Technology?

Today’s text is Romans 12.1-2 and we’ll read those two verses in a moment. First, let me explain the theme of today’s message and the point of the visual you just saw. It’s all about technology. By it I mean more than the new iPad or herd management program.  Technology is a fancy name for the latest and greatest tool, device and labour saving device. Humanity has been celebrating technological advances since fire and the wheel.

In itself, technology is neither good nor bad. How technology gets used makes all the difference. And, as we’re now into the application part of Paul’s letter to the Romans - to believers everywhere – the questions we should be asking are important. Questions like how do we learn to use medical, engineering or scientific discoveries well?

That’s our goal, so let’s turn to our text and give it a close look.

Romans 12.1, “Therefore, I urge you in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Paul starts with an important word: Therefore. Why? It’s a hinge word connecting all that’s gone on before with everything that comes later. Everything the Spirit will say in chapters 12-16 depend on chapters 1-11.  The Spirit is making it clear that in view of the wonderful salvation God offers, believers respond with wholehearted commitment. That’s the “therefore.”

But what does living sacrifices mean? Sacrifices in the Old Testament didn’t actually live very long. In fact they died every time. And Paul has been writing about that. In earlier chapters he even says it. We died with Christ, so the dying to live idea is present here.

There is new life in Christ because the old way of doing things is dead. Things like living to satisfy pleasure at any cost to self or others. You know greed, adultery, gossip, hatred and the like. We could go on, but why?

For the believer the living is now purposeful without being damaging to self or others; contentment is real without useless striving for more. Living is positive, dynamic and full of energy, satisfied with what is and fully engaged enjoying life.

The sacrifice part is learning to accept all of this. Seems odd, doesn’t it, to have all that positive experience one has to learn to want it. Sometimes we call this discipleship – learning a new way of living that is holy and pleasing to God. Or to put it another way, a new way of life   dedicated and given to God willingly with everything done according to what God desires for his children. Please note: believers give willingly for their own benefit. God doesn’t need our worship or good works for himself. God desires our Spiritual worship for our own good and so that believers may be a blessing to the world.

Verse one is teaching that being the servants of a God who loves without condition means that the whole of life is to be lived willingly and gratefully in service to God. And that sounds great, doesn’t it? I mean who doesn’t want the experience of gratitude, joy, purpose, contentment, peace or mind and heart, appreciation for family, friends, and relationships at school in business, forgiveness and reconciliation when things go wrong and nice beverage at the end of the day?

Sound too good to be true? Tried it and felt cheated? Left wondering why this isn’t you? There is one thing about being a living sacrifice I haven’t mentioned yet. As with any willful lamb or goat, we try to struggle off the alter whenever possible.

Therefore the need to read verse 2.

² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Do not conform – be transformed!

Let’s be honest, there is lots in this world that seems like fun, enjoyable and perfectly fine. Everyone is doing it, after all – even believers. Sex without the protection of marriage, eating too much, drinking too much, smoking too much, working too much, recreational drug use, building the business too much at the expense of others, usually the family.

All that is what the Spirit calls the ‘pattern of this world.’ There is so much we accept as normal, that isn’t at all and yet if everyone else is doing it, why not?

So believers have a choice. They can conform – live according to what everyone else is doing. Actively accepting and shaping life around life limiting goals, activities and ambitions. Things that are futile - a chasing after the wind.

Or believers can be transformed by the Spirit and the Word. Accepting and receiving an inward renewal of mind and heart that is based on the life Christ gives and demonstrated in his own life with us.

The difference is that believers can live willfully and experience the results or they can live willingly to receive gifts of God.

Speaking in a different letter the Spirit says, ^{(Ephesians 4.22)} “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

That’s powerful stuff. The last verse seals it for me. God grieves when his people reject his leading. Not by rejecting us, but saddened that willful believers suffer so much at their own bad choices.

You see the point of all this is that with a willing heart we can in fact become wise beyond the ways of the world.

In seminary I had a professor who told us of his life choices. He’d studied economics and theology and one day was approached for a job. It was in the world of economics and the money was good. HE prayed and discerned and turned the job down. Instead he joined an economic counsel giving advice to governments and he began to teach. Much less paying jobs for sure.

That what, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will,” means.

At the break, after telling this story, I noticed a fellow student come at him and belittle his story saying there was nothing wrong with making money. He’d missed the point. God provides according to our need and calling. What is God calling you to do and be in the world? One thing for sure is that professor answered his calling and God has met his needs with a fruitful ministry and a good living. Or as the text says, with wisdom to do and be what is useful, satisfactory and complete. My translation.

This is a whole of life thing – being a disciple of Christ. After all Jesus did ask people to count the cost before getting involved. Jesus certainly knew where that donkey ride was taking him on the first Palm Sunday.  In our passage, the Spirit is saying not only that believers would find out that God’s will is good, but that having found out, they will put it into practice.

The renewal of the mind enables the believer to figure out what is good, what is pleasing to God, and what is perfect. And having come to a conclusion, that same renewal sets him or her to the task of performing what is seen as the will of God. Recognizing that sometimes they get it right and sometimes they learn through painful trial and error.

And so we come back to the beginning: technology. What is accepted as normal probably should be questioned. What is accepted and used really does require wisdom beyond reading a marketing report.

So,

Does it make sense that $120M is spent per day on weapons and developing weapons technology?

            To be honest this brings advances in computer technology, gaming and 3D movies.

            But at what cost?

Does it make sense that the nuclear bomb industry cost $1 T over the past 10 years?

            Again, it produced medical technologies to help cancer patients.

            But at what risk and was there another way?

Should fertility drugs be used, yes or no?

Should plastic surgery be performed on 16 year old girls who want a different shape?

            What’s the risk, the reward?

Should genetically altered seed be used in fields?

What about chemical fertilizers, pesticides and what about roundup? What are the fish, animals and people drinking from the ground water?

            What’s the risk, the reward?

I’m no Luddite – that’s a person who rejects technology out of hand – I use technology all the time. Creativity is a God given activity; many developments save lives and relieve suffering. But I am concerned that I can easily be swayed into buying or using the next best thing unless I intentionally ask myself questions like those above. And yes sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is no.

For the sake of our world and our own future, the Spirit is asking us to be wise about technology and let him guide us into life giving choices. Choices that will agree with what is good, pleasing and perfect. It’s clear that with the spirit we can, will we?