“Our Actions…

Do affect others. Or do they? Yes, they do!” Many people, Christians alike, think their actions only affect themselves. According to the Bible, they are totally wrong.

Recently, I was re-reading a chapter in Jeremiah and God showed me verses that I had not pondered before. He showed me that “Yes, our actions do affect others around us, especially the lost.”

I am going to do a simple comparison between 2 scripture portions that show us directly how bad and good behavior has an impact on the lost world around us.

1. Poor Christian behavior – Our example will be the Israelites in Jeremiah. All verses are in Jeremiah 44
   1. Reading Jeremiah up to chapter 44, Israel is a mess. They have disobeyed God, their lands are a mess, they are in captivity, and there is a remnant scattered in Judah. Yet…
   2. They still continue in their disobedience. v2-5 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein, 3 Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger…4 Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets…saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate. 5 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness…”
   3. This remnant wishes to go to Eygpt: v 12-13 “And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt…13 For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem,”
   4. Jeremiah speaks to them, but they still disobey. V16-17 “As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. 17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth…”
   5. God tells the Israelites they will be punished for their disobedience. V29 “…I will punish you in this place…”
   6. Now, we all realize our sinful actions hurt ourselves, but I do not think we realize just how our sinful actions can hurt others – especially the lost around us who are watching our ‘Christian’ behavior.
   7. Since the Israelites sinned, the king of Egypt would die. V30 “Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life…”
   8. Only God knows how many Egyptians died as a result of Israel’s disobedience.

2. Good Christian Behavior – Our example will be Daniel. All verses will be from Daniel.
   1. The people of Jerusalem are in captivity again. 1:1 “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.”
   2. King Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel a ruler. 2:48 “Then the king made Daniel a great man…and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.”
   3. Then some people in the land had King Darius (the new King) make a royal decree that, 6:7 “…whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.”
   4. Daniel disobeyed the King and still prayed to God as always. 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
   5. The people who tricked King Darius to make the decree came to the King and told the King how Daniel still prayed to his God. The King was sorrowful for the law he made but he had to abide by his own law. 6:15 “…That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.”
   6. The King had no choice but to throw Daniel into the lion’s den. “Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.”
   7. Notice in the above verse how King Darius had confidence that God could deliver Daniel. He didn’t have faith in him yet, but he had seen something different in Daniel’s life that he had confidence that Daniel’s God could deliver him.
   8. The rest of the story is that God delivered Daniel from the lions’ mouths. 6:22 “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me…”
   9. When King Darius visits the lions’ den in the morning, and cries unto Daniel, Daniel’s response is 6:21 “Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.” I think this is when Daniel was getting the point across to King Darius how he could live forever. I believe we will see King Darius in heaven.
   10. Here it is – the main point – because of Daniel’s great stand for God look at what decree King Darius writes to the land. 6:25-27 “Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. 27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
   11. Wow! Look at the impact that just one person living for God had on an entire nation.

In a quick summary, we reviewed two people:

First, the Israelites in Jeremiah who were in captivity and refused to harken unto God; as a result the King of Egypt and others in Egypt would die.

Jeremiah 44:30 “Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life…”

Second, the Israelites where in captivity but Daniel obeyed God even when it seemed he would lose his life. As a result, King Darius made a decree for the whole nation to worship Daniel’s God.

Daniel 6:26 “26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God…”

I wonder how many Egyptians are in the pits of hell as a result of Israel’s defiance in Jeremiah; but how many Babylonians are in heaven as a result of Daniel’s stand?

To answer our question above, “Yes, our actions sincerely affect the lost world around us!”