Week 4 – Stephen Baldwin
by: Todd Veleber
So we’ve been in this series “I Am Second” for a few weeks now, so I hope you are getting the picture of what that means. Each week, we’ve looked at different people – some more famous than others – at how their life went from being about them being first to understanding that first isn’t really the position they were designed to be in. But if we are all being honest, being second doesn’t sound that exciting. No one enters a race and thinks – I hope I don’t win, I’d really rather be second than first. No way. Everyone wants to be the best. Everyone wants to be the winner. Everyone wants to be number one.
But when you become a Christian, everything changes. It seems everything is even a bit opposite. The Bible says things like, “if you want to find life, you must die” or “if you want to be first, then be last” or even “if you want to be the greatest, then be a servant.” Christianity goes in a different direction than culture does. That’s why saying, “I am second” seems crazy – it doesn’t make sense to most people. Because we are saying there is more to life than living for myself – than making myself number one. In fact, I’ve found true life and it is by making Jesus number one in my life.
Everyone has a moment when they wonder, “is there more to life than what I’m currently living.” Stephen Baldwin is an actor who asked that very question when he wasn’t finding satisfaction in life. He’s a very familiar face and so are his brothers who are also actors. He has starred in many movies and been on numerous reality TV shows. But one day his life changed in an amazing way. If you want to see his video again it’s here.
Something he said really got my attention. He said, “My life is God’s life in me to do with whatever He wants.” That’s a pretty amazing statement to make. Especially when you compare it to what his goals were in his life. Remember, he said he was all about himself, making money and being popular and successful in the movie industry. But now he can say that His life is all about Jesus and what God wants to do with His life. That’s an amazing transformation. How did he become second? He asked Christ to be first in his life.
I thought it was so cool that he and his wife were introduced to Christ by their maid. That tells me a lot about the maid – in fact, she should have an “I am second” video! Why? She was living her life as second and making Christ first. She knew the most important thing wasn’t cleaning their house, but her sharing her faith and introducing the Baldwin’s to Jesus.
Stephen was searching for meaning in life. He wanted in his words “fulfillment.” And we all do. People try adding all kinds of things to their life or doing all kinds of things in order to find fulfillment. Maybe it’s popularity or material things. Maybe it’s becoming successful and making a lot of money. It could be finding fulfillment in relationships or becoming a “somebody.” But ultimately all those things never satisfy. They don’t bring fulfillment. And like Stephen discovered, we only find fulfillment in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus even told us this. He told His followers and taught this everywhere He went. Let’s look at what Jesus says in John 6:35-51 Jesus often used word pictures when he talked. Here he is talking about hunger (bread) and thirst for spiritual things, not physical food and drink. It’s a picture we can all relate to. At some point in your life I’m sure you missed and meal and not too long after that your stomach started to make funny noises or even feel funny. What was your body doing? Giving you a signal to put food in it. It was saying, “Hey don’t forget about me – I’m hungry down here!”
1. We need spiritual food for our soul
Spiritually, our soul gives us signals to. We can look around at creation and see that there is a God. We can try to find fulfillment in our life, but the spirit inside continues to reject those things and still has a hunger. See we are created beings – created in God’s image and likeness. We have a spiritual desire that God gave us to want to know Him – to find our life and fulfillment in him just like our physical body longs for food and water.
And so Jesus says to us, “I am the bread of life.” He was saying, I am what your spirit is searching for. I am the hope, peace and purpose your life needs and wants. I’m the fulfillment you desire. Maybe you are in here tonight and you are feeling that hunger in your life. It’s for bread, but not the kind you buy at Publix. It’s Jesus and He is the only one who satisfies. He wants to give your life meaning by offering you forgiveness and an opportunity to have a relationship with Him. All you have to do is want that relationship, confess your sin and need for Jesus.
2. We have spiritual food to share
But another response is for those of us who know Jesus. God has fulfilled our hunger by coming into our life, so our job is to tell others where they can find the bread we found. It’s our privilege as Christians to tell others about Christ. And the good news is you just have to be willing to open your mouth. God will speak through you and He’s the one who does all the work. It is God’s responsibility to draw people to Jesus. We just point them there. God is the one who does the saving so we should not be discouraged when people do not respond to the gospel the way we hope they will.
Our goal is to be faithful and to tell others about Jesus. Think about it this way – what if that maid had thought, “Well these people are really rich and famous and I’m just a worker here to clean their house so I’m not going to bother with their business and tell them what I know.” Think about how different Stephen’s life would be. What if that was the person God sent and she wasn’t willing to do what God asked her to do? It’s a possibility that he and his wife wouldn’t be Christians today and have the ministry they have?
We have been given the gospel to give it away. Think about the people God has placed in your life that are looking for fulfillment. They need to know the hope that you have found in Jesus. You have the message of life – we have to share it.
to think about
• We saw in the Bible that Jesus is the only one who can offer true fulfillment. What are some ways that you are tempted to look for fulfillment?
• What did it look like for Stephen to become second – to truly surrender his life to Christ? What changed in his life?
• What can we learn from the maid in Stephen’s story? Who can you think of in your life right now that needs to hear about Jesus? What are some ideas you have on how you can tell them?
• What if you share the gospel and your friends don’t respond?
• How can you life your life being “second” this week?
