Conundrum
Here are some thoughts I wrote on a sheet of notebook paper as I puzzled over the Christian walk at the VW dealer yesterday:
The OT seems to speak of the Christian lifestyle as though it were a very natural form of existence with a supernatural belief that shapes how you live that life. Esther, David and Daniel are just a few examples of individuals who seemingly went "through the system", and with an astounding degree of success.
I seem to find the NT chronicling a more specialized existence exhibited by those "born of the Spirit". It's tempting to say that all Christians of this day and age are called to live an unconventional existence outside of society's boundaries, as Jesus and His disciples lived. But is that how Jesus lived? Wasn't He a carpenter's apprentice for most of His life?
Regardless of how Jesus spent His early years, during the final years of His ministry He continually called people out of their traditional lifestyles and they became nomads like Himself, traveling and spreading the Word. Was that calling specific to God's purpose in their time or are we too being called to live in this way?
Some times I guilt trip myself because I don't think I'm doing enough for Christ. How often is that the case and how often is Satan just trying to discourage me from using my present circumstances as a ministry? I believe that in all cases your present surroundings are your "mission field" but I also believe that God has numerous ways of calling us out of our present surroundings to serve Him elsewhere. I also have witnessed that a changed environment can lead to a great spurt of growth whereas staying in one place could leave you stagnant; however a balance needs to be found between traveling and settling down.
But wait, didn't Jesus travel nearly non-stop during his three years of ministry? Wasn't Paul doing just the same? "And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come." Matthew 24:14 Do Jesus' words literally mean what they appear to imply? If we travel into the world spreading the gospel until the whole world has heard it, then the end will come? If that's so, then what are we doing living our little redundant lives in America? Are we responsible for the delay in Christ's coming? Why aren't we out there doing something about this?!?
A great majority of us Christian American young people are financially capable of purchasing a plane ticket and going out there to do something. There are numerous organizations involved in overseas mission work, and AFM specifically sends their volunteers to places with no Christian dominance -- only a foothold nearby that can expand into "unreached" lands. I find it hard to believe that there still exist such areas, nations where people have literally never heard the gospel message.
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So is this a proper interpretation? These thoughts trouble me a bit. I'm living a comfortable life in America, advancing in the study of Mathematics, wanting to teach others so that we can maintain the Christian population here with good role models and a nice happy system to be a part of, so others can be blessed just as I was blessed by this system. But what is the meaning of all of this? Can we really speed Christ's return? Should all of us be involved in the Great Commission, going into all the world? I imagine some must stay by and keep things going strong here, right?
I'm puzzled. Was I meant to live an OT lifestyle or a NT one?
The OT seems to speak of the Christian lifestyle as though it were a very natural form of existence with a supernatural belief that shapes how you live that life. Esther, David and Daniel are just a few examples of individuals who seemingly went "through the system", and with an astounding degree of success.
I seem to find the NT chronicling a more specialized existence exhibited by those "born of the Spirit". It's tempting to say that all Christians of this day and age are called to live an unconventional existence outside of society's boundaries, as Jesus and His disciples lived. But is that how Jesus lived? Wasn't He a carpenter's apprentice for most of His life?
Regardless of how Jesus spent His early years, during the final years of His ministry He continually called people out of their traditional lifestyles and they became nomads like Himself, traveling and spreading the Word. Was that calling specific to God's purpose in their time or are we too being called to live in this way?
Some times I guilt trip myself because I don't think I'm doing enough for Christ. How often is that the case and how often is Satan just trying to discourage me from using my present circumstances as a ministry? I believe that in all cases your present surroundings are your "mission field" but I also believe that God has numerous ways of calling us out of our present surroundings to serve Him elsewhere. I also have witnessed that a changed environment can lead to a great spurt of growth whereas staying in one place could leave you stagnant; however a balance needs to be found between traveling and settling down.
But wait, didn't Jesus travel nearly non-stop during his three years of ministry? Wasn't Paul doing just the same? "And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come." Matthew 24:14 Do Jesus' words literally mean what they appear to imply? If we travel into the world spreading the gospel until the whole world has heard it, then the end will come? If that's so, then what are we doing living our little redundant lives in America? Are we responsible for the delay in Christ's coming? Why aren't we out there doing something about this?!?
A great majority of us Christian American young people are financially capable of purchasing a plane ticket and going out there to do something. There are numerous organizations involved in overseas mission work, and AFM specifically sends their volunteers to places with no Christian dominance -- only a foothold nearby that can expand into "unreached" lands. I find it hard to believe that there still exist such areas, nations where people have literally never heard the gospel message.
---------------------
So is this a proper interpretation? These thoughts trouble me a bit. I'm living a comfortable life in America, advancing in the study of Mathematics, wanting to teach others so that we can maintain the Christian population here with good role models and a nice happy system to be a part of, so others can be blessed just as I was blessed by this system. But what is the meaning of all of this? Can we really speed Christ's return? Should all of us be involved in the Great Commission, going into all the world? I imagine some must stay by and keep things going strong here, right?
I'm puzzled. Was I meant to live an OT lifestyle or a NT one?