Settling for a ‘lower calling?’

So today, we have countless Christians who believe they are going to heaven and little else really matters. This attitude can only be described as brazen, if not defiant. And leadership allows it. But each and every Christian is called to have the same attitude as Christ (Phil. 2:5). And He is still our model. As Peter declared, Jesus left “an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21). Paul certainly so followed and proclaimed himself as the example of the Christian life, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). And what example was Paul emulating? He recaps his ministry at the end of his life this way:

Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit (Rom. 15:17-19a).

Likewise, there is no reason for us today to be confused about or misunderstand the nature of his kingdom. Again, it is a much higher high calling than most of us have been led to believe (Phil. 3:14; 2 Thess. 1:11; Heb. 3:1; 2 Pet. 1:10-11). And we all have become too comfortable and conditioned to a much “lower calling.” But if we are sincerely seeking to be Christ-like, shouldn’t we be seeking opportunities to minister to others as Jesus and the 1st-century Church did and advance his kingdom in the process?

The kingdom of God as presented, modeled, and conferred by Jesus Christ demanded and still demands a serious response. It also requires action, action not only in the form of preaching and teaching but also with living demonstrations of its presence and power. The kingdom is our faith in action. It is a demonstration of whose we are, Whom we serve, and the oneness that binds us together with Jesus, Paul, and the early Church. Of course, there is a natural resistance to this in all of us. But this form of the Christian life was modeled for us for good reason. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, pinpoints this reason:

Brothers loved by God, we know that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord [their role models]; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith has become known everywhere . . . . (1 Thess. 1:4-8 – emphasis added, also see Titus 2:7).

So, what kind of models are we Christians being today? Have we not been called to serve the same King and kingdom in our lives as did Paul and these Thessalonians? Are we not to become “imitators” of them and their ministry practice? Or does this passage only speak to their time? In other words, is the kingdom they preached and presented still present, relevant, and same-natured today? Or, is it not? Remember, and as we saw in Topic #3, there is no other kingdom or form thereof yet-to-come.

In sum, Jesus set the example for all that claim to be his. Our task is to take up the cross, follow Him, and carry on his work (Matt. 16:24)—and “boldly and without hindrance” proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 28:31).

Source:

1A Once-Mighty Faith (future book – est. 2014-2015) by John Noe