Extraordinarily ordinary
It seems people are continuing to get into a tizzy about what people mean when they say “radical,” “missional” or some other qualifier-de-jour when talking about living out their faith.
I wonder if, maybe, it’s because we’re prone to forget something important:
What should be ordinary in the Christian life will seem extraordinary in comparison to those living apart from Christ.
Many of the books coming out that are getting people’s backs up (think Radical, Crazy Love, Follow Me, etc) are hardly radical. While the language might be intentionally inflammatory at times, the point is the same:
Christians should look different from the rest of the world.
And all God’s people said, “Well I should hope so.”
This doesn’t mean you’re getting on a jet and flying to Nepal, starting a non-profit in your kitchen and selling your kids’ hand-made crafts on Etsy to sponsor ten Compassion children. It’s sometimes pretty basic stuff.
When you:
- choose to give away what you could spend on yourself
- set aside the house, cars and career so a parent can be home with the kids
- give “ordinary” advice and encouragement to another believer
- open your home to a neighbor and/or stranger
- preach “average” sermons in an “average” church
When you sacrifice anything for the sake of Christ, it’s practically revolutionary!
So why get worked up into a lather? Stop worrying about being radical enough—the “ordinary” Christian is extraordinary.
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[…] This is really the point that I think everyone writing on this subject is trying to get at—because we follow an extraordinary God, there is no such thing as “ordinary.” And even when we are, it’s extraordinarily ordinary. […]