We Are The Heathens - Week 2
IG vs. Reality:
In the second week of our We Are The Heathens series, Pastor Natalie Wallace connected Instagram to the story of Rahab, a prostitute used by God in a powerful way.
First things first: where do our priorities lie? When we scroll through our social media feed, the algorithm tends to show us videos, pictures, and posts based on our recent likes, saves, and comments. Often, this is a representation of the things we value. And it’s not uncommon that we choose to present our “Instagram perfect” picture rather than our real life problems.
Because this behavior is engrained in us, we treat the Bible the same way. We sanitize the ugly parts out of the Bible’s stories instead of telling the truth about who people were, what happened, and how God moved. Pastor Natalie explained that this sanitizing causes us to be predisposed to a lazy version of church and is why we don’t live in IG vs. reality, but we live in the mindset of “I’m God and this is my reality.”
We sanitize the ugly parts out of the Bible’s stories instead of telling the truth about who people were, what happened, and how God moved.
Enter Rahab: the unlikely hero. The lowest amongst the heathens, yet an important part of God’s plan. While it’s common knowledge that Rahab was a prostitute, many Bible translations introduce her as an innkeeper rather than who she truly was. We choose to introduce her differently — to change the reality — to continue the narrative that we need to have it all together to be used by God.
This simply isn’t true! In 1 Corinthian 1:27-28, we read that God will use what we least expect him to. We are identifiable in stories like Rahab’s because we are not perfect. It dosen’t matter what mess you’re in: God will use your mess for his glory and to move you toward redemption.
Just as Rahab was significant enough for God, we are significant enough to be a part of God’s story. Salvation is not selective and is available to heathens and royalty alike.
Watch this week’s message below or catch up with the series here!
