During this week’s episode of On The Table, we bring to the table, the taboo topic of money! As the old adage goes, money makes the world go round. We can’t avoid it. In today’s ages, there seems to be no facet of life which is untouched by money and the pursuit of it. So how then, as Christians, should we view wealth and materialism.
Guests: M.T Omoniyi, George Obolo, Deborah Seun, Caleb Sekitto
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We will all go through spiritual droughts, but they do not need to take over our lives. Sometimes great victories are followed by great temptations. I remember after preaching at large conferences or singing at large concerts worrying about the impending crash that would come. Moments of euphoria and exhilaration would be tempered by a persistent lull that I just couldn’t explain. If you can empathise with me, firstly, breathe. It’s normal and there is a way out. Even Jesus went through the wilderness after great glory on the river Jordan. During Joseph time, 7 years of plenty quickly turned to 7 years of drought. In this post, you will learn practical tips on how to get through your spiritual drought.
1. How you respond in the drought will determine how long you will stay there. Israel had a journey in the wilderness that was supposed to a last short time, but because of their wrong reaction to the wilderness, that journey lasted 40 years. Jesus on the other hand, went through the wilderness in only 40 days because His response was epic. He spoke the word, whereas Israel complained in the wilderness.
2. The Holy Spirit can lead you to the wilderness, but only the Holy Scriptures can guide you through it. Jesus was led to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, but He battled through it through the power of the Scriptures. Rely on what you KNOW from the Word, and not on momentary feelings when you are in spiritual wilderness. (Psalm 1:2 -3)
3. God’s silence is NOT God’s absence. Like a teacher is silent during a test, God may be ‘quiet’ while you are in the midst of a test. During a physical test in a class, one must rely on what was already learned and what a student committed to memory while the teacher was speaking. Then the teacher speaks again as soon as the test is over. Likewise, during God’s tests, He can be quiet. A believer must rely on God’s prior teachings to get them through the test, and God WILL show himself. (2 Chronicles 32:31)
4. If you’re going through hell, keep on going. David said; though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death. Walk through, don’t live in it. Paul said; put on the armour of God to withstand on an evil day. Don’t let an evil day or the valley of death become your life by building a tent. (Psalm 23:4)
5. God does not just reward us when you find Him, but when you seek Him. “Blessed are those who HUNGER and THIRST for righteousness,” not those who ARE righteous. Just for pressing into God through fasting and prayer and seeking Him, God will reward you and give the breakthrough you need. God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. David was called a man after God’s heart, it does not mean David had God’s heart. It just means that David was after it and God blesses that. (Matthew 5:6)
6. Suffering is not an excuse to stop serving. For example, Job prayed for his friends when his own life was in shambles, and Jesus healed even while he was getting arrested. Abraham prayed for healing for others when his own wife was barren. We do not serve for ourselves, but for God out of obedience and love for Him. Life is like tennis; those who serve well seldom lose.
7. Sometimes the best thing you can do on your worst day is to take a nap. When your body is tired, emotions take over and affects your spiritual life. The enemy WILL take advantage of your weariness. When Elijah was running from Jezebel, the angel of God offered him nothing but food for strength and sleep for rest. Jesus also napped, and He was the only one who was able to calm the storm. Be refreshed. Get rest. Nap.
8. If you miss devotions, that does not mean you have lost your devotion. Devotions are your time spent with God, and devotion is the life you give to God. If you question your devotion for missing a few days of reading the Word, it is a lie of the devil. You are in a RELATIONSHIP with God, not a CONTRACT. Christians should not feel guilty when they miss a day of prayer, but they should feel hungry! Devotions are your time spent with God, and devotion is the life you give to God.
9. DO NOT make permanent decisions when you are spiritually dry. Decisions like relationships, moving, career, and other commitments need to be made when you are out of that brokenness. It is when your mind is alert, your spirit is receptive and your emotions are stable.
10. Develop stamina and patience. God allows dry seasons in our lives to establish the fruit of patience to make you complete. A fruit develops from sour to sweet, and that takes time. Likewise, patience needs time. Therefore in the midst of dry seasons, do not complain or give up because God is making you more complete. You become a person who is not swayed by emotions or circumstances when patience grows to ripeness.
