I’ve been reading a book that has been very thought provoking. It is entitled Primal by Mark Batterson. There is a statement that I read last night that really struck a cord in my heart. It says: “Christianity was never intended to be a noun. And when we turn it into a noun, it becomes a turnoff. Christianity was always intended be a verb. We’ve got to act on God ideas. We’ve got to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We’ve got to seize the opportunities to serve.”
My daughter is learning in school the difference between nouns and verbs, subjects and predicates and how to identify each one. It brought back a flood of memories when I was helping her. One little trick that I was taught was in identifying verbs, you say “a verb, it’s what you do.” I like that. I especially like that in the context of what I read.
Being a Christ follower is all about what you do. It is an action. We are called to serve, called to act, called to do. Are you doing discipleship? Is your Christ walk actually that, a walk? Think of how awesome God is that He chooses to use us as His action verbs!
March 11, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Thank you Joe for your insights!
As I contemplate being a “living verb”, I feel an ache in my soul to be in Him, absorbed by Him, so I can do everything He wants. Pray for me!
March 15, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Joe, one more thought…
“We have to obey the promptings of the spirit” I am curious to hear how you and others are “prompted” by the spirit.
And… what do you do to increase and clarify those spirit promptings?
Help Me!
March 25, 2010 at 8:11 pm
James notes that the discussion of which is greater—doing, a verb and being, a noun,
Is not either/or but both/and.
Jam 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: (1) to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and (2) to keep oneself unstained from the world.
The Christian must work out of the content of new life in Christ. Thus work that is not based in Christian character is indeed vain, just as faith that produces no works is dead.
Paul calls us in Romans 12:1 & 2 to “present our bodies” which is works “as living sacrifices” which is being.
I understand what Mark is getting at, and I applaud his statement as well. The crux of the matter is not doing, however, but being. That is what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount when He notes that good fruit can only come from a good tree.
Mat 7:17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
Mat 7:18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Now my point is simply that Christianity is not behaviorism—that is, if we do well, we
will be well. Christianity is New Life—that is if Christ has made you free, you are free
indeed! We must keep that truth in front of our people if we expect them to do well,
because no one can “do” well who is not transformed. Likewise, as the Sermon on the
Mount demonstrates, if we do not teach those who believe to inculcate the values of
Christ into their lives, being saved may not result in those works that we should perform
as transformed people.
Mat 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Mat 7:25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
Mat 7:26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Mat 7:27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
God Bless,
Greg