Every area of your life, not just your church life, should be done in Jesus’ presence. Colossians 3:17 states, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Healthy believers, then, should never say, “It’s just business, nothing personal.” They should always keep their biblically-based truth filter turned “On” in both their public and private lives. The results of the “On” and “Off” positions are seen in two recent Internet articles.
One article noted, “Carter was a big disappointment to the evangelical Christians. He believed he had the duty of upholding the Constitution and the wall of church-state separation. Like Kennedy, he believed his religion was private and not the basis for presidential decisions.”
A second article commented on another public figure. “Why is Tim Tebow such a fascinating and polarizing figure? Not just because he claims to be religious; that claim is commonplace among football stars and ordinary Americans alike. Rather, it’s because his conduct – kind, charitable, chaste, guileless – seems to actually vindicate his claim to be in possession of a life-altering truth.
“Nothing discredits religion quite like the gap that often yawns between what believers profess and how they live. With Tebow, that gap seems so narrow as to be invisible. (“There’s not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow,” ESPN’s Rick Reilly wrote last year of the quarterback’s charitable works, “and I’ve looked everywhere for it.”) He fascinates, in part, because he behaves – at least in public, and at least for now – the way one would expect more Christians to behave if their faith were really true.”
All decisions, whether it’s the President of the US or the street sweeper by your house, are based upon values. How do you tell whether something is right or wrong, but by the values you hold? Therefore, on what source will you choose to base your daily decisions? Will it vary from your public life to your personal life? A healthy believer keeps their filter in the “On” position no matter where they are because they want to stay in Jesus’ presence; resulting in fulfilling their God-given purpose in life.
More Than A Sunday Faith
I was thinking the same thing driving yesterday … Somehow I got on the topic of Enoch. How Enoch walked with GOD and was not for GOD took him. I thought about how he walked before GOD, He lived his life in front of GOD. How from his perspective his whole life was lived in front of GOD. And how that is the main point, That is how we should live our life. And maybe GOD took him because Enoch was complete. We know were not gonna be perfected until we get to heaven, maybe Enoch had learned everything he needed to learn and was complete, so GOD said “come up”.
Or not, sometimes its just a crazy thought… 🙂
Interesting thought, not crazy! Here’s something else to think about. Heb. 11:5 says Enoch pleased God. Jude 14-15 reveals that Enoch was a prophet. Could it be that Enoch had finished the task God had for him and his life was so pleasing to God that God said, “Come on home. You’re done!”?
Enoch could be a type of the Church. If I understand Romans 11:25 correctly that there is a certain number of people who will be saved during this time period (“until the fullness of the Gentiles”), the job of the Church will only be here as long as it takes to see that number come to fruition. When our job is done, we’re out of here as well.
Enoch had a job, he went home. The Church has a job and goes home. Hmmm.