Christ and Common Sense was chosen as the title of this blog because these two subjects describe what is needed to live the Christian life well. The Christian needs to constantly have his or her mind renewed (Rom. 12). The foundational way to do this is by studying Jesus Christ. He is the pinnacle of human history. His death and resurrection made it possible for those who believe in him to be reconciled to God. Once a Christian is born again he is expected to “fight the good fight” by actively pursuing God by aligning his life to the word of God in the context of the local church (1 Tim. 1:18).
The Christian life is not to be lived in isolation from the world. Jesus said, “In the same way let your light shine before others, so they might see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.” (Mt. 6:10) This is where common sense comes into play. Christians need common sense because the world is a tricky place. Jesus told his disciples, ““Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Mt. 10:16) Christians need to be wise when they consider how to put the truth of Christ into action in their lives. Since our society is changing at such a rapid pace it is necessary for Christians to know how to apply the truth of Scripture to the issues of modern life. This blog is setting out to do that with the Central Valley in mind. Join me in praying that God will use the articles written here to encourage believers to shine brightly for God.
Jesus told us we are the light of the world. The light is supposed to shine in the darkness, but how can a Christian shine the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ when he is so busy chasing after the lights of the world? The apostle John told us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride in possessions–is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” – John 1:15-17
At some point the American believer has to take the time to reflect on the madness of the world around us and reconsider everything he does from the perspective of Christ. This is where Christian common sense comes into play. Christian common sense is completely different from the world’s counterfeit version. The world’s idea of wisdom is corrupt because the non-believer’s conscience is corrupt. His conscience has been fed a steady diet of high fructose sensuality his entire life. His life in Vanity Fair rewards those who pursue pleasure. Our society is built on the lie that pleasing the flesh will lead to happiness. Vanity Fair’s definition of pleasure requires money, so wealth has become the defacto vehicle which will leads its passengers to their elusive end.
God encourages work, which often results in wealth, but God never encourages work at the expense of holy living. In fact, the pursuit of wealth is supposed to be held in check by living a holy Christian life in the context of a healthy local church. The local church is the Christian’s vehicle to living a life pleasing to God. Even this truth has been lost by our country’s unique packaging of Christianity.
Ephesians 4:15-16 makes it clear that the Christian life is to be lived in the context of the body of Christ. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” The body of Christ can be described as the universal church and the local church. Only God knows who all the members of the universal church are, but He has graciously allowed us to live the Christian life knowing who is in our local church.
Here in the Central Valley our culture’s guiding question is, “How will this make me succeed?” Each non-beleiver has their own definition of success that includes a mixture of wealth, possessions, and people. The Christian has a different guiding question. Our question is “How will this glorify God?” That is the overall goal of our existence on the earth and our future in heaven. When God saves a sinner he immediately makes him a part of the family of God, which means he becomes a part of the bride of Christ. This is a crucial point to understand because it leads from our goal to the means of achieving our goal.
The local church is made up of individuals and families that are pursuing God together. They each need to be invested in one local church family because that is how God intends them to be sanctified. This is a beautiful truth. The more invested a Christian is in the local church the more invested he becomes in the bride of Christ. No time is wasted when it is given to the local church because she is the bride of Christ. We love investing in our families, but it is important to understand that the family is not the local church. Each Christian family also needs to be invested in a local church because that is how each family is to grow in maturity and that family is meant to be used by God to help the rest of the church grow.
This is why I encourage Christians to ask a second guiding question. We need to ask, “How will this decision help the local church?” The local church is the bride of Christ. Jesus Christ is the groom who is waiting for the bride to be fully prepared for the day when He will return. This is a simple illustration, but it is foundational to understanding how to live the Christian life. We are the bride of Christ. We are to prioritize the local body of believers because that is how the bride is being prepared for Christ’s return. Ephesians 6:26-27 makes it clear that Christ died for the church “having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might holy and without blemish.” Jesus Christ is purifying each believer through their involvement in a local church. It is true that the bride of Christ is both the universal church and the local church, but too many Christians today believe that being a part of the universal church is enough. It is not. The Christian life is to be lived in the context of the local church. That is where we are able to see the visible representation of the bride of Christ.
This is Christian common sense. The local church is the lighthouse that the Christian builds his life around. On of his guiding thoughts needs to be “How will this make the local church succeed?” “How will this help make disciples?” “How will this prepare the bride for the return of Christ?” Living near the lighthouse allows the Christian to survive the difficulty of living in our sinful society. The lights of the world do not distract from the lighthouse because this light is so much stronger. In fact, this light is so strong it attracts those living in the world. Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Mt. 5:16 The Christian light does not attract the world by mimicking their artificial neon lights. The lighthouse attracts the world by reflecting the unrivaled brilliance of the Son of God!
I am convinced that Christians here in the valley need to see this. Once they do I think God will begin to make powerful changes in their lives. Here is one example. Many parents ask each other, “What sports should we put our kids in this year?” Well, wait a minute. That is a high fructose question. The first question is “How will this glorify God?” The second question is “How will this help the local church?” If you ask that question first you might realize that sports have become one of our leading idols. I was thinking about this recently. How do youth sports help the church? We might have the best softball team in the church league. There is nothing wrong with winning the league, unless it is getting in the way of holy living. Imagine if our kids invested a little more in music instead of only focusing on sports? In ten years our churches would reap a rich harvest in musical talent being used for worship of our glorious God.
Christian common sense makes us rethink everything we do. What does the bible say about this issue? How will the local church benefit from our family’s decision? You can make the argument that investing in the local church is the primary investment that will be reflected in heaven because each believer is a part of the local church. The more you are connected to the local church the more you are connected to the bride of Christ. The more you invest in the bride of Christ, the more you invest in spiritual rewards. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Mt. 6:19-21 How do you lay up treasures in heaven? You make baptize believers. You make disciples. You preach the word. You invest in the work of the local church.
This is what it means to pursue Christ and common sense. It means to transform your mind. Paul put it so eloquently in Romans 12. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” God wants us to live good lives. He wants us to live fulfilled lives. My prayer is that this blog will help believers here in the valley live the way God wants us to live.
