A church is not a debate society, a church is an army. ~ Ray Ortlund (15.jan.11)I teach vocabulary by giving the history of the word, such that each word has a story. Right now we are studying words that stem from Ancient Greece, and I have been struck by words like "spartan" and "laconic," which both imply a minimalistic approach to life. While the Athenians were known for their philosophy, the Spartans were known for their intense training and minimalistic living so that they would not become accustomed to the comforts of life - and thereby become unready for battle. Paul suggests the same thing about Christianity:
"No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." ~ St. Paul (1 Cor. 9:27)I am amazed at how much spiritual disciplines - intense prayer, fasting, etc. - focus my faith. I am not simply reading the gospel for my next cool lesson, and I certainly don't care that I have something shiny from scripture to show off next Sunday. I'm not collecting souveneirs; I don't have that energy or luxury for that baggage. I don't even want the best things in this life - that's consumerism. I want to be a spiritual spartan: fit, trim, and ready to deploy.
"The church is like a ship designed for battle, to mobilize its people for a mission." (David Platt, Radical)
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