HDTV & HDXTY (HD Christianity)

This past fall, my wife (Debbie) and I became empty nesters. We have three children, all of which are living outside of our home. Two are in college and one is recently graduated. Our children negotiated with Debbie (or Debbie negotiated with them), and the children ended up taking all of our television sets, living room and their bedroom furniture. Wow! What a setback to our pitiful home furnishings, but we love them to death and are helping them live independently.

We have put off buying a new television for years, surmising that there is not much worth watching on television anyway. However, in our newfound living conditions, we broke down and bought a new TV (plasma screen HD – high definition). The brilliant colors and the clarity of picture are amazing. It is incredible to watch a football game and see the blades of grass, the sweat on player’s faces, and actually be able to keep up with the ball during a televised tennis match. Just watching TV is amazing! Things that were previously not visible are now jumping off the screen at us.

It is time for churches to offer HD (high definition) faith in Christ. We need to give better clarification of the details of Jesus’ life and how that translates into Christlike living during this day and time. God gave us the highest HD vision we could get by taking flesh, becoming Emmanuel, God with us – clearly showing the Godlife available to all humanity. The writer of Hebrews puts it like this in 1:1-3a:
“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,* whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. 3He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains* all things by his powerful word…”

Many people today can only describe their faith by stating what they do not believe in, what they are against, and who the “bad” people are. It is time for us to grow up, to mature, and to literally grow into the full maturity of Christ. Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 4:13 when describing the desired outcome of using God’s spiritual gifts to us:
“until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”

When we describe our faith clearly, being highly defined (HD), then others are quietly challenged to become more clearly defined in what they believe. This is a great method of nonmanipulative evangelism. Enabling and challenging other(s) to define themselves is inviting and makes space for them to define their faith and beliefs in their own terms (usually different than what we would have imagined). Only when we clearly define ourselves can we engage in constructive conversation without becoming defensive.
Is your faith HD? Try it out! Others may find your clarity something truly beautiful, something worth taking the time to admire, observe and thereby seek higher definition for themselves. Only Christ offers the Highest Definition available!
Merry Christmas,
Dr. Fitzgerald