Integrating Faith

My roommate has gotten laid off this last year. Twice. He worked a total of about 2 months. During the rest of time he sought God. God told him to wait and be patient. So, he took on more responsibility at the church (including leading youth group as well as going to Costa Rica), buying a house, buying a truck, and getting engaged. Quite a lot for one who is "waiting". Waiting isn't being passive and doing nothing. Waiting is actively serving, like a waiter in a restaurant. He waited on God, making sure he was pleasing him in everything that he did. While he was praying and waiting, God showed him how compartmentalized his life had been. Work in this corner, church in that corner. What God was trying to show him was how to integrate all areas of his life into one.



I was reminded of this challenge as I read this article today. Though dealing with college students, it is addressing integrating one’s faith into all areas of life; becoming “wholistic”. This is what I am picturing when I speak of an intentional community. Bringing all areas of one’s life under the lordship of Christ.

http://blog.beliefnet.com/jesuscreed/2009/12/missional-campus-ministry-inte.html



I am reminded of a story I heard a few months ago. A teacher was talking with a preacher and asked how he could live out his faith without compromising his job. The preacher responded, “You can’t.” How did we get to the place in this country where we domesticate christianity; try to tame it and make it fit our plans and our expectations? We shouldn’t be worried about losing our jobs; we should be worried about losing our souls! What happened to putting first the Kingdom of God? Do we truly trust that God is looking out for our welfare? If we are truly His, then it isn’t our life anymore. We don’t have a say unless God graciously allows it. We are His, bought with a price. When are we going to realize that that we are citizen of heaven first and foremost before anything else in our lives? Our faith isn’t something we can put on the shelf as we go to work, or go into the voting booth, or go to school. It’s our identity. We are dead to ourselves and alive to Christ.



Thanks for letting me preach a minute there. It just deeply saddens me when I look at the state of the church in this country. We have forgotten what salvation is. Not merely a “get out of hell free card”, but an invitation to join with God in an amazing adventure of restoring His creation to its original glory. That starts now.