Or a hobby?
The way I read the Bible, we're commanded to seek God first, before anything. Not something to take lightly. Not something to "fit into the calendar," but something to plan a calendar around (if your walk with the Lord allows for "planning," that is). Not a Sunday obligation, but a daily mandate.
First.
Finished The Master's Indwelling, today. Something pointed out in one of the lattermost chapters was particularly relevant, on this score: distinction was made, wherein seeking God (fully surrendering to Him) is not a matter of "God first, and then...," but a matter of "God first, naught else."
He fills in everything. All...in all.
I hear a lot of folks very loosely express a longing for "Pentecostal power," though. In terms of longing for an experience akin to the initial descent of the Holy Spirit upon those in the upper room--those blessed while waiting and praying.
But I never hear people talk about what came after that first day.
Same as, I hear folks talk about need for a powerful revival where millions would be saved, "like it happened at Pentecost." But I never hear people talk about what preceded that momentous event.
A hundred-twenty-some people?...gathered together in "steadfast prayer?" And for how long? I'm not doing the research right now, but think it was at least a couple or few weeks, wasn't it? Which, regardless: steadfast prayer, no end-date set--nothing else on the calendar, nobody with a timer set, nobody concerned with how late it's getting or with how many more days it might take...just people having begun to seek God's face and continuing along, knowing a need. They were expecting to be empowered, according to Christ's edict--knew they had to wait and pray, but didn't have much idea of anything else.
Just praying. Waiting. Together. In one accord, seeking the face of God, ardently. Knowing He would fulfill, trusting, believing.
Waiting.
In faith.
Not even necessarily really caring to understand what they were waiting for, except that they were given to wait. And so they did.
And the Holy Spirit came upon them all. Came upon them, fell upon them, and completely, irrevocably altered them--altered the very core and composition of their lives.
They were no longer the same as they had been: see Peter, going out and boldly, unabashedly proclaiming to an entire city the divinity of Christ whom they had crucified: proclaiming it without restraint, without qualm, while boldly attesting to Christ's resurrection and ascension. Without a second thought.
He just went.
He just dove in, headfirst, without a moment's pause.
After having completely failed, per his frail humanity, at the time of Christ's crucifixion. All of them having effectively deserted Him, at that prior point.
But the Holy Spirit empowered and directed them. Giving words, giving an undeniable impetus to act. After a time of ardent, indefinite waiting in prayer and supplication.
Sacrificing everything else, for the sake of seeking the face of God. Awaiting His presence.
Awaiting His direction. Awaiting His empowering guidance and boldness.
What did they do, though? After thousands were saved, and the Holy Spirit continued to baptize?...did they go home, reminiscing over how moving the experience was, along the way?...did they congratulate one another on having experienced a "true move of God," and agree to meet again next week, hoping for "another move of the Spirit?"
No.
They went, sold everything they owned, came together as a collective body. And prayed.
Going out, as the Holy Spirit gave direction.
(This, including the occasional arrest and subsequent testimony in front of political/religious leaders.)
They sold everything, came together, and prayed.
It wasn't as though the moment the Holy Spirit descended upon them, they then had absolutely everything laid out before them, from point A to point Z of exactly what they needed to do next. No, they came together as a collective body, having abandoned all else, and continued to seek God's face.
Even as they ended up being scattered because of persecution, still there had been a preliminary period of waiting, seeking, steadfast praying.
Just as the Holy Spirit then-commissioned work. They didn't operate on their own authority, in other words. They were directed. They were guided. They were led.
Like as with the record of Paul and Barnabas being called. They "ministered to the Lord," and fasted...and the Holy Ghost specifically called them to go out. And, even then, more fasting and prayer, and laying on of hands before they went out as they were called.
Much with the waiting on God, in other words. Much with seeking God's face, first, foremost, and exclusive of any other desire or pursuit.
This, not to say that they didn't tend to certain other things, along the while. But those things were no longer the priority, whatever did remain: again, they sold all they had and came together, which sort of takes a lot off a person's plate, as far as considerations go.
Paul, though...Paul was remarked as a tentmaker by trade. I don't really know whether that entailed his ownership of a business, or whether it indicated he was skilled in the trade and readily able to find work in that capacity. Given the way everyone else went, it makes more sense that he would just be skilled in the trade, having taken the same course as all the rest and selling everything he owned: for a man to say he endured starvation, periodically, doesn't jive with the idea that he was rolling in the sort of financial resources which would be entailed in having maintained ownership of a (presumably successful) business of his own.
He talked about working with his hands, though, as supporting himself. Yet, it seems as though Paul didn't consider work-space in any way prioritized as exempting from his overarching, primary call to serve God by propagating the Gospel (Priscilla and Aquila, with whom Paul worked, were noted for later having very well explained the Gospel to Apollos...fair indication that they were converted along Paul's ministry at work). This, especially given that Paul later mentioned working with his hands being the means by which he was able to freely offer the Gospel, despite that those ordained by God to preach the Gospel were "to get their living by the Gospel:" Paul's focus was ever on His service to God...on his relation to Christ, is all; thus, work could only be a means by which to serve God, both within and as a result of the work: Neither means nor an end in itself, then, undertaken as to glorify God within his own life and the lives of others.
Point being, though, every indication is that Paul evangelized while he worked. Even as he worked so as to be able to evangelize without it burdening anyone. God was still the priority, not work. Not a paycheck. Not self-support. Not self-sufficiency (although a sidelong glance at that, as one "speaking foolishly" served within an argument against false apostles...so, the Lord had cause for Paul's work on many accounts). It served as a further outreach unto God, unto seeking His kingdom and His righteousness.