Ultimately remember that God is still on the throne, however, this doesn’t mean he is far away from us. God is not on some mountain, He’s not to be reached for. For the believer, God is very present and he is with us. In over 98 Places in the Bible, God speaks about himself as being with us and not some abstract thing we have to find.
Here are some examples:
The feeling you feel will move on, just like every other feeling! God will never leave you.
The topic of leadership has always been central to the church. Jesus Christ, the ultimate leader was described as the ‘good shepherd’ (John 10:11) and as Christians, we are tasked with emulating Jesus Christ and becoming ‘good shepherds’ within our own communities. Throughout the Bible we see Jesus Christ lead the disciples by example, through service and in love. In Jeremiah 3:15 God promises us ‘shepherds’ who will ‘lead with knowledge and understanding’. The word for pastors in the Greek is ‘poimen’ meaning a shepherd: one who takes care of the sheep and tends to them. Our pastors are highly important in our spiritual journey. For many of us, our pastors are the ones we seek advice from, they inspire us to go deeper in our relationship with Christ, live holy lives and feed us with the Word of God on a weekly basis. The question is what happens when our leaders disappoints us in their actions.
For I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psalm 51:5
“Not many [of you] should become teachers [serving in an official teaching capacity], my brothers and sisters, for you know that we [who are teachers] will be judged by a higher standard” James 3:1. The Word of God already points to the expectation that is put on those who are in ‘official teaching capacities’ be that as a pastor, bishop etc. When people are on a pedestal in whatever capacity there is a pressure for them to remain faultless as they preach on (the word of a) faultless God. This, however, is unrealistic and condemnation of those who fall is unbiblical.
James continues from His acknowledgement of the pressure on leaders in James 3:2 where he says: ‘we all stumble in many ways.’ The reality is we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Any man that says he has not sinned is a liar. (1 John 1:10) As humans, we are all under the temptations of the flesh and a title does not absolve any man from this. The failings of a church leader should humble us into seeing our own frailties and our great need for God’s strength in striving for a holy life in a fallen world. Resist the temptation of pride to enter your hearts and gossip to form on your lips about those we are called to honour (1 Pet 5:5).
Don’t let your faith be wounded, God is not limited by the actions of man. If our faith was rooted in the actions of man and how they portrayed the Gospel and carried themselves, then our faith would be fruitless. Satan is well aware of the impact of a leader on a congregation and when said leader falls into sin especially publicly, it can have a humongous knock-on effect on the church members and leave many feeling confused and broken.
After the Lord withdrew his favour from King Saul because of his disobedience, He had Samuel the prophet anoint David as king. During a time of war and Philistine intimidation towards Israel, David killed the giant Goliath, Philistine’s most prized warrior, and the Jewish women sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:7, NIV). This caused Saul to become increasingly envious of David and plot to kill him. David, however, despite several opportunities, refused to harm Saul. In the midst of pain and hurt, we can take an example from David’s own experience of disappointment:
Having open communication with your leader is important. When your leader disappoints
you, you can often be left feeling confused and insecure in your relationship. This feeling
needs to be confronted. You can only pretend for so long and if you are not fully convinced
of your leader’s integrity, you will leave said leader at some point. Let your love be honest
(Romans 12:9) and your speech gracious (Ephesians 4:24,29). You should be able to speak to your leader or other church leaders when you feel troubled, not forgetting their past labors of love .
Intercession refers to prayer that goes far beyond a person’s needs or burden. The first response to any form of disappointment should be prayer, not condemnation. We should all endeavour to have relationships with our pastors/ leaders that are strong enough that they are in our prayers even before a fault is expressed but it should be reflexive when we see our spiritual leader in trouble.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed…
James 5:16
Further denouncing leaders is not the way Jesus taught us to live, He, himself is the epitome of grace so what ground as Christians do we stand on to further condemn? Our ultimate leader, Christ, was crucified for our sins, showing grace to all humans despite our continuous shortcomings. He loved us even though we could never deserve it.
We are all called to lead in some way whether that be in the home, church, work or as we lead people to Christ. Within these roles and in our personal lives we all fall short, some privately, others publicly. It is only God’s grace that sustains us and allows us to continue to press towards the mark. Giving grace whilst being open and honest with your leader as well as seeking God even in the midst of confusion are all necessary steps to overcoming disappointment.
