Hunger & Thirst

Consider what is occurring around us:
*Amidst positive economic signs, people are nervous about monetary issues and providing for their families.
*Mental health issues are more numerous.  Anxiety and depression are rampant.
*There is conflict all around the world.
*Anger is seemingly more intensified on social media platforms.

The list goes on and on.  There, I got that out of my system.  Wow, what opportunities we have to share the hope of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said in Matthew 5 (ESV):
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

He's a rising social media influencer - and how we need people entering that fray to shine the light of Christ, and recently he said this to CBN News: "There’s a hunger for things that are deeper...I think there’s a hunger for things that are meaningful. I think there’s a hunger for spiritual formation and walking in, I would say, the truest sense of reality.”

He also said, "Prior to COVID, we just kind of floated and did our own thing,” adding, “It reminds me a lot of the time right after 9/11 … there was this like clarity that seemed to have came over people and they were curious and interested.”  He also noted another cultural moment - the death of Charlie Kirk - which he believes has caused a "bump" in attendance at his church.

This influencer is known as Ruslan KD.  He's not from around here, telling CBN several years ago: "I’m … ethnically Armenian...My father is full Armenian. My mother is adopted by an Armenian family in Azerbaijan — Baku. So, that’s the city we come from is Baku, right in the Middle East, off the Caspian Sea.”

His family was adversely affected by the Armenian Genocide; his father left the family to go to Moscow for a season.  But, ultimately the family ended up in America.  But, his experience in church was negative and he encountered abuse.  He began to smoke and sell marijuana and break into people's houses. 

While doing community service hours, Ruslan heard the gospel for the first time.  The CBN story says:

...when Ruslan got his first job at Pizza Hut, his manager gave him a copy of Josh McDowell’s “The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict,” a book that gave him answers to his biggest questions.

“Fast forward, I end up fully surrendering my life to Jesus at the end of my junior year of high school,” Ruslan said.

The process of growth and learning continued, with Ruslan honing his music skills and becoming a popular Christian YouTuber.

He started on YouTube in 2015, but things kicked into gear during COVID.  He relates: “During the pandemic, people started asking my opinion on other things,” adding “They knew that I was a Christian, and so I was doing kind of like music reviews. I had seen some success as an independent musician, and people just started asking my opinions on other things.”  CBN reports: "Soon, his love for the Bible, teaching, and social media coalesced. Ruslan started taking his views on the issues — through a Christian lens — to YouTube, and the rest is, well, history."

In the most recent CBN story, Ruslan pinpointed cultural moments that have provided opportunities for the spread of the gospel: 9/11, COVID, Charlie Kirk.  But, Ruslan addressed what he calls a "hyper, hyper, hyper skepticism of all institutions."  The article says, "This has created a distrust that, at moments, might descend into unhealthy places — including 'a hyper conspiratorial rabbit hole,' as people are now more apt to doubt everything."

As Ruslan KD can remind us, in the midst of doubt and distrust, people are looking for something - or Someone - to believe in.  A hunger has been created, and they are seeking something real and authentic to bring clarity for our lives. Jesus promised to fill the hunger and thirst of our souls, as the Bread of Life who brings living water through the Holy Spirit.

We have to be careful to watch our response to cultural trends - we can easily become discouraged in light of world events.  Yet, if we are tethered to the truth of Christ, we can find stability and satisfaction in Him and see world challenges as real-world opportunities to testify to the reality of Jesus.