In a world that constantly shouts “You do you!” and “Live your truth,” Lakeview Christian Church of Portage Lakes stands for a radically different message. Our mission to “Be the Change as Jesus has Changed Us” calls us to swim against the cultural current, choosing Christ’s way over the world’s way.
Today’s culture has made self the ultimate authority. Social media feeds are carefully curated shrines to personal achievement. Self-help books promise fulfillment through self-actualization. Even well-meaning advice often centers on “being true to yourself.” But Jesus offers a paradoxical path to true life: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24 NIV).
This collision between cultural values and Kingdom values happens in countless micro-decisions throughout our day. Will you speak that harsh word that feels satisfying, or choose gentleness? Will you scroll past someone’s need because you’re comfortable, or stop to help? Will you guard your time and resources, or generously share what God has given you?
The apostle Paul understood this tension intimately. In Galatians 6:14 (NIV), he declares, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Paul isn’t speaking metaphorically here—he’s describing a complete reorientation of life. The values, priorities, and pursuits that once drove him no longer held power. Why? Because he had encountered something infinitely more valuable.
At Lakeview Christian Church, our “Just 3” framework helps us navigate this daily choice between self and Savior:
Study to Love and Know God: Romans 12:2 (NIV) instructs us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” When we immerse ourselves in Scripture, we begin to see reality through God’s lens rather than culture’s filter. We discover that dying to self isn’t about becoming less—it’s about becoming who God created us to be. As Jesus taught in John 10:10 (NIV), “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Share to Know and Love Others: Living counter-culturally becomes a powerful testimony. When coworkers see you respond to criticism with grace instead of retaliation, when neighbors witness your generosity in a world of scarcity mindset, when friends observe your peace in chaos, they see Jesus. 1 Peter 2:12 (NIV) encourages us, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Serve – Love in Action: Service is perhaps the most counter-cultural act in a self-serving world. While culture says “What’s in it for me?”, followers of Jesus ask “How can I bless others?” Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV) challenges us: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
The choice to die to self isn’t a one-time decision made at conversion—it’s a daily surrender. Jesus emphasized this in Luke 9:23 (NIV): “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Every morning, we face the choice: Will I live for myself today, or for Christ?
This doesn’t mean becoming a doormat or losing your personality. Rather, it means aligning your will with God’s will, your desires with His purposes. It means finding your identity not in your achievements, preferences, or social media presence, but in being a beloved child of God. As Galatians 2:20 (NIV) beautifully expresses, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
At Lakeview Christian Church of Portage Lakes, we recognize that this lifestyle seems foolish to the world. But we’ve discovered the secret that 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV) reveals: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
So what will you choose today? Will you follow the crowd or follow Christ? Will you live for temporary comfort or eternal significance? Will you boast in your accomplishments or glory in the cross? The decision is yours, but know this: when you choose to die to self and live for Christ, you don’t lose your life—you find it.
Be the change as Jesus has changed us. It starts with surrendering your preferences and priorities to Him.