The Christian worship music scene has become more and more populated over the last few years. With some of the more contemporary songs, it has become difficult to reconcile their message with the Bible. The adverse effects of poorly structured worship songs do not just impact the body of Christ but also unbelievers who are on the outside looking in. How must we evaluate the lyrics of the songs we sing to ensure they maintain biblical integrity?
Over the years, worship music has changed in various ways. The style of music coming from the church has evolved from a focus on hymns to a more contemporary style. There has been an introduction of new genres, new instruments, and new expressions of worship. The most notable difference, however, is their lyrical content. The songs we have today are less wordy and catchier, making them easier to remember. However, in some cases, these songs are also less accurate when relaying theological truths. For the most part, yes, worship songs are still about God, but it seems as though poetic licence is held in higher regard than the Bible.
There are worship songs that leave you guessing what the writer meant and make it difficult to reconcile their description of God with the God we see in Scripture. The lack of clarity and consistency can make worship a perplexing experience.
Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well presents us with the type of worship God requires (John 4:19-24). We are to worship from our hearts and with full consideration of God’s words in the Bible about both His character and His actions. Our emotions should respond to what we have understood in our minds about what He has revealed about Himself. The use of poetry and imagery is an integral part of any song. However, the priority for the believer is to use their words to rightly proclaim the nature of God.
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
John 4:23-24
It has been argued that if we understand what the writer was attempting to relay, then it should be okay that the lyrics are slightly ambiguous. That would be an acceptable stance if these songs were merely for our pleasure, but they are not. Worship is for God, so we should desire to give Him our best. This means avoiding compromising lyrics at all costs.
Our worship is at its best when it is shaped by who God has objectively revealed Himself in the Bible. Worship lyrics must reflect a firm grasp and understanding of the nature of God; otherwise, we risk offering a sacrifice that is not pleasing or acceptable to Him.
Aside from directly affecting our worship, ambiguous lyrics leave us with a warped view of who God is. We can walk away from a worship set believing God’s love is “reckless”. Yet the reality is, God’s love in saving us was carefully thought out and executed from the beginning of time. When writers, intending to share how they felt about God, fail to give proper attention to the appropriateness of the lyrics used, they misrepresent God and paint a false picture in the mind of the Church.
In an age where Christian music is becoming more and more evangelical, the unbeliever is also adversely affected by lyrics that inaccurately and ambiguously present God’s nature. These lyrics are almost synonymous with the act of speaking in tongues in a corporate gathering (1 Corinthians 14). An established believer may be able to make inferences from a song that enables them to understand God rightly, but the unbeliever can only take these songs at face value. Suppose songs, to be poetic, lose the integrity of sound doctrine. In that case, we rob unbelievers of the opportunity to know who God is through our songs.
Do we then conclude that hymns are good and contemporary Christian music is bad? No! We must practice active listening when choosing the worship songs we sing. We shouldn’t just be drawn by a nice beat or a catchy hook. We need songs that stand upon the word of God, clearly and rightly describing His nature.
This generation has often neglected hymns, but they are an excellent source of biblical truths. There is also a world beyond mainstream Christian media. There may be a brother or sister in your community that has released a single might surprise you. There are songs outside of the spotlight that are not only well composed but also rich in biblical truth. Be diligent and make the effort to seek out these songs.
To the songwriters in the church, your songs are to aid the body of Christ offer up worship to God. Your songs inform people of who God is. They are more than expressions of your heart, they are the very words we use to exalt God. So, when you write, be faithful to scripture and do not compromise.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Colossians 3:16
The songs we sing must be deeply rooted in God’s word. To truly magnify God and give Him the worship He deserves we need to pay close attention to the lyrics we sing. It’s not good enough to have “nearly there” lyrics, the songs we sing must hit the mark every single time.
On this weeks episode, we talk all things social media. Discussing topics such as meme culture, online ministries, cancel culture and false teaching. In the age of technology, can Christians have social media presences that speak light into a world shrouded with darkness?⠀
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Guests: Raph Olu-Jide, Sonja Lee-Barnett, Shelley Fleuridor, Arinze Okoh⠀
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Nobody likes suffering. There are global initiatives that make it their mission to alleviate suffering. Comfort has become the mantra of the day. The message in today’s society is that anything that causes the slightest discomfort should be avoided. Worst still, this message has seeped into Christendom. Yet, the bible teaches that suffering is and will be present in this life; and is intrinsically part of the Christian life. So how can we, as Christians, suffer in such a way that shows the world, that our comfort is found in Christ alone?
