The article and the video are a good counter and cure for bad theologies that are being spread through the Church these days--theologies that say if do not do something "radical" or "missional" for God, then what we do is not honoring to God; is not good enough. Nothing could be further from the truth. The vast majority of God's people are called to glorify Him through ordinary, mundane, faithful lives, and this pleases God far more than chasing a new, radical legalism. One quick example: read the book of Ephesians through in one sitting some time, and I think you will notice this. The first three chapters are an incredible, God-exalting exposition of the supremacy of Christ, the glories of God's eternal plan of redemption, and how Jesus came into this world to redeem a people for Himself. It is an amazing and glorious exposition of God's grace that is difficult to rival, even in the rest of inspired Scripture. After that, in chs. 4-6, Paul tells us how to respond as God's redeemed people. After telling us of the incredible, radical grace of God, if Paul were a modern preacher, he might have told us that this means we all need to give all our money away, become missionaries, go to seminary, or do something like that.
But, no. What does Paul say under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? What does he tell us to do after giving an imcomparable exposition of God's amazing grace? He tells us to live with one another in patience (4:2), to grow in Christ (4:13-22), to work hard (4:28), to watch our speech (4:29-5:4), to be kind to each other (4:28), to be sexually pure (5:3-7), to walk in light (5:7-17), not to get drunk (5:18), to give thanks together (5:20), to worship together (5:19), to model our marriages after Christ and the Church (5:22ff), to love our children (6:4), children to obey their parents (6:1-3), employees to work hard for their employers (6:5-9), and to fight against the attacks of the devil (6:10-20). Huh... that sounds like an ordinary Christian life to me.
It sounds like living the Christian life for the glory of God in whatever He has called us to do in this world, and it sounds like whatever that is, we can glorify God in it by striving to be Christlike at home, at work, and at church. It sounds like what Paul says to Timothy later on in 1 Ti. 2, where he tells Timothy to pray for leaders and government, and the result of that prayer is that Christians might "lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." That is not really "radical" or "missional" according to these new theologies being taught today. In fact, it is quite ordinary, but it is God-glorifying and what God calls us to as His people in this world.
For some more resources on living a God-glorifying life in whatever vocation/work He has called you to do without creating a new legalism, I would recommend these books:
- Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will by Kevin DeYoung and Joshua Harris
- The God Of The Mundane: Reflections on Ordinary Life for Ordinary People by Matt Redmond
- Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless World by Michael Horton
By His Grace,
Taylor
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