Point being, though, every indication is that Paul evangelized while he worked. Even as he worked so as to be able to evangelize without it burdening anyone. God was still the priority, not work. Not a paycheck. Not self-support. Not self-sufficiency (although a sidelong glance at that, as one "speaking foolishly" served within an argument against false apostles...so, the Lord had cause for Paul's work on many accounts). It served as a further outreach unto God, unto seeking His kingdom and His righteousness.
Just, having heard insinuations cast that Paul was either relatively independently wealthy, according to his position as an established tradesman, or that his choice to work, itself, serves as an example to all of us, of a need to work with our hands: that we are to always stay busy: a corruption of the "idle hands are the devil's workshop" proverb, entirely exempting consideration of what had ought be undertaken as occupation: pursuit and service of God. ...I'm a bit confounded, is all.
Nothing in the texts relayed either of those things, as such.
Again: A man who periodically starved for lack of resources was not independently wealthy, and given that everyone else who was a believer sold everything and gave to the all...I can't see Paul excluding himself from that. His zeal and devotion and service to God were apparently sufficiently acceptable unto the Lord as to've resulted in his receiving the Spirit's inspiration to the tune of composing most of the New Testament--I wouldn't expect Paul's actions would have been any less exhibitive of his devotion to God than any of the other "first-converts."
And, secondarily, placing the emphasis on work, in and of itself, merely undertaken as a means of remaining busy and self-sufficient...entirely excludes consideration that everything Paul did was entirely focused upon abiding in and glorifying Christ. Do all that you do, in Jesus' name? ...whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do it all to the glory of God?
So, yeah, I don't see him having set all that to the side, when he clocked in at 9am, just to pick it back up at 5. I don't see him prioritizing work, apart from Christ. And, for someone who attested to all the ages that he is dead, that Christ may live in Him? I don't see Him prioritizing work, in itself, at all...except as another means to abiding in Christ. Seriously. Work didn't exist in a vacuum, apart from his calling unto God. Dude was real. He was serious about presenting himself, daily, as a living sacrifice to Christ. Living sacrifices don't do things except for that which animates their "corpse" ordains and enacts it.
Paul did tell us to follow him, as he follows Christ, though. Imitate him, as he imitates Christ.
So, I don't buy the "silent witness"-thing, as far as work goes. It reeks of Babylon and golden statues. And neither am I buying that absolutely any and all who presently preach the Gospel are ordained by God to do so. The Spirit gives many gifts, after all, and the ones which generally seem to be considered more esteemed nowadays...according to Christ's teachings...would be the ones who ought to be the least esteemed, as the greatest servants. That sort of topsy-turviness indicates something roundabouts what Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians.
As where he made a point of his suffering, as a means of distinguishing himself from those who were false apostles: those who came with pomp and eloquence, speaking boldly on their own authority, were trying to presume upon the church falsely...and had gained ground with believers, because they exalted themselves. Rather than with Paul, who came meekly, having suffered to come and knowing suffering would yet come (who but gloried in it, to be counted worthy to suffer on Christ's account!), yet who came as one ordained by God, thus operating in His power.
A lot of folks have taken advantage of the bit about living by the Gospel, it seems (even ones who don't get paid for it, in an entirely roundabout way which I'm not even getting into right now). To the extent that preaching is an occupation for many, a profession for some, and God-ordained for yet a precious few who certainly aren't in a "business" of it, thus who don't call attention to themselves, willfully. Whether one's own heart condemns oneself is the only test we can know, though. I can't know others hearts, only wonder and pray.
Just...with things having been as they were...how can we call ourselves Christians, now, and not do what Christ commanded?
I mean, seriously, within the first few years of the church, it was already experiencing corruption from within and without--the epistles are prime testament of that. How much more, now, and we take it so very lightly that we might go to church a couple times a week and consider ourselves saved unto Christ?
I'm not buying it.
Christianity is not a hobby.
Either it entails a complete change of life, merely per course of having experienced conversion...or there's some amount of false witness in effect. Given the accounts recorded in the Scriptures of what Christianity entails, I don't see as there could be much of an "in-between."
This, even as the Lord may assuredly lead in such ways as takes time to progress to the point of receiving the blessed gift of salvation...and takes time unto sanctification.
But everything changes. Everything. But not necessarily overnight, either.
Although there were a couple of things for me which did suddenly completely fall away, inexplicably: drinking alcohol, frequenting bars, dating--no longer a desire for them, despite life having been nearly consumed with persistent desire for those things, up to that certain day when the compulsions disappeared. Just like that--just gone, one day. Having persisted for nearly ten years with those three activities consuming constant, prevailing amounts of time and attention--seriously, compulsively so... ...then, just gone--no more desire for them.
Desires which were irresistible, desires which I had no idea how to get rid of or mitigate...just disappeared.
I surrendered to Christ--collapsed on Him, moreover. And He took them away.
And it's not only a matter of having lost a desire to do those things which were so self-destructive (which were effectively rebellious against God)--even the thought of them now makes my heart ache, as unconscionable. I know they'd distance me from the precious presence of the Lord, which abides, and that's unthinkable. Ultimately, even considering a course which would be displeasing, painful for Him to have borne, makes it painful to contemplate.
According to the Bible, believers: those who fellowship with Christ: those who actively speak and listen to Him (in that unfortunate order, usually): those who actively, literally are discipled by the Holy Spirit (guided, taught, comforted, chastised, ordained by Him): those who walk in the spirit and are thereby led by the Holy Spirit are entirely transformed, from the inside out, as part of their salvation and pursuant sanctification.
So, seeing Christianity experienced as a hobby, though...?
...as something to do on Sundays?
...as something akin to a book club?
...as a weekly social routine?
...as something appended to a list of self-descriptors, obviously an after-thought?
That's not Christianity.
That's mere religion.
Oh, God have mercy and help us all.
Oh, God have mercy and help us all.
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