If you live long enough, you will encounter suffering. In this fallen world, due to sin, suffering is inevitable (John 16:33). Sometimes the suffering seems so unbearable that you are left asking the question; “how long Lord?” I’m sure that the woman with the issue of blood asked herself this same question multiple times. For those unfamiliar with the story, there was a woman who had been suffering from a discharge of blood for 12 years. She had seen many physicians to seek a cure to no avail (Mark 5:25-34). After spending all her money on these physicians, her illness grew worse. One day she encountered Jesus, and by simply touching the hem of His garment her suffering ceased immediately. Perhaps you can relate to this story? Have you been suffering for years and received no relief? Have you spent money on various solutions and been left in a worse situation than what you began with? Well, I recommend Jesus. As the woman in Mark 5 would testify, an encounter with Jesus changes everything.
Suffering can often be viewed with a myopic lens. In other words, suffering can be defined in such a narrow way that it minimises the experiences of a broad range of people. By definition, suffering is ‘the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship’. Therefore, suffering doesn’t just have to be stage 4 breast cancer, or your house being raided by armed robbers; it can also be continued rejected job applications or heartbreak from a relationship. There is no standardised threshold for pain. Humans are different and will respond to difficult situations differently. What people don’t need when they are suffering is for their pain to be delegitimised because “it’s not as bad as other people’s”. Whilst sobriety is necessary when engaging with someone’s suffering, what people need foremost is comfort. But what type of comfort? The kind that is worldly and seemingly idolatrous or the kind that is godly and purely divine?
When suffering comes, the urge to seek refuge in comfort is not too far behind. Humans find comfort in a plethora of things, each insufficient to bear the weight of their grief. From food to sex, no created thing can deal with suffering, and such is an unfortunate consequence of sin. Only Jesus can provide the type of comfort that can swallow the gaping hole that suffering produces. And yet, knowing this, I find myself running to lesser things to produce this comfort. Do you? You see Jesus as the best person to run to when suffering arrives because He suffered as well (1 Peter 2:21).
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
1 Peter 2:21
Jesus didn’t just suffer, He suffered for you and me. Because of our sin (our rebellion against God), we stood condemned before a holy and righteous God. But God who is rich in mercy sent His Son, Jesus, to live the perfect life for us, only to be pierced for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities that we may be healed! (Isaiah 53:5). Now, this resurrected Jesus beckons everyone to come to Him not just for mercy for their sins, but mercy for their life (Hebrews 4:16). This means when suffering comes, we aren’t alone. We have a God who will be right there with us as we experience our pain. A God who knows what we are going through and will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
So how can we suffer well? We must first know that suffering isn’t the end. Nothing, not even the greatest pain in the world, can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). That each suffering moment you go through is testing your faith to produce in you a steadfastness that will result in you being made perfect and lacking nothing (James 1:2-5). That even when you suffer because of your sin, God’s hand is not too harsh to destroy you but to discipline you, thus reminding you of your sonship (Hebrews 12:7). The scriptures remind us that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God will deliver us out of them all (Psalm 34:19). And when you pray, and the suffering just doesn’t seem to end; know you have a good Father who won’t delay long in giving you justice (Luke 18:7). Finally, whilst you wait, know you have a God who promises to comfort you through all your afflictions (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) and when God sees you through, you’ll be able to point people away from their idols and to the One who can truly give comfort through all suffering.
On this week’s episode of #Onthetable, we bring to the table, friendships. God did not create us to do life alone, He put us in community, so what does the Bible say about friendships how then should we navigate our friendship circles?
Guests: George Obolo, Luke Oldfield, Susanna Clapcott, Ife Onamusi
Join the discussion online using the hashtag #onthetable
Thanksgiving is an important part of our lives as Christians. No matter what we may face, the word of God entreats us to give thanks. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
2020 has been difficult. With the epidemic, we have experienced many losses, globally, and it is understandable to have a bleak outlook on the idea of thanksgiving. However, if you are reading this today, then you have a reason to be thankful because, thankfully, you are alive.
