If you are unfamiliar with Minecraft, it is a game for computers, video game systems and other mobile electronic devices. It is comprised of collecting materials, building everything from tools to buildings to entire landscapes, and staying alive while fighting off bad guys, avoiding dangers and keeping your hunger status in check. You can circumvent all dangers and have access to unlimited resources by using a Creative mode cheat. I compare Minecraft to an interactive LEGO world where imagination and time can be both your greatest assets and liabilities.

My son really enjoys this virtual world and all of its amazing, seemingly endless possibilities. In order to understand his fascination, I dove in and experienced a lot of what it has to offer. Now, I can speak with him on his level and make comparisons that I wouldn’t have been able to before. During the transition to bed time tonight, we were discussing how God has more power than we realize and can make anything happen including things we don’t understand, like miracles. Our talk ended up with the analogy that if our world was Minecraft, we would be like new players with minimal hit points (hearts) without armor or weapons, max hunger and surrounded by multiple bad guys – a completely hopeless situation. God, on the other hand, would be operating in Creative mode where he could provide full armor, weapons, food, etc. while also decimating the bad guys, perhaps even by doing something not even possible in Minecraft because He is the Creator.

I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ ministry to the people around him recorded in the Gospels and how He went to people and met them where they were. When Jesus was with Zacchaeus, Luke 19:10 says Jesus “came to seek and to save that which was lost.” In Luke 4:18, He says He is “to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set liberty at those who are oppressed.” He dined with tax collectors and sinners even to the point of calling one of them to be one of the twelve disciples (Matthew 9:9-13). It’s easy to see the “sinners” around us every day. Those who are living apart from God and His ways. How do we react to them? Are we loving them for Christ’s sake (Matthew 22:39), avoiding them as much as possible or passing judgement and even attacking them in word or deed? Attempting to avoid or refusing to visit with them shows no love or compassion. Meanwhile, our friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. have already been judged and condemned (John 3), so that’s not our responsibility. However, if we are truly to love them, we will not ignore and be accepting of their sin. Jesus would willingly be a guest of someone, but would also point out that he didn’t come for the healthy, but the sick (Matthew 9). Peter points out that we are to continue to do good to/for them, while praising God (1 Peter 2) and living a pure life (1 Peter 4).

If I love my son in Minecraft, I will tell him of the imminent danger around him so his character doesn’t die and he lose his supplies. If I love him in the real world, how much more should I do? I took the time and energy to learn something he is interested in and can now communicate more effectively with him. What can we do to better love and communicate with those around us? Are you willing to be in the world without becoming of the world (John 17)? Try to do good to someone, tell them of God’s excellence and live a pure life. This is how we change the world.