
Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action
When you are feeling like an ordinary person with no extraordinary powers, remember that you are an Agent of G.O.D. with a calling on your life. God will equip you to fulfill the mission to which you have been called, so go and change the world!
Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause
Pray: Jesus, thank You for choosing to use the least likely people to do the most unlikely things. Help us to be faithful to Your calling so we can advance Your Kingdom in this world.
Read: John 15:5. āYes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.ā
Get: Have You Ever Wondered About God? Use this short YouTube video as an opening to a deeper spiritual conversation with your friends. Text it, tweet it, post it, whatever works for you! (The video is part of Saltā¦Creating Thirst, Dare 2 Shareās newest evangelism training curriculum for youth groups.)
Discussion Guide for Leaders
Big Idea: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a great reminder that God uses ordinary people like us to accomplish extraordinary things for His Kingdom
Key Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Discussion Questions:
- Who is your favorite superhero in The Avengers?
- How does your life reflect the line between the physical and spiritual world?
- In what ways can you relate to the 1 Corinthians 1 passage?
- How can you apply this Soul Fuel to THE Cause of making disciples who make disciples?