Welcome to Day 2117 of  Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Becoming A Radical Disciple 4 – Living a Simple and Balanced Life – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church Message – 08/22/2021

Becoming A Radical Disciple – Living A Simple and Balanced Life

My purpose in this series is to consider eight character traits of Christian discipleship that are often neglected and deserve to be taken seriously. In the past three weeks, we have explored Nonconformity, Christlikeness, Maturity, and Creation Care. Living a Simple Life I suggest that the fifth characteristic of radical disciples is simplicity, especially regarding money and possessions. As Christians, citizens of God’s kingdom, we claim to have received a new life from Jesus Christ. What lifestyle, then, is appropriate for us? In particular, how are our lives to be distinguished from the lifestyle of those who make no Christian profession? How should our lifestyle reflect the challenges of the present-day world? Much of the world is alienated from God. Most people, especially in affluent countries, view the earth’s resources differently, as if they own them. That is not the truth, for God has created the world for the enjoyment of all. We live in a country where it is a dog-eat-dog world. We buy things we don’t need to show off to people we don’t like. The old saying goes, “we have to keep up with the Joneses.” So our garages or attics overflow with stuff we rarely use, and then we have to spend more on storage units for the overflow. Then, when we die, we leave it all to our children and grandchildren, so they have to sort through it all and give most of it away, or worse, have to throw it out because it is no longer useful, if it ever was. All of us should be shocked by the poverty of millions and disturbed by the injustices. The country of Haiti is a perfect example, as are many emerging nations. Yet, most of the time, we feel somewhat helpless about how to help effectively. Yet few of us desire to give up anything substantial to help. There is nothing wrong with, nor should we ever envy, a person who, as a believer, has abundant resources by God’s grace. It boils down to that familiar verse we also covered in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:19-21, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” As citizens of a kingdom, we have a higher calling. Those who live in affluent circumstances, including most Western cultures, must accept our responsibility to develop a more simplistic lifestyle and contribute generously to relief and evangelism. Of course, living a simple life requires prayerful wisdom, insight, and understanding. God expects us to be prudent with the resources he has given us to manage. God permits a few people to be abundantly wealthy, but their treasures must be stored up in heaven so they can effectively help others in need. Since we are only managers of all God has given us, our purpose today is to consider our responsibility in becoming a radical disciple and how that is connected to living a simple and balanced life. Of course, there are many advantages to living a simple life, but let’s look at some essential aspects. First, it is less stressful, allowing us to slow down, smell the roses, and reflect on our lives. Second, it turns our focus to others who are in need, both spiritually and financially. Simple living provides a relationship between evangelism, relief, and justice.  It allows our perspective to change. A simple life will help us reflect more and learn God’s Word. We will then be better equipped to share it with others personally, or through Biblically-based organizations. If we free ourselves from financial obligations that strangle us, we may have more opportunities to reach a suffering world. Many of God’s imagers worldwide have limited access to Biblical resources and live oppressed. These people crave the good news of salvation and the basic necessities of human life. Here are some practical lessons to live more simply, which will help us have a Biblical worldview and significantly impact our world. We must understand that God is the Creator of all things. Therefore, we should celebrate the goodness of his creation and all He has provided to us as caretakers. 1 Timothy 4:4 Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. Sometimes, in our finite minds, we don’t understand why God’s abundant resources are not distributed equally. However, that is not important. Regardless of the material resources God has provided us, we need to learn to be content with what we are permitted to manage. Billionaire John D. Rockefeller was asked, “How much money is enough? He said, ‘just a little more than you currently have.’” Paul gave the Biblical answer for what great wealth is in 1 Timothy 6:6-7, “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.” Wealth is not how much you have, but how willing you are to share it with others. If God allows us to prosper financially and have material resources, we need to heed 1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.” These verses sound similar to what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. As citizens of God’s kingdom, God intends the earth’s resources to be taken care of by us and shared for the benefit of all nations. Therefore, we must denounce illegal wars that exploit resources, environmental destruction, wastefulness, and hoarding worldwide. Just like wealth is not distributed equally to everyone, neither is poverty. God’s chosen people were set apart from the surrounding nations with mandates for caring for the poor and vulnerable.  For most people living in poverty, it is involuntary poverty, and poverty is an offense against the goodness of God. Poverty in the Bible is related to powerlessness, for the poor cannot protect themselves. Even today, God’s call to rulers of all nations is to use their power to defend the poor, not exploit them. Therefore, the church must stand with God and the poor against injustice. We need to suffer with them, and call on government and church leaders to fulfill their God-appointed roles. The kingdom of God is a free gift offered to all, but it is excellent news for the poor because they benefit most from the changes it brings. Jesus calls all his followers to free themselves from the seduction of riches and to sacrificial generosity. We should resolve to get to know poor and oppressed people, learn issues of injustice from them, seek to relieve their suffering, and include them regularly in our prayers. Christ calls us to be the world’s salt and light to hinder its social decay and illuminate its darkness. But our light must shine, and our salt must retain its saltiness. When the church is distinct from the world – in its values, standards, and lifestyle – it presents the world with a radically attractive alternative and significant influence for Christ. Jesus, our Lord, calls us to holiness, humility, simplicity, and contentment. He also promises us his rest. Unfortunately, most of us have often allowed unholy desires for material resources to disturb our inner tranquility. Therefore, the constant renewal of Christ’s peace in our hearts with an emphasis on simple living will help us keep in focus. While I am not condemning the mega-churches of today, nor the elegant edifices of churches of the past, in my heart, I have difficulty reconciling investing millions in infrastructure when the needs are so great in our country and around the world. Simple living by Christians generally would release considerable resources, finance, and personnel for evangelism and development. So, while I would say that most of us here already live simplistically, we should consider a recommitment to a simple lifestyle, and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to world evangelization. Living a Balanced Life What do I mean by living a balanced life? I doubt if there is any New Testament text which gives a more varied and balanced account of what becoming a radical disciple means than 1 Peter 2:1-17 – Peter breaks it down into six metaphors for living a balanced life.  