I was baptised when I was about fifteen. It was my public declaration that I am dead to sin but alive to God in Christ. I was baptised at Bethels Beach by my Dad and my youth pastor at the time Jonny Rankin. Earlier this year I was chilling at the beach, it was a summers day, although with the freezing cold wind it really didn't feel like summer. The waves were crashing giant and ferociously and the ocean looked chaotic right out to the horizon. I stood in awe of God. I didn't even have to say anything out loud or consciously to God, it was worship just standing there looking into creation. I was lead back to think of my baptism and what that meant. It drew me into the parts of my life which were still not integrated into my faith. This ended with me praying that God would "baptise my wallet".
A good friend of mine Dave Wells talked to me on a few occasions about being defined by Christ. It is a phrase that has stuck with me and is something that I have really wrestled with. In saying that you are defined by Christ, or that you are pursuing a life defined by Christ you are saying in everything I do I want to, like the moon reflects the suns light, reflect Jesus. I love the term defined by Christ because it talks of the Gospel set out before us, it is the taking off of the old self and the putting on of the new self. Dying and rising a new being. Being a citizen of Heaven here; now. It is a transformation inside out and downside up into the way things God intended them to be.
A good friend of mine Dave Wells talked to me on a few occasions about being defined by Christ. It is a phrase that has stuck with me and is something that I have really wrestled with. In saying that you are defined by Christ, or that you are pursuing a life defined by Christ you are saying in everything I do I want to, like the moon reflects the suns light, reflect Jesus. I love the term defined by Christ because it talks of the Gospel set out before us, it is the taking off of the old self and the putting on of the new self. Dying and rising a new being. Being a citizen of Heaven here; now. It is a transformation inside out and downside up into the way things God intended them to be.
We live in a crazy world and the last few hundred, heck, the last fifty years has seen things quickly globalised. We now live in a global web of trade, technology ideas - and ultimately - people. All that we do and all that we buy has a global impact. People talk about how polluted China is but often forget that China produces the majority of goods we consume here in New Zealand and around the world. Something that follows on from this is that we live in a disposable society. The model we follow could be simply summed up into produce, consume, dispose, repeat. As a result of China being the work-horse of the consumer world the environment is being heavily polluted which is having such detrimental effect on the people of China and the global climate - and that is just the beginning of the problems for the people that make up our consumer work-horse. It is not hyperbole to say that people suffer world-wide to produce the goods we consume.
I am going to lay it down straight: I believe our consumer model and profit driven economic system are non-synonymous with a faith in Jesus Christ. My hope and prayer is that Christians more and more would look at the day to day things in their life, like the bananas they buy and how they dispose of its skin; or the chocolate they get and whether it was produced in a known child slave labor zone; or about all of the clothing they own whether it was made under harsh conditions and that they would work hard towards making sure how and where they spend their money is influenced by their faith. Spending money is like casting a vote - and often we vote for things that inflict Hell on others - we must look for more just and loving options.
The littlest things make the difference and it is in the mustard seed we find Jesus' Kingdom. It is crazy to think of the mustard seed size changes we can make in our lives, like composting food scraps so they degrade aerobically opposed to anaerobically which on mass scales cause environmental injustice - and I don't talk about the environment in an 'airy-fairy' way - it is a care of mine because environmental issues induce poverty and effect people. People are my concern, in everything I do, I want a love for my neighbor to be shown.
Now, I am in no way advocating an alternate, works driven salvation or way into Gods Kingdom, in fact, I am advocating the opposite. We must let the person of Jesus and his Holy Word sink into every part of who we are. We can't view parts of our days and weeks as "spiritual" such as prayer or a church service and separate the rest as something different. Yes, we may set apart those times in our week - but the reality is that we aren't called to set aside parts of our life or parts of our time for God - we holistically are called to be set apart. Jesus said that all the commandments could be summed up into loving God and loving people; this needs to get into our nerve endings and become integrated into everything that we do.
So, back to where I started: I don't want Jesus to be a priority; I want him to consume all that I am. I don't want my faith to be a fragment in my life; I want my entire life, all that I am, integrated into my faith. I want to live a life defined by Christ and compelled by love of God and people.
I am going to lay it down straight: I believe our consumer model and profit driven economic system are non-synonymous with a faith in Jesus Christ. My hope and prayer is that Christians more and more would look at the day to day things in their life, like the bananas they buy and how they dispose of its skin; or the chocolate they get and whether it was produced in a known child slave labor zone; or about all of the clothing they own whether it was made under harsh conditions and that they would work hard towards making sure how and where they spend their money is influenced by their faith. Spending money is like casting a vote - and often we vote for things that inflict Hell on others - we must look for more just and loving options.
The littlest things make the difference and it is in the mustard seed we find Jesus' Kingdom. It is crazy to think of the mustard seed size changes we can make in our lives, like composting food scraps so they degrade aerobically opposed to anaerobically which on mass scales cause environmental injustice - and I don't talk about the environment in an 'airy-fairy' way - it is a care of mine because environmental issues induce poverty and effect people. People are my concern, in everything I do, I want a love for my neighbor to be shown.
Now, I am in no way advocating an alternate, works driven salvation or way into Gods Kingdom, in fact, I am advocating the opposite. We must let the person of Jesus and his Holy Word sink into every part of who we are. We can't view parts of our days and weeks as "spiritual" such as prayer or a church service and separate the rest as something different. Yes, we may set apart those times in our week - but the reality is that we aren't called to set aside parts of our life or parts of our time for God - we holistically are called to be set apart. Jesus said that all the commandments could be summed up into loving God and loving people; this needs to get into our nerve endings and become integrated into everything that we do.
So, back to where I started: I don't want Jesus to be a priority; I want him to consume all that I am. I don't want my faith to be a fragment in my life; I want my entire life, all that I am, integrated into my faith. I want to live a life defined by Christ and compelled by love of God and people.
Father,
Your Kingdom come, your will be done
on Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Your Kingdom come, your will be done
on Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Good! Being saved and being a Christian are very different things. To be a Christian is to be a 'little Christ'. To reflect Him. Living in a way that promotes justice at all levels which is compelled by love is the way of the true Revolutionary in who i wish to imitate.
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