I’ve felt very challenged recently to think again about what being a disciple of Jesus should mean for my life. One prompt for this was Johnny Jones’ talk at the Mack “sunday @m” service at the beginning of the month, one in a series looking at what God has to say to different age groups. He was talking about “the middle years” and challenging us not to settle down into a comfortable life that compromises the fiery ambition and commitment we may have had for God in our youth.
Since I’m trying to find a job and work out what to do with my life, this struck a particular chord. I was reminded of something Shane Claiborne said in his book The Irresistible Revolution:
“I know there are people out there who say, ‘My life was such a mess. I was drinking, partying, sleeping around… and then I met Jesus and my whole life came together.’ God bless those people. But me, I had it together. I used to be cool. And then I met Jesus and he wrecked my life. The more I read the gospel, the more it messed me up, turning everything I believed in, valued, and hoped for upside-down. I am still recovering from my conversion.”
I was also challenged recently by rereading some of Mustard Seed versus McWorld. Tom Sine talks about Western Christianity’s accomodation to McWorld, his term for our culture and economic system with its values of personal peace and prosperity accompanied by a drive to globalisation. He says that the Church suffers a crisis of vision:
“…we have unquestioningly embraced modernity’s notion of the good life and better future for ourselves, our children, and out communities of faith and made it our home. This crisis of vision is subverting our ability to provide an authentic witness to God’s new order and is fostering a very culturally accomodated view of discipleship.”
He goes on to describe some of the consequences of this:
“The Western Church, in its many different expressions, seems quietly to accept the demands of modern culture on its members as a given. These members then content themselves with whatever is left over to share with the Church. Virtually all the Christian books I have seen on discipleship or for that matter on finances, time management and career planning also tend to accept the demands of modern culture as an unquestioned given. We then simply try to work out our discipleship over the top as it it all goes together – which of course it doesn’t.”
One of the problems that often blights the Western Church is dualistic discipleship. Christ’s Lordship is reduced to a personal ethic, a right attitude where we might work with added diligence and honesty, rather than transforming not only the “why” and “how” of what we do, but also the “what”.
I feel that I need to be a lot more radical and creative in my thinking about how to serve God with my life, and I’d suggest that this is the case with the Church generally. We need to be reminded that Jesus’ call to discipleship is a call away from the cosy middle-class aspirations we so easily settle for. Seeking to make the kingdom of God a reality in our lives and in the world around us might require not only a change of attitude in what we do already, but doing something very different with our lives than what we may have settled for.
I feel that in my job hunt recently, I’ve fallen into seeking a career rather than a calling, looking to settle down with a comfortable job with decent prospects rather than pursue God’s kingdom purposes. A good job and career aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive with following God, of course, but my duty and privilege as a disciple of Jesus is to “seek first the kingdom of God”. In any case, I need to repent, to change my thinking, my desires and my actions, and I would appreciate your prayers that by God’s grace I will do so.