By Pastor Dan
“I don’t want you to ask yourself, ‘how important is Jesus in my life?’ I want you to say ‘by the process that you do every day, by how you live your life, what does that say about how important Jesus is in your life?’
Talk is cheap. We know that. Think about your intention. Think about the way you shape your days. Think about the way you shape your weeks. What commentary is that on the place of Jesus in my life?”
Date: 31/03/19
Sermon Title: Intentional Christianity: Life as a Flourishing Process
Text: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Pastor Dan’s Thoughts:
This past Sunday, Pastor Jon, brought the Word from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and spoke to us about living an “Intentional Christianity.” You can listen to the message HERE. I encourage you to do so!
Pastor Jon was quick to point out that the terminology “Intentional Christianity” in itself, presupposes that you can have a Christianity that lacks intentionality, and just seems to happen. This is an important starting point because in our western context, it’s easy to simply ‘fly by the seat of our pants’ (as the saying goes) when it comes to our Christian faith.
Even a brief survey of historical Christianity can reveal that times of relative ‘ease’ tend toward a lackadaisical Faith, whereas times of persecution tend to sharpen and refine. The higher stakes seem to lead to more truly counting the cost of discipleship (Luke 9:23; 14:25-34; Matthew 16:24-26; etc). In our context, Christianity can become limited to a Sunday morning meeting where we show-up at a building as relative-speaking, culturally-conditioned-consumers, expecting to be served and given what we need whilst simultaneously anticipating little-to-no-need for offering anything in return. And all this before exiting with a smidgeon more than the intention of doing-it-all-again next week.
The idea of “Intentional Christianity” can seem quite a chore and more than bargained for, when it comes to literally putting their hand-up to follow Jesus. Sure, Jesus said we need to deny everything to follow Him, including ourselves. Sure, He said that following Him is about carrying our cross daily, counting the cost – so forth and so on (See the Scripture references mentioned above).
But, really?!
In our text, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, we see this entreaty from the Apostle Paul to those at the church in Corinth for them to “run the race to win.” We’re all in the race, we’re all living. However, it’s not enough to merely run. There’s an appropriate manner in which to run a race. There’s a focus; a determination. This requires discipline. It requires self-control. This will undoubtedly mean sacrifice in order to run hard and complete!
This is contrasted with “running aimlessly” and “beating the air.”
These activities are mentioned as the opposite to a disciplined and focused running intention. This is important to note! Why? Well, we most commonly think that the opposite of discipline is laziness and inactivity. However, that’s not necessarily the case. The ill-disciplined person can be doing lots of things! Their lives can be full of activity, but it’s wasted activity! It’s “running aimlessly.” It’s “shadow-boxing”! Again, it’s not just about running for running’s sake, it’s running with an aim; with focus and determination – and doing so to win the prize.
This is important!
Paul highlights how athlete’s invest themselves determinedly and completely to stand on the winner’s podium, with all their effort for an perishable wreath. It’s for a fleeting moment of ‘glory’. However, if we’re in Christ, and we live for Him and His mission each day, we expend ourselves for His purposes in our lives and in this world – investing our lives for an imperishable wreath. We do this for something that can not, and will never, be taken away.
Whenever a person is chasing a perishable wreath, they wholly give themselves to this goal. There are consequences for their entire life!
This will require sacrificing things. Perhaps time with loved-ones or friends, foods they enjoy, sleep, bodily-functions at a later life-stage from injuries gained in the moment, and so much more. If we make a choice to devote ourselves to a certain goal, this has astronomical impact on every other area of our lives. It limits or restricts us into all other areas. The consequences mean we won’t be able to do every other thing that we might like.
Them’s-the-breaks!
So, if a person can devote themselves wholeheartedly and entirely to an earthly arena for a perishable wreath, how much more should we devote ourselves wholeheartedly and entirely to our Lord, and His mission for us? This isn’t to say we shouldn’t seek to excel in all that we do for the glory of God, whether in the workplace or otherwise, however, if our drive for excellence isn’t ultimately for the Lord’s ends, for the goal of His mission, then we may just be chasing an perishable wreath.
God wants the way we live each day to reflect the priority He is supposed to have in our lives as believers – after all – we confess Jesus is Lord! This is no inconsequential proclamation!
I want to again quote Pastor Jon, at this point, because I think he asks a very important question which every Christian needs to reflect upon regularly as part of examining ourselves:
“I don’t want you to ask yourself, ‘how important is Jesus in my life?’ I want you to say ‘by the process that you do every day, by how you live your life, what does that say about how important Jesus is in your life?’
Talk is cheap. We know that. Think about your intention. Think about the way you shape your days. Think about the way you shape your weeks. What commentary is that on the place of Jesus in my life?”
To live out the flourishing life of the Gospel, demands we have a process! We need to be intentional. This doesn’t happen by accident. It’s about rejecting those things that get in the way of His mission because His is so much more. We can realise precisely how difficult this is as we grasp our number one idol is very often ourselves.
An intentional process for living out the gospel will have a key reminder that – “It’s not about me. It’s about the mission.” If we’re not living intentionally for the mission – for Christ – then we may be doing all kinds of swell-activity with all of our might for an imperishable wreath. “What God in Christ has done in your life is supposed to radiate and resonate throughout all of your life.” This is the intention with which we walk, and want to walk, by God’s grace at RELOVUTIONARY Church.
This will involve realising it’s not about now doing all of these ‘super spiritual’ activities, but rather doing all that we do, for Christ, but because, of Christ; the Gospel now permeating through the entirety: our decision-making, our activities, our conduct, our disciplines, our sacrifices.
“If you have a process, not only are you feeding what is true, you are weakening what is false, and rejecting what can undo.”
We need to have the aim of living out the reality of the Gospel!
Look at your own life…Do you have a process? Are you running the race with discipline? Are you living an intentional life geared toward fulfilling the mission of Christ?
If not, you need to, and you should want to. You days are flying-by. The sands will quickly fall through the hourglass and you may be left with nothing more than good intentions, which never developed into anything more than sentiment, a “running aimlessly“, or, that “beating the air.”
If you need help in this journey, please do reach out.
We’re here to walk with you.
We invite you to link hands, as we also seek to run the race with discipline; through an intentional Gospel-centred process, day-in and day-out; both individually and corporately, and unto the glory of God!