OF MODERATE IMPORTANCE

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, is of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." - C. S. Lewis

After three years of mission work and evangelism, Jesus' following, or his "church" as we would call it today, amounted to about 120 people and 12 disciples. A far cry from the huge congregations that meet in million dollar buildings today. It's amazing that those 120 people who really believed in His message were enough to change the world forever. Look at what they've done.

That begs the question, what have we done? What are the millions of Christians around the world today doing to spread God's kingdom to new people and places? Probably not as much as we should. Right now there are many dedicated Christ followers no doubt but the vast majority of Christians I'm afraid view Christ and his message as of too moderate an importance in their lives.

They would likely tell you otherwise, that Christ is their treasure and that their faith is their number one priority. The problem is the heart. "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). We know that Christ should be preeminent in our lives but letting go and making room for him is a different story. Being the seed that falls to the ground and dies is far scarier than living the comfortable and secure life attached to the stalk (John 12:24). Letting go of our schedules, our security, our reputation and our dreams is no easy task but it becomes possible when we choose to believe that God really has something better. The crop that springs from a single seed willing to die, over time, will spread to fill and entire field, far surpassing whatever greatness the single, original stalk might have had. But we have to be willing to die. To die to ourselves and to being comfortable all the time.

In Luke chapter 9, Jesus sends his disciples on their first "mission trip" by themselves. As they leave for the surrounding villages, his message to them is, "take nothing for the journey - no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic." Jesus wanted his followers to depend on him. He wants the same from you and I.

Throughout the gospels, Jesus tells potential followers to leave their jobs, live homeless, sell all they have, leave their families, and love him so much it looks like they hate their loved ones. Does this mean that every follower of Christ should be poor, single and homeless? Not usually. What Jesus was getting at is that his followers should be ready and willing to give up the things in this life that they hold most dear - all for the greater sake of His kingdom. For some that's a job with an income, for others possessions and for some it's a family or a house

Every day, God wants to send us out into our own surrounding villages, but are we willing to go? Are we willing to give up parts of our life in order to gain Christ and depend on him for our livelihood? Many won't be but that's okay. The teaching of God himself only brought 120 but that was plenty. Will you join the ranks of Christ's followers who are willing to follow him in obedient, uncomfortable and radical ways? Is God asking you to let go or go without? He might not be, but are you willing if he is?