Ageing in Grace: Living Fully as an Elderly Christian
WELCOME TO ANOTHER EPISODE OF YOUR FAVORITE TRANSFORMATIVE CHRISTIAN PODCAST
LET'S TALK GOD 'N' CHRIST
TODAY,
We are continuing with our series: AGING WITH GRACE, LIVING FULLY AS AN ELDERLY CHRISTIAN
EPISODE FIVE:
Practice Christlike Presence, Not Just Religious Activity
Scripture: Philippians 4:5
Welcome back, dear listener, to your favorite transformative podcast - Let's Talk God 'n' Christ! Where we don't just talk church - we talk Christ.
Today, we're pulling back the curtains on a crucial message for every believer - whether you've been in church for five months or fifty years.
The title?
Practice Christlike Presence, Not Just Religious Activity.
Episode Themes:
The ministry of presence and attentiveness.
Listening as a spiritual act.
Creating a calm, welcoming atmosphere.
Let's pause.
Let that sink in.
Opening Prayer:
Heavenly Father, open our ears and our hearts. Help us to go deeper - beyond surface religion - into a relationship marked by presence, power, and love. Teach us to reflect Christ in how we live, not just in how we perform. In Jesus' name, amen.
A Hard Truth We Must Face:
Many of us have become experts at activity -
Church programs, religious duties, the motions of service, the look of holiness.
We know how to:
- 1. Attend three services a week,
- 2. Quote scriptures in King James English,
- 3. Wear the "right" clothes,
- 4. Say "Bless you, sister!" on cue,
- 5. Even pray in tongues louder than the next person…
But here's the piercing question:
Do we carry the presence of Christ in our daily lives?
Because without presence, our activity is noise.
What Did Jesus Actually Model?
Jesus never asked us to become busy with religion.
He invited us to become like Him.
Mark 3:14 (KJV)
"And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach…"
Before preaching, before healing, before casting out demons,
He called them to be with Him.
Presence before power. Relationship before responsibility.
Christlike Presence Means...
1. Being Present With God
Not just doing things for God, but sitting with Him.
Like Mary who sat at Jesus' feet - while Martha ran around "serving."
Luke 10:41–42 (NIV)
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed… Mary has chosen what is better."
Are you a Martha, busy for Jesus - but distant from Jesus?
2. Being Present With People
To carry Christ's presence means we love the unlovable, slow down for the wounded, and really see others.
That church worker who's always shouting in tongues but is rude to the cleaner?
That elder who leads long prayers but never listens to his own wife?
That's activity without presence.
1 Corinthians 13:1 (NIV)
"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."
Loud. But empty.
Let's Be Honest: Religion Can Be a Cover
Sometimes, we use religious activity to:
Avoid confronting our bitterness
Cover up pride
Feel superior
Impress others
Numb our own spiritual dryness
But Christ is not fooled.
And neither is a watching world.
They don't want to see how "churchy" we are.
They want to see how Christlike we are.
What Does Christlike Presence Look Like?
It looks like:
Quiet compassion in a hospital room
Forgiving someone who never said sorry
Listening deeply to someone in pain
Sitting with a struggling teenager instead of preaching at them
Praying in secret, without announcing it on social media
Showing joy, patience, and kindness - not just quoting scriptures about them
It's not flashy.
It's not always public.
But it is powerful - because it reflects Jesus.
The Real Fight: Religion vs. Relationship
The Pharisees were experts in activity.
They tithed to the last leaf. They fasted religiously.
But Jesus called them whitewashed tombs - beautiful on the outside, but dead inside.
Matthew 23:27 (NIV)
"You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead…"
Ouch. That's a painful rebuke to hear.
Beloved, let's not be performance-driven Christians who only know rituals, not the Redeemer.
So What Do We Do?
1. Return to Sitting With Jesus
Set aside performance. Come back to simple devotion.
Open the Bible, not to preach - but to hear.
Pray, not to impress - but to commune.
2. Prioritize People Over Platforms
Ministry isn't just microphones and miracles.
It's presence. It's kindness. It's availability.
3. Evaluate Your Heart
Ask:
"Am I doing this out of love - or for show?"
"Is my activity producing fruit - or fatigue?"
4. Invite the Holy Spirit Daily
You can't carry Christ's presence in your strength.
You need the Holy Spirit to live and love like Jesus.
Galatians 5:22–23 (NIV)
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…"
This is what presence produces - not just busyness.
Final Words:
Dear listener -
God isn't looking for performance.
He's looking for presence.
He's not impressed by noise - He's moved by love.
So today, choose Christlikeness over churchiness.
Choose depth over display.
Choose presence over performance.
Because when you carry Christ's presence -
you don't just act like a Christian.
You become a living reflection of Christ.
Thanks for joining me today on Let's Talk God 'n' Christ.
If today's message spoke to you, share it with someone who's busy but hungry for more.
And as you go out this week, remember:
Don't just do church. Be Christ
Encouragement Takeaway:
Your gentleness may be someone's first glimpse of Jesus.
Let's Pray:
Lord, forgive us for every time we substituted religious activity for Your presence. Teach us to love like You, walk like You, and reflect You. Strip away every empty motion. Fill us afresh with Your Spirit. Let us be Your presence in a noisy world. In Jesus' name. Amen.