Despite this traumatic year, I guarantee we can find one reason to be thankful. For one, the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8). We can be thankful for the fellowship we have with the Son and in turn with fellow believers. We are chosen, welcome into a whole new family, adopted by God (Ephesians 1:4-5), a royal carpet is rolled out for us as a royal priesthood in the Kingdom (1 Peter 2:9). And if that was not enough, when all is said and done in this life, we have eternity waiting with the King of Kings, who will come back on a white horse (Revelation 19:11). This may sound like a great story or fairytale, but this is the truest story ever, still being written. It is the story of our salvation.
A loving God, a fallen world and the price of a life on a cross to cover the sins of all mankind (Titus 2:11). A saviour to redeem us from our sinful lives and save us from death (Titus 2:14). The greatest gift we will ever receive that we did not deserve and could not work to gain.
But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us
Romans 5:8
Because of the price paid on the cross by Jesus’ death, we can come into a relationship with God. Our sins are forgiven, and we have eternal life. That is a reason to be thankful. To be thankful for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, thankful that we know of His saving grace, thankful that we are able to know and receive the love God has for us.
There is no isolation, quarantine or lockdown that can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). No matter how far we may have felt from Him this year, He is always here. When the Samaritan women felt cast out by all of society, one person accepted her. When she was most isolated, Jesus found her and welcomed her (Luke 4). In the midst of our trials and darkest days, God can always be found, working something for our good (Romans 8:28). For this, we can be thankful.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever
Psalm 136:1
Psalm 136 is a beautiful chapter in the bible that reminds us to be thankful to God in all instances for His mercy and loving-kindness. Here are times in life where we can be thankful:
These are only a few of the 10,000 reasons we can find to be thankful (Psalm 103). We must always remind ourselves that God is good. His love is unconditional. He is forever faithful, and His mercies still endure forever.
The story is told in Luke 17:11-19 of ten lepers who were cleansed by Jesus. The only issue was that when they were cleansed, only 1 out of the 10 returned to give thanks. Jesus asked, “So where are the other nine? Weren’t there ten who were healed? They all refused to return to give thanks and give glory to God except you, a foreigner from Samaria?”. The outsider was the only one that was thankful.
Let us not be like the rest of the nine lepers. We must remember to give thanks to God this year, not only when we are blessed but in the face of our trials. The rocks cannot cry out on our behalf (Luke 19:40).
Words of thanksgiving and cursing pour out from the same mouth. My friends, this should not happen!
James 3:10
Being constantly thankful is not easy. It is a sacrifice. To look not at our situation but at God, to say no to self-pity and yes to hope. As followers of Christ, we are to overflow with thanksgiving. “Therefore, as [we] have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live [our] lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in faith as [we] were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7).
We might not have our usual extensive highlight reel to display at the end of the year, but we have a moment now to appreciate and be thankful we are still here. If you count the number of times the word thankful is used in this article, it is 25; as many days that are left in the year (when this is published). The emphasis is to provide an incentive to be thankful every day for the rest of 2020.
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We are a charity fully funded by grants and donations, meaning we rely on the generosity of you and everyone who comes across our charity. We typically try and raise money at various times of the year, but we believe there’s a more efficient way of raising funds that can make the work we do sustainable and also make it easier to partner with us in a more manageable way.
Consequently, we are launching “Project 1000”. This is a campaign where we are aiming to get 1000 people to donate at least £2 per month. To some people, this may seem like nothing but this helps us with our mission of sharing the gospel and teaching others to share the gospel. Your £2 can aid us with sharing more articles, train more missionaries, host retreats and facilitate thought provoking events.
Partner with us on this journey of taking the gospel further and be blessed as you do so.
We all know an armchair pundit. Those who continuously yell at the TV when their favourite football team is playing, calling every play and foul, have all the knowledge in the world about football itself but have little to no experience in actually playing the sport. I think in a similar way, a lot of us are armchair Christians. Who, from the comfort of the sidelines, judge every play, call out every false teaching, debate relentlessly online, critique every sermon but when it comes to getting involved in the game, they care little about ministry, discipleship, missions, the Church and delighting in the Gospel. I think that a lot of us (myself included), have fallen in love with defending, discussing and debating the truth of the Gospel as opposed to cherishing, magnifying and sharing the truth of the Gospel. The Bible has a word for people like this, Pharisees.
