How to Become a Conscious Christian

One of my favorite songs is "Wake Up Everybody" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. The song opens with the following lyrics: Wake up everybody, no more sleepin' in bed—no more backward thinkin' time for thinkin' ahead. The world has changed so very much from what it used to be. There is so much hatred, war, and poverty.

At first glance, one might assume we haven't made any progress. Lyrics from a song written in 1975 describe the climate in 2024. Nearly 49 years between the release of that song and the time I'm writing this post. While I wouldn't go as far as to say that we haven't made any progress, I don't believe we've made enough progress. There's much more work to do.

I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with becoming a conscious Christian. Hang tight. First, let's define what I mean when I say conscious. Some may be more familiar with the urban term "woke." In his book Woke Church, urban apologetics expert Dr. Eric Mason defines woke as "a word commonly used by those in the black community as a term for being socially aware of issues that have systemic impact."

[enter Christianity]

As Christians, we are supposed to represent Christ to the world. Unfortunately, according to most credible research data, something has gone wrong. Part of what has gone wrong is that we've shifted our role from representing to redefining. Instead of being made in His image, we've attempted to make Him into ours. Slowly but surely, it has morphed into Christless Christianity.

One of the ways our Christlessness shows up is in our lack of consciousness. We have gotten so preoccupied with the religious bubbles that we've failed to see the dying world around us. This lack of consciousness has contributed to the rise of many organizations within the urban community, forcing emerging generations to choose between faith and heritage. It doesn't have to be that way.

We don't have to be this or that. We can be this and that. We can be on our way to heaven while working to improve the quality of life on the earth. We can have salvation and sensitivity to the world around us. We can be both conscious and Christian.

I will share three insights that we must adopt to become conscious Christians.

1. The Virtues of Jesus 

The first thing we must adopt if we're going to become conscious Christians is the virtues of Jesus, especially the virtue of compassion. Merriam-Webster defines compassion as a sympathetic consciousness of others' distress and a desire to alleviate it. I love this definition because it goes beyond sympathy. Yes, people need sympathy, but we must take action at some point. We see this modeled repeatedly in the life of Jesus. 

2. The Values of Jesus 

The second thing we must adopt if we're going to become conscious Christians is the values of Jesus. Values are fundamental beliefs that guide or motivate attitudes and actions. They go hand in hand with His virtues. Throughout Jesus' ministry, we see Him express His value for people, culminating in His death on the cross. It's hard to have the virtue of compassion without having value for people, not just the people we prefer but all people.

3. The Vantage Point of Jesus

The final thing (for this writing) we must adopt if we're going to become conscious Christians is the vantage point of Jesus. A vantage point is a position or standpoint from which something can be viewed or considered. They are what allow our virtues and values to come to life. The question isn't how we see it but how He sees it. We can only be like Him once we learn to see things like He does. 

My favorite line from Wake Up Everybody says, "the world won't get no better if we just let it be." Although changing the world has become a modern-day cliche for influencers and entrepreneurs, the truth is that the world won't change until the things that matter to God start to matter to God's people. We cannot sit around and wish for better days. We must do something. Let's start with adopting the virtues, values, and vantage point of Jesus.