Balancing Christian life

9 February 2008 (John)

For many years of my Christian life I struggled to understand the correct balance between what you might call ‘the radical Christian life’ and, for lack of a better expression, ‘the ordinary Christian life’.

While the example of Jesus, the apostles, the book of acts and many well known saints of history all point towards a radical Christian life, the epistles to the early church seem to contain far more instructions that relate to what I’m calling ‘the ordinary Christian life’.

Many of these are in the vein of:

that you may aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you (I Thes 4:11)

First of all I think it's important to realise that ‘the ordinary Christian life’ should not be too ordinary at all. It may involve living in one place, raising a family, working and taking out the garbage, but it should also remain radically different from the worldly life. Early Christians were remarkable to the society around them. People observed:

• Their love for one another, and others in general
• That they didn’t participate in the Roman sports and amusements (which typically included either aspects of violence or immorality)
• Their generosity in poverty
• That, when tested, they were willing to die for their faith
• Their honesty

So the word ‘ordinary’ should only refer to our lifestyle, not what kind of people we are.

However, there is still a potential dilemma between the two points of view.

The ‘radical’ tend to have a way of thinking that goes something like: Men and woman are dying unsaved every day and going to hell, therefore we must drop everything and be as absolutely committed to the harvest of souls as possible, even if for us this could mean severe loss or death.

The ‘ordinary’ tend to think more in terms of raising godly children, nurturing the church, mentoring other Christians or witnessing to non-believers through their daily lives.

Which of these is the correct point of view?

Well, I believe I am on safe ground in saying that the bible supports both. What’s important to understand that both are necessary. For instance, the ‘ordinary’ often provide the base and support for the ‘radical’. In fact, part of the heart and ministry of the ‘ordinary’ Christian may include a ministry of giving. So it is not a question of which one is right, but a question of which we are personally called into.

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

There are differences of ministries but the same Lord.

…the body is one and has many members…
If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body” is it therefore not of the body?
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?
And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable; on these we bestow greater honour
(Excerpts from I Cor 12)

So how do we know what kind of a Christian life God wants us to lead?

Practically speaking, my suggestion is to make the most of the ordinary Christian life that most of us find ourselves in, but to willing to be called out into the radical IF or WHEN God chooses.

What is of the greatest importance is our willingness to obey God’s leading, whether within an ordinary or a radical context.

But here’s another question. What if we earnestly desire to be totally poured out for the masters use and to enter into the most radical service to God? The answer I believe can be found in II Timothy where it talks about the different kinds of vessels in a fine house; some of which are of Gold, others of wood or pottery. It says:

If a man therefore purges himself from these {evil things}, he shall be a vessel of honour, sanctified, and appropriate for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. (II Tim 2:20-21)

This teaches us that if we want to serve God more fully, or more radically, the correct way is not to ambitiously strive after a ministry, but to purge ourselves of sin. The verse indicates that if we make ourselves the kind of servant God can use, then God will call us into service. And experience suggests to me that often God calls by leading us one step at a time, day by day; not necessarily by giving us a complete vision to follow.

Meanwhile, as we remain in the ordinary, it is important not to miss the radical life that can exist right within that. Many times I have made the mistake of dividing my life between service to God and “things I just have to do which get in the way of that”. Recently I wrote the following in my diary:

“I finally understand, we don’t HAVE a Christian ministry, we ARE a LIVING ministry”

Now here is a simple example from the bible. When Paul was making tents he was doing so in order that he might give his service without requiring the financial support of those whom he was serving. If God gave him this conviction, then he was just as much serving God by making tents as by preaching the gospel. No doubt his love was for preaching the gospel, but in both he was serving God. And I’m fairly sure that while making tents Paul would have shared the gospel with fellow tentmakers. It would no doubt have been too much on his heart to simply put it on the shelf because he was now in “work mode”.

The truth is that everything we do out of obedience to God or love for others is serving God, which means that even in the supposedly ‘ordinary’ Christian life it is possible to serve God every moment of every day, the only limiting factor being the condition of our heart.

However, in that ‘Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’ (Rom 10:17), we need to balance this beautiful fact about the Christian life with conscious desire to share that thing of greatest value, the gospel of Christ and redemption. With the right balance I believe the ordinary Christian life would, if properly lived, quickly cause Christianity to spread through the whole world. On the other hand, I’m not so sure that the radical without the ordinary would survive. Perhaps this is why those members of the body mentioned earlier that seem less honourable may sometimes be due more honour.

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