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3 Ways to Combat Apathy
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August 12, 2024
“The absence or suppression of passion, emotion or excitement; the lack of feeling, emotion or interest.”
Do you know what that is the definition of? Does it describe you at all? Or maybe the American church when it comes the things of God?
The definition is of the word apathy. I think it describes many in the church today.
Many of us, myself included from time to time, can live lives that are absent of passion and excitement to spread the Gospel and live out the kingdom of God. We can fall into the mindset of living for the moment and the things of this earth rather than remembering that the return of Christ is imminent and we have a high calling to fulfill.
According to Scripture, we are in the last days — and the return of Christ is only being held back by the fact of God’s gracious design to bring more and more people into saving faith.
1 Peter 4:7a, says “…the end of all things is at hand.”
If this is really the case and we are living in the last days, it should cause us to wrestle with how we spend the time we have. We don’t have the luxury of procrastinating or wasting our days with an apathetic following of Jesus while saying, “We will fully serve the Lord once our kids aren’t so busy, once our we make enough money, once we get married, once we have our fun, etc.” No, if the end is truly at hand, it should change the way we live.
So how do we then combat apathy, especially when it comes to following Jesus? Let me share with you three ways I believe we can move from living apathetically to living with gospel urgency:
1. Devote Yourself to Love
People are devoted to a lot of different things, many of them good. They are devoted to their marriages, their kids, their families, or their jobs. I know people who are very devoted to golf, their hobbies, building their 401k, climbing the cooperate ladder, a particular political party, and many other things. None of these things are inherently bad, but we should compare them to our devotion to the things of God. We are often apathetic to the things of God because we are distracted by the things of this world.
Take some time to think about your life. What are you devoted to? Make a list of the things that take most of your time, energy and thoughts. What are they? Are you devoted to loving others? Consider what Paul defines love as in 1 Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 13:4–8a — Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things endures all things. Love never ends. (ESV)
Are you devoted to these things? Jesus says that our love is how “people will know that you are my disciples.” This is what the world today desperately needs to experience in a culture of division and hate. What an impact we could make on both believers and non-believers by showing earnest (genuine and sincere) love.
2. Demonstrate Hospitality
1 Peter 4:9 “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (ESV).
How many of us have told our kids to do something and the response has been stomping feet coupled with comments like “Fine! I’ll do it because you told me to,” or “I don’t understand why I have to do this?” As parents, we desire obedience — but obedience coupled with grumbling is not it.
It’s not a surprise, then, when Peter says hospitality is to be shown “without grumbling.” He’s calling Christians to a level of love that transcends negative attitudes and forced obedience. He’s challenging believers to live out a costly (time, resources, energy, etc.) form of love with a cheerful heart (2 Cor. 9:6–7).
Biblical hospitality is both easy and challenging. It’s easy in the sense that anyone can do it, but it’s hard in the sense that it can be inconvenient, taking time, money, and relational energy. The issue, as we said before, is that many people are apathetic with a lack of passion and excitement toward the things of God. But if you’ve ever experienced great hospitality (someone going above and beyond to serve or care for you), it can make a huge impact. Hospitality like this can break down walls, open conversations, and show others the love of the Gospel.
Are you someone who demonstrates hospitality? If not, what might it look like for you to make that adjustment? Notice that this instruction isn’t just for those of us who have the gift of hospitality, but for all believers. Jesus didn’t have to, but He chose to love, serve, and care for us. Now, we are called to do the same for others.
3. Diligently Serve
It’s fascinating to hear people talk about why they chose their church. What’s often shared is how they love the preaching, the kids’ ministry, or the worship. While those things aren’t wrong, they’re telling. This mindset gives us a picture into the level of consumerism that has made its way into the church today.
How often do we hear that someone loves their church because they believe God has called them there to use their gifts? Consumerism in the church is feeding apathy in the church. We’re used to consuming, and it shows up in the way we interact within the church. We get so used to being served that we grow apathetic to serving. But Peter says we are to diligently serve one another as the coming of Christ gets closer.
1 Peter 4:10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (ESV).
What are you doing with what God has gifted you in? When we properly understand the Gospel and what has been done for us through Jesus Christ, it only compels us to greater service of others.
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How then should we live if the end of all things is near? And how can we begin to defeat apathy? My prayer is that as we wrestle through the moments of apathy in our lives and our faith, devote ourselves to love, demonstrate hospitality, and diligently serve one another.