I will read parts of this passage throughout today’s message, but I would encourage you to read the entire passage. We can learn from the past, but we can do very little to correct or change the past, so we need to begin today and move forward, as is explained in verses 1-3: So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. (God doesn’t provide us with skimmed milk, but instead, heavy whipping cream.) The first metaphor from Peter is proper nutrition. Just as a child’s healthy growth is a good diet, daily disciplined feeding from God’s Word is crucial for spiritual growth. There is a great need for daily discipline in our Christian life. For example, if we desire to become physically strong and healthy, we must exercise regularly, preferably daily. Likewise, we must drink deeply from God’s Word if we are to become spiritually strong. Our desire to become strong in the faith, radical disciples, is to help others become radical disciples. The second metaphor which Peter develops is that of living stones (verses 4–5). You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. Peter turns from the world of biology (birth and growth) to the world of architecture (stones and buildings). Since the stones in the spiritual temple are people, Peter calls them “living stones.” What is the implication of all this? It means we belong to one another. If babies need milk to grow, bricks need mortar to stick to one another, and this is our love and fellowship. Look at this example. Each brick is cemented in with other bricks, and so is part of the building. No stone is suspended in mid-air. Every stone belongs to the building and cannot be dislodged from it. We need to recapture a vision of the church as a place for fellowship, as living stones in the building of God. Moreover, there is a great need for better-quality mortar. In Peter's third metaphor, he likens us to holy priests with the duty to worship God. This metaphor may come as a surprise to some believers. God has made us, “a holy priest” (verse 5), and Peter drills down even more in verse 9, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” Do you see your priestly role? It is to show others the goodness of God. What does Peter mean in this verse? In the Old Testament times, the Israelite priests enjoyed two exclusive privileges. First, they enjoyed access to God. Only the priests were allowed in the temple, and only the high priest could enter the holy of holies or inner sanctuary, and then only on the Day of Atonement. Access to God was restricted to the priesthood and denied to the lay people. The second privilege enjoyed by the priests was the offering of sacrifices to God. Again, the laypeople brought their sacrifices, but only the priests were allowed to kill the sacrifices, perform the ritual and sprinkle the blood. But now, through Jesus Christ, this distinction between priests and people has been abolished. We all share the privileges previously limited to the priests, for we all are priests. The whole church is a priesthood. Through Christ, all of us enjoy access to God (we have the boldness to enter into the holy presence of God, Hebrews 10:19–22). Through Christ, we all offer God the spiritual sacrifices of our worship. Peter develops the fourth metaphor:  But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. Here the apostle likens the church to a nation or people, in fact, to God’s people or possession. The Church worldwide is now God’s chosen people, his holy nation of priests, citizens of God’s kingdom. But why did God choose Israel? And why has he chosen us? The answer is not out of favoritism but to be his witnesses. We do not have a monopoly on the gospel. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Peter continues, “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” Peter introduces his fifth metaphor, dual citizenship, in verse 11, “Dear friends, I warn you as ‘temporary residents and foreigners’ to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.” Although many Jews were considered citizens of Rome, the Greek words indicate people who have no rights and no home. The Jews of the first century were citizens of two countries, Rome and Israel. We are citizens of the United States, but our primary citizenship is that of God’s kingdom, a worldwide kingdom. Peter’s sixth metaphor shows disciples as conscientious servants of God (verses 12–17). Peter urges his readers, “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. You are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.  Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.” We must understand that even though our primary citizenship is in God’s kingdom, we have dual citizenship. Because of this, we do have these earthly duties, as listed in verses 13-17. As a citizen of the US, we are to

• Be conscientious citizens,
• submitting to authorities
• silencing criticism
• doing good
• respecting everybody

As citizens of God’s kingdom:

• We still belong first to heaven!
• We are aliens and exiles on earth.
• We are pilgrims traveling home to God.

This fact (our heavenly citizenship) profoundly challenges our attitudes: to money and possessions, as we see life as a pilgrimage between two moments of nakedness; to tragedy and suffering, as we see them in the perspective of eternity; and especially our attitude to temptation and sin. To summarize, living a balanced life should now become clear. We have followed Peter in the six metaphors that make up the portrait he paints of the disciple. Here they are again:

• as newborn babies, we are called to growth,
• as living stones to fellowship,
• as holy priests to worship,
• as God’s people to witness,
• as aliens and strangers to holiness,
• as servants of God to citizenship.

We have a beautiful, comprehensive, balanced portrait that dove-tails into a simple and balanced life.

1. We are called to individual discipleship and corporate fellowship
2. We are called to worship and work
3. We are called to pilgrimage and citizenship

During this series on becoming a radical disciple, take time each week to read our anchor verses. Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Next week we will consider the traits of dependence and death. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!