Happy to be in this world?

For many of us we are living in a time when we do not like what we see happing in our lives or in the world.  Troubles seem to be on every side while answers, hope and joy seem to be fleeting away.  In the past, many would expect the church to be filled with people seeking hope for the future and help for their daily lives, yet this tends not to be happening.  About half of those who call themselves “followers of Jesus” do not attend church, seeking rather to encourage themselves through groups, networks or in family settings.  With half of the body of Christ not showing up for gatherings, it is not difficult to realize why we who continue to meet publically are so much less that we should be.  How could any of us be complete if only half of our bodies worked.  This is not to blame them for the present condition.  I believe they are doing the same thing as those who are attending church are trying to do, stay alive in Christ Jesus.

In the history of the world there have been times of great trouble.  While I do believe we are entering a time of ongoing trouble, the past troubles of the world and in Christianity have been a training for us.  While our pride may continue to boast that “no one has gone this way before” or that “we are a generation dealing with unprecedented change” these may be more grounded in marketing, worldview and vain boasting than in reality.  We in our present day tend to look at little things and call them big while we fail to notice big things, like worldview.  Worldview, mindsets, perspective and our though life are big.  They are bigger than the internet, space travel and space mining, social media, the economy or government.  Our thoughts and emotions working together create in us a space that is a refuge for ourselves and a kingdom for our God.

Here is where I am going with this.  More and more the people of God appear to me to be fighting with outward actions while having less and less transformation of the inner man.  While we are using mass media and blogging more and more, we are using silence, solitude and isolation less and less.  True, I am blogging right now and seeking to use words to challenge or change lifestyles.  But these worlds should flow from a deep place.  That place is not visited by the person or realized by a seeker unless they come aside and spend time investing in the garden of God.  We can sing hours a week about God and all the aspects of intimacy with Him, but when are these words reality?  Is the “love of God” an idea or an emotion to be encountered?

To be “in the world but not of it” requires that we feed from another dimension.  Like light shining upon the earth, we need to “fit into” our world in an entirely different way than “fitting in.”  We bring a conflict with darkness by our very existence and should not be ashamed of the Lord or His gospel.  This is not a promotion of hostility, being rude or hatful but a mindset that is not wounded by rejection, persecution or injustice against self and God.  We ought to know how to love our enemies, speak healing to those who are seeking to kill us and be encouraging to those who are slandering us.  To do this you are gong to need to live a different kind of life.

Here is a starting place.

1. Read old books like the desert fathers and early missionaries.  Do this instead of media.
2. Read about the persecuted church, how they think and believe.  Seek to know how they kept the faith.
3. Spend time alone and deal with your thought life.  For most of us this will require us to deal with our fears, consumerism, lust, greed and ambition.  It is better to deal with these issues head on and not suppress them with busyness, media and social comparisons (I’m as good as ________ ).
4. Fast.  I suggest you fast words, your opinion, your freedoms and your favorite Christian practices.  Don’t use worship songs, prayer, daily devotions, positive testimonies or teaching to bring you any comfort.  Allow your heart to only be encouraged by the Lord Himself.  I know this is beyond what many think possible.  There were 300 plus years when the church had not New Testament, Christian media or even complete teachings.  They needed a personal relationship with God that was sustaining, life giving and directive.  Do we have an internal relationship with God that produces outward action or are we only externally motivated?
5. Spend time alone, all alone without any media, community or teachings.  Stand alone before God and seek to know Him and be encouraged by Him personally.
6. Give your life to the Lord.  This means your time.  If you are His than all your time is His time.  Seek not to self rule time.  Freely give your time to God to wait on Him and push back the needs to be productive, useful, friendly and managing.