Buying In...

Do I really buy in to the fact that the kingdom life is present in the world, and I have an active role to play within it?
Yes. I am slowly seeking to find out what that looks like, but I am generally excited about the idea.

Do I buy into the fact that Jesus is the example toward whom I should imitate and follow?
Yes, but all too often I try to follow someone else. The tension I experience in this quest is not so much in the conflict of being like Christ so much as the conflict of being like every other story while trying to be like Christ.

Is there a danger within these two ideas?
Yes, a person who claims the above two statements fights the danger of believe that, because the Holy Spirit is in them and that they are the hands and feet of Jesus, they take the place of Jesus in the world. Also, they fight the danger of believing that it is up to them to bring the kingdom to its fullness (which it is not... that's God's job.)

Should the two ideas be thrown out because of the dangers?
BY NO MEANS!!! As a Christian, I recognize the life to which God calls me with the humility to understand that it is God who works in me as I work anything out.


Christians should be like "little Christs." Not in the sense that we believe that we can save the world on our own power... Instead, we should live in such a way that our relationship with God and God's presence in our life are obvious. We should live so hopeful and specifically Christian that people wonder what is different about us. We should live so much like Christ that the response to what is different about us is Christ.