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The Crazy Ones from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

Today I want to talk about the crazy ones, the saints of old who followed God through thick and thin while the rest of the people in the world thought they were, crazy. As you grow closer to God, He will begin to change you, and tweak your wants and desires. You begin to think differently. Expect a time to come when you no longer fit in as well as you used to. When the crude jokes in the break room no longer make you laugh.

It happened to me, and it has happened to thousands of thousands of others who were here before us. God’s kingdom is almost opposite of the world and the more that you walk in His kingdom, the more crazy that you are going to appear to the kingdom of this world and its inhabitants. They will not understand you and you are going to become different than those around you. Let’s look at a few:

* Noah built the ark when it had never rained (Genesis 2:6).

* Abraham heard a voice and prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:3).

* Picture Moses, the long bearded shepherd telling Pharaoh “Let my people go!” (Exodus 5:1).

* In front of everyone, Joshua told the sun to stand still, and it did (Joshua 10:12).

* The teenage boy David volunteered to fight a giant philistine champion, Goliath (1 Samuel 17:32).

* Shadrach chose to be thrown into a furnace rather than simply bow to an idol (Daniel 3:18).

* Jeremiah prophesied the opposite of all the other prophets in the land (Jeremiah 27:9).

* Isaiah heard a voice and walked around naked for the next three years ( Isaiah 20:2).

* Elijah told a poor widow “Make me something to eat. Don’t worry, the flour in that jar is not going to run out” (1 Kings 17:13).

* Jesus’ own family were saying: “He has lost His senses” (Mark 3:21).

* Peter decided to get out of the fishing boat one night and walked on the water (Matthew 14:29).

* Festus thought that the Apostle Paul’s great learning was driving him insane (Acts 26:24).

The list goes on and on throughout history. Choosing to follow God will make you look crazy to the world. Our word for “Church” comes the greek word “ekklesia” meaning “The called out ones.” That is us, called out of the world’s way of thinking. We change our mind by taking on the mind of Christ, meaning that we begin to think more like Jesus. We choose to believe the word of God and we hold onto His promises.

What are some of the ways this would affect us today? Here are a few to think on: The world teaches us to look out for number one and to claw our way to the top. Yet God tells us to humble ourself and we will be exalted (James 4:10). To treat others like we would like to be treated (Luke 6:31).

The world likes to call attention to its charitable actions, but God teaches us to do them in secret.

“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:3–4 NASB).

The world loves feasting, but God teaches us fasting in order to sharpen our spirit. The world teaches us to hoard all that we can gather for ourself, but Jesus said give and then it will be multiplied and given to you (Luke 6:38).

The Crazy Ones believed God and took a stand on His word. They demonstrated their faith in God by their actions. Growing as a child of God requires thinking differently. We have to let go of the “woe is me” mentality, the poverty mindset, the “what if this happens” questions, the “I don’t understand why” and begin to trust God to take care of us day by day. He’s the Boss, let Him worry about the details. Consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25:

 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.”

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25–34 NASB).

Will you be different? Will you take a stand for God? Here’s to the Crazy Ones who dare to challenge the world’s way of thinking, who put others needs before their own, who let others go before them in line, who gives up their seat so someone else can sit down, who treat others like they would like to be treated. Here’s to you.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please cleanse and refine me from the inside out. Change my heart and change my mind to be more like You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and be my guide today. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and with You by my side, I know that I can face whatever is coming my way. I choose to believe in You, that You love me, and that You are listening to my prayer today. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.