Television has become very sitcom light, and reality show heavy. Most of the shows on tv these days seems to be a reality show in which someone gets sent home by a majority vote, or a panel of judges. In a cursory observation of a six day period on tvguide.com, I saw a bunch of listings of reality shows: Wipeout, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, America's Best Dance Crew, America's Got Talent, Chopped, Kitchen Nightmares, Parking Wars, and the list goes on! We have been inundated with reality tv! However, the one that jump-started the whole reality genre has to be Survivor. (Disclaimer: I am not promoting, supporting, encouraging, or in any way inviting anyone to watch Survivor; I am using the show as a reference for the blog) This show has been on since May 2000, and has given away a pile of money, and has made some contestants famous. It features exhibitions of strategy, stamina, endurance, brain power, and at times, deception. This is the 11th year, and 22nd season of Survivor, and this one is breaking new ground. Why, you ask?
Well one of the contestants, Matt, lives out loud as a Christian. This guy has made no attempts to hide the importance of his relationship with Christ. From day one in Nicaragua, he humbly informed his teammates that he was a Christian. He is on camera praying, he is on camera sharing his faith to other members of his tribe, he is on camera asking God for strength, and then winning challenges and giving God the credit. This kid is a testimony and a half! Because of his overt Christianity, two other Christians made their faith public, and one female contestant, upon getting voted out, said that she wanted what Matt has, and has currently found a church to attend in her area! The reason this Survivor is breaking new ground is because of the Christian influence. Don't get me wrong, there are still other contestants on the show who are ungodly, but the breath of fresh air of unashamed Christians on the island is such an encouragement.
The challenge for this morning is this: why is it that we get that nervous feeling in the pit of our stomachs when we bow our heads to pray at a restaurant? Why is it that you never invite your friends to church, or tell your co-workers that you go to church? If a 22 year old can live out loud as a follower of Christ, on national television, in front of 10.99 million people (last episode's number of viewers), then shame on us for hiding our light under a bushel in front of 10.
Today, live out loud for Jesus, and see what happens!
Christianity Today interviewed Matt April 26th, check out his comments! http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/interviews/2011/hardplacetobe.html
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