I recently just got back from my very first mission trip with Our God Given Mission. Whilst abroad we spent some time with some missionaries and served at the local church as well as some Christian aid agencies. As I spent some time with them, I was blown away by the sheer zeal and passion they had to share the Gospel. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. Here was a set of people, who for the rest of their life, were committed to leaving the comforts and luxuries of their own home, to move overseas to preach the Gospel to folk who were in desperate need of it. This was a group of people who cared very little about debating doctrinal issues online but instead were so deeply impassioned by the Gospel and their duty to share it as far wide as they could. What this trip made quite clear to me was that I think for a lot of us, if we’re being honest with ourselves simply love to just ‘talk’ about God. We love it. Every bible study, IG live and podcast is filled with people who have all these amazing ‘revelations’, discussions and debates about God. However, what I find more often than not, is that it’s all just talk, just Interesting empty conversations. Discussions but no discipleship. Here is what Jude had to say on the matter:
“They are like clouds blowing over dry land without giving rain, promising much but producing nothing. They are like trees without fruit at harvest time.” (Jude 1:12-13, NLT)
‘Promising much but offering nothing’, I think about this verse often, It really typifies our generation. We have access to information now more than ever, we have books, sermons, resources available at our fingertips. Long gone are the days where Christians would have to travel for weeks on horseback to even have access to the Bible. You would think that this increase in our ability to study the scriptures would lead to more Christians sold out to live a radical life. What I see instead, is more believers simply growing ‘fat’ in our knowledge. I find that much of Christianity in our culture has become more centred on discussing and debating truth as opposed to demonstrating truth. Don’t get me wrong, defending the gospel is a noble pursuit, Jude 1:3 calls us to guard the Gospel, Galatians 1:8 and 2 Timothy instruct us to guard the gospel and uphold it even when others deny it. However, as is all too often the case, we have to be wary that in our efforts to defend the faith, we do not become more invested in debating the gospel at the expense of delighting and living in the freedom it provides. Maybe you’re like me, where you enjoy dissecting, investigating and getting things right. When I became a Christian, theology allowed me to scratch that itch, immediately I fell in love with studying the Bible. One thing I’ve realised is that in my attempts to ‘get it right’ when it comes to matters of theology, I had created an idol. I had become far more concerned with knowing things about God as opposed to knowing God and making him known. As Christians, we must defend and guard the truth, trust me I know. However, we guard the truth because we cherish it. We must not cherish guarding the truth above cherishing the truth itself.
We often treat our faith like our favourite football team, where we sit on the sidelines, we wear the jerseys, we cheer them on and argue with the opposing fans. We do the same with Christianity. We support our local church and denomination, wear Sunday clothes, we love discussing the Word and debating with those we disagree with, all the while remaining on the sidelines. Christianity is not a spectator sport. Now, I’m not saying you need to move to a jungle in Peru to be a missionary. That may be what God calls you to do. But what I am saying is that our allegiance to Christ doesn’t just affect how we think, but should change every aspect of our life. Faith isn’t just a theological exercise, we aren’t meant to simply think Christian things and have Christian conversations. Instead, we are called to turn what we believe into action.
The Church in the book of acts were not remarkable for their eloquent speech but rather their radical lives. These weren’t ‘special’ Christians, they were simply, Christians. As Burk Parsons would say, ‘The ordinary Christian life is a radical life. The ordinary Christian is not a complacent, passionless, nominal, or casual Christian, every Christian is radical because every Christian is united to Christ by faith and will bear radical, life-giving fruit.” This is the life we are called to live. The Christian experience isn’t just about going to church on Sunday, attending Bible studies, tweeting scriptures and going to worship nights. If that’s all we have to show for our faith then I think we have grossly missed the mark. The vibrant Christian lives we all want means leaving behind the comfort of your couch and laying your life down for real people and real causes.
“It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that he didn’t call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace.” ~Francis Chan
So you might be most learned in the scriptures, the wisest of teachers, the greatest of counsellors, but if your faith stops at your head and doesn’t reach your heart, making you more missional, more willing to lay down your life for the sake of others, more willing to meet the needs of your community, you are not a follower of Christ, you are a spectator of Christ.
