Soap-boxing. Done it before? Seen it before? Even heard of it before?
In a nut shell, soap-boxing is standing up on top of some form of rectangular cuboid, seemingly making you taller and hence grab more attention (because of course that's how you grab people's attention -- grow a couple inches). THEN -- here's the tricky part -- while you balance on this for the next three minutes or so, you give your testimony. Am I supposed to sell something, like promote Shamwow or something? I hear you say. Well, not exactly. Apparently, you're supposed to give your testimony about none other than Jesus! and what he's done for you
So, this week we spent some time preparing our testimonies. Questions like: What was your life like before being a Christian? How did God save you? What was your life like after becoming a Christian?
One question that really triggered my thought was: What does it mean for you to be a Christian? And so I was reminded of a thought I had during some reflection time at Mid-Year Conference (MYC). How would you sum up the Christian life? My one word was Holy.
In Colossians, Paul encourages the church at Colossae to live holy lives as Christians and as one united Church. So I do thank Paul (and God) for giving me this idea of how to live as a Christian, showing me what it means to be a Christian.
It is helpful to remember the very meaning of holy. I remember being told that being holy means to be "set apart". So here's how I think the word "holy" applies in three cases.
1. Holy In The World
As Christians, we are not lost in this world. We have a purpose, and our purpose is set towards heaven. We must be set apart from this world and all its temptations and engulfment by sin. We must not place our efforts on worldly things alone, knowing everything we do in this world is to the glory of our Father in heaven. We are IN this world, but not OF this world.
"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
Colossians 3:2-3
2. Holy With The Body
We've all come to the Cross by the work of God through His people (except maybe Paul), and so we know for a fact that we are not alone in this world. Most of us have a family of believers at hand, but for even for those who don't we are all still regarded as one Body in Christ. And so what must we do?
REEF (Rebuke, Encourage and Extol in Fellowship)
We must keep each other accountable, but be careful with judgment. We must uphold one another so that we may not fall away (Hebrews 12). We must give glory and praise to our God. And all this is done in unity, as one body in Christ.
"God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, then every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it."
1 Corinthians 12:24b-26
3. Holy With Christ
One thing that sets us all apart from the most pitiable of people, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, is that our hope lies in a living God! And so since we are set apart from the world, and we are set apart with our fellow Christians, where does our citizenship lie?
God's divine plan was to put to death our mortal bodies and raise us up. And so whilst we live in this age, our citizenship lies in heaven, with our Lord who was also raised up before us to become the Messiah, the King of all creation to whom every knee shall bow.
"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
Romans 8:29
NB: For those a little confused with the above verse and a similar claim in Colossians 1:15, this website is useful in answering any doubts (oh man, Avudai is rubbing off on me).
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This post is named after the song by Chris Tomlin
