Why is it that more Americans, dare I say most in the church today, see Christianity as something we do on Sunday, the way we are at church. We go and then the rest of the week is ours. Within the Reformed churches I see more people interested in doctrine and the gaining of knowledge yet very little is applied. I see those that can talk intelligently about doctrinal terms yet live a life outside the church that would be confused for a lost person. Those in Reformed circles tend to go from conference to conference to hear speakers on this or that, spend hours watching Youtube videos from their favorite pastor but never open their Bible or bend a knee and spend time in prayer.
How many really see that our lives should be as Paul describes in Romans 12:1
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
Why is it that our lives being totally submitted to service to our King is not a main stream idea? I recalling reading Martyn Lloyd Jones and his ideas of actually practicing to take our thoughts captive (i.e. even getting down to controlling our thoughts to prevent even evil in them) and it seems more of a fringe belief than something anyone is doing. I think scripture teaches that everything we do we are to do it in service to our Lord. Everything I do every day should be in service to Him, my life is no longer my own.
I just "found" the Puritans last year and the more I read the more I see that they held these beliefs. Yet the idea of making my entire being revolve around service to Christ seems to be taken as an oddity when I share that idea with proclaiming Christians. Have we become so far from scripture that we can read about out lives not being our own, about being bought for a price and then think we can have the world and our salvation?
So now for my question. Do you see just clergy, those in full time ministry, as the only ones whose entire being revolves around serving Christ? Or, do you think that every one of us, no matter our vocation, have a sole purpose and were created to conform to His image and serve Him with every effort of our being?
How many really see that our lives should be as Paul describes in Romans 12:1
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
Why is it that our lives being totally submitted to service to our King is not a main stream idea? I recalling reading Martyn Lloyd Jones and his ideas of actually practicing to take our thoughts captive (i.e. even getting down to controlling our thoughts to prevent even evil in them) and it seems more of a fringe belief than something anyone is doing. I think scripture teaches that everything we do we are to do it in service to our Lord. Everything I do every day should be in service to Him, my life is no longer my own.
I just "found" the Puritans last year and the more I read the more I see that they held these beliefs. Yet the idea of making my entire being revolve around service to Christ seems to be taken as an oddity when I share that idea with proclaiming Christians. Have we become so far from scripture that we can read about out lives not being our own, about being bought for a price and then think we can have the world and our salvation?
So now for my question. Do you see just clergy, those in full time ministry, as the only ones whose entire being revolves around serving Christ? Or, do you think that every one of us, no matter our vocation, have a sole purpose and were created to conform to His image and serve Him with every effort of our being?