Christianly Thinking – Where Do We Begin?

In last week’s article , we suggested that Christians in all walks of life and professions should begin thinking more like Christians. As Harry Blamires put it in 1963, “There is no longer a Christian mind.”

For decades, if not centuries, the church has focused its teaching on behavior, values, and belief – to the neglect of worldview. Tragically, the church has given responsibility for training Christians in the way we should think over to the secular humanists. It is perhaps the single most destructive decision the church has made in its modern history. ?

Last week’s article also explained that repentance (metanoia) literally means, “a change of mind (Blue Letter Bible; Outline of Biblical Usage),” and the renewal of the mind referred to in Romans 12:2 is the continuance, or the ongoing process, of repentance.

And?do not be conformed to this world, but?be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may?prove what?is?that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

Our transformation away from conformity with the world, and our knowing and experiencing the perfect will of God, begins and continues with repentance.?

This week, we are going to introduce two starting points for our journey toward more Christianly thinking; but before we do, we need to lay out a few admissions and assumptions.

1.?????Admission – This article and the ones which follow are being presented “in progress.” While I have a general framework in mind, the research and revelation will come over the life of the series. We will be discovering together.

2.?????Assumption – The starting point for every kingdom endeavor is prayer. Changing the way one thinks about prayer must be the first repentance. If you need help there, check out God’s Way for Intimacy with His Children . The point cannot be emphasized enough: Without a strong, relational prayer life, progress in the kingdom is impossible.

3.?????Admission – I am cynical about the prospects of the organized church. Please don’t let my perspective distract you from exploring the truths of God for this critical time. Our paradigms do not have to be wrong for them to be inadequate for the future.

4.?????Assumption – As bad as things may look for the Western church, the Lamb’s wife is making herself ready, and she will be perfectly fit for her Bridegroom (Revelation 19:6-8).

5.?????Assumption – The 2020s will be the most chaotic decade any of us have and will ever face. This is God’s will and purpose for His people. He works all things to our good.

A Contextual View

The first place to start our journey is with a contextual understanding of our current position in light of God’s purpose and the patterns He has given us in Scripture. Simply stated, we are in a “Kairos moment.”

Kairos is an ancient Greek word that means?the right or opportune moment or the appointed time in the purpose of God (merriam-webster.com).?Kairos moments are not measured by minutes or hours but by what is happening (Walker, 2020).?Kairos moments are special moments of opportunity that God can use to tear us away from the world and transfer our allegiance from the kingdom of the world to another one (Greear, 2012).

The Kairos moment God has allowed/created for us can be understood through reflection on one of the earliest moments in the Exodus story. In Exodus 14, we find God’s pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. Think about that for a minute: The visible presence of God accompanied His people from the very beginning of their journey!

But God had more in mind than a quick march into the Promised Land. For His glory, He led the people into what seemed like a trap between the Red Sea and Pharoah’s army (Exodus 14:1-4). The Israelites – those same people who experienced the miracles of God in their deliverance and His presence in their journey – wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt. God did not let them, and the rest is history.

As it was with the Israelites, we Christians do not belong in the Egypt of our day, and many of us have been crying out for deliverance – if only subconsciously – for quite some time now. And though we may be crying out for God to fix Egypt, His intention is to take us out of her to a promised place.

SIDE NOTE: An important question for consideration (and perhaps another article) is, “What is your Egypt?”

Our Promised Land is the kingdom of God, and that is not some sweet-by-and-by, streets of gold place. Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2, 4:17, and 10:7).” And who wouldn’t want to make their way to the “Promised Land”? Well, apparently the Israelites… and many of us.

Like the Israelites, many of us would prefer the slavery of Egypt over the unknown. Hopefully, God will not have it and force the hesitant to proceed. The world, and the worldly church, are not our home.

And so here we are, at the threshold of something new and mysterious, forced to trust God to bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5). Knowing the Exodus pattern, we can surmise this is the first of several decisive moments. It might actually be the most difficult, for the following reasons:

1.?????Egypt and the life we had there are still close, both geographically and emotionally. We may be grieving the house and friends we have left behind.

2.?????Embracing the unknown is not everyone’s cup of tea. Our cautious nature desires the plan and its contingencies before heading out. Strange as it sounds, trusting the God of cloud and fire is easier said than done.

3.?????The reality of the moment begs a number of serious questions:

a.?????Who are these people I am going with, really?

b.?????Who are these people leading us?

c.?????Where are we going?

d.?????How do we get there?

e.?????What should I leave behind?

f.??????What should I be sure to take with me?

All these questions will be answered along the way, even the last two. God will not allow them to be used for reasoning out a decision. The journey has already begun and God will accept nothing but faithful obedience. This leaves us feeling exposed from the start, and that is why we dare not go alone.

In Community

Our second starting point for the journey toward Christianly thinking is community – not trying to find it, but actually building deep fellowship with the believers God have given you for the journey. It will help to remember: God is a purposeful orchestrator of our lives, and while He may bring others into your current sphere of influence along the way, now is not the time to go hunting for a comfortable alternative to the crowd you are in. Indeed, church shopping at this point is a going back to Egypt move.

I suspect we will explore community more in later articles. For now, let’s draw some encouragement from the vision of the church Jesus is building. Luke described them this way:

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added?to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and?many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Acts 2:41-43

Like the Israelites, the early church lived in close community with one another. Indeed, they were responded to Jesus’ prayer for unity (John 17:21-23), and the Father showed up!

Christianly thinking recognizes the importance of community over individuality. Yes, each one of us has been created in the image of God; but we will not find our fulfillment outside the fellowship of believers. Yes, community challenges our securities, requiring us to be vulnerable with others. It requires sacrifice.

The repentance (i.e., change of mind) we need for community involves three things:

1.?????Recognizing the importance of our unity to Jesus and His gospel,

2.?????Acknowledging our fears and discomfort, and

3.?????Accepting the Father’s grace to get on with it. ???

God bless you with the counsel and encouragement of the Spirit for the journey.

Have a strong day in the Lord,

Rob

#iamjustthepen

Greear, J.D. (2012). 5 Crucial Truths for Following God in “Kairos” Moments. J.D. Greear Ministries: https://jdgreear.com/5-crucial-truths-for-following-god-in-kairos-moments/ .

Walker, C. (2020). How a Kairos Moment Changes the World. PRMI: https://www.prmi.org/how-a-kairos-moment-changes-the-world/ .