Aug 26, 2013
Adopting a Wartime Lifestyle
by Clinton R. Brown
Ralph D. Winter writes about the Queen Mary ocean liner in his article, Reconsecration. The ship is now a floating museum that contrasts the opulent trappings of its use as a luxury liner with its austere decor of a WWII trans-Atlantic troop transport ship.
The contrast expresses the different mindsets between times of war and peace. During World War II, people in America recognized that sacrifices needed to be made to save lives and halt the advance of forces that sought to destroy freedom. They were willing to repurpose factories, resources, and even lives because they believed the threat was real and the cause was righteous.
Today, one might wonder if followers of Jesus are aware that there are masses of people living in chains of sin bondage and their eternal lives are in peril. Overeating, luxury vehicles, mounds of DVDs, and an excessive number of gadgets and toys that entertain and distract would suggest that much of the Body of Christ appears to be allocating an inordinate amount of resources away from the battle and toward worldly pursuits.
Reflecting on how this compares to times of national conflict, Frontier Mission Fellowship founder Winter said, “God cannot expect less from us as our Christian duty to save other nations than our own nation has required of us in times of war in order to save our own nation.”
As believers, we are to be consecrated or set apart for a holy use. That use is the work of building the Kingdom of our Father here on Earth. That setting apart applies to the whole of our lives including our vocation, entertainment, finance, and even food choices. There are lives at stake; a spiritual war is being waged with very real people of all ages living—and dying—in oppression.
Sometimes we fall under the delusion that an occasional prayer request for the nations is adequate response to the Great Commission. This is not to diminish the power of prayer, but we have to demonstrate with our walk that our heart desires all peoples to be reached.
We must make evident with our choices that we want all the world to hear the Gospel. To echo the new theme put forward by General Conference President Steven James, I pray you will join me and “CHOOSE” with our choices to follow the Lord.
“…and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain.” (Ezekiel 33:31)
Wartime Lifestyle Ideas:
HD TV antenna vs. cable or satellite
Eat out less, eat less, waste less
Library DVD loans vs. theater visits
Gardening for food & health
Modest weddings & funerals
Rent extra home space for ministry income
Budget increasing offerings for ministry
Choices of necessity vs. luxury
*Ideas inspired by those of Craig Blomberg, a New Testament theology professor at Denver Seminary.
