Two Kinds of Christians

[SPIRITUAL MINDED RADIO]

As a Christian you can choose how much of Christ you want in your work-life.

According to Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth, Christians can be either “spiritual” or “worldly”. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:1 NIV, “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly – mere infants in Christ.” Both types are born-again and heaven bound, but there is a difference in their levels of spiritual maturity. “Spiritual” Christians walk in the fullness of Christ while “worldly” Christians are “mere infants in Christ”. The Greek word “spiritual” that Paul uses in the verse does not appear in the Gospels. It is only used in the New Testament after Pentecost, and refers to Christians who emanate the power and character of the Holy Spirit. The word “worldly” means carnal, fleshy and earthly as in lacking a spiritual nature. Worldly Christians are 100% Christian, but their lives are not too different from those who do not know Christ.

When it comes to the time and energy you commit to your work-life, i.e. hours per day and years of your life, which kind of Christian are you? Are you appropriating all the grace Christ has for you? Is there a God-rooted, spiritual dimension to your work?

The following illustration conveys an important biblical truth regarding the difference between spiritual and worldly Christians. Imagine a carpenter with his saw in hand sawing a piece of wood. The work being done, i.e. sawing the wood, can be described in two ways. Depending on your viewpoint, you can say the saw is sawing the wood, or the carpenter is sawing the wood.

Spiritual Christians. When looking at the illustration through the eyes of the spiritual Christian – Christ is the Carpenter, and the spiritual Christian is the saw. They are different persons with different roles. The spiritual Christian voluntarily places himself in the skilled hands of Christ the Carpenter. For the spiritual Christian, Christ is the Designer and Power behind the work. The saw works and cuts the wood, but it is directed by the hands of the Carpenter. The saw yields to the Carpenter. The Carpenter does the work. The Carpenter’s work is perfect. The Carpenter gets the glory. The saw’s job is to have faith in the Carpenter. The saw is God-centric and God-advantaged.

Worldly Christians. The worldly Christian sees himself as both the saw and the carpenter. There is little or no spiritual component to his work-life. Worldly Christians know Christ, but from Monday through Friday they are still doing everything on their own. They have plenty of smarts, will power and good intentions (just like spiritual Christians), but to them all things supernatural have nothing to do with work and career. Spiritual issues are better left to the pastor and his Sunday pulpit. Worldly Christians deliver good work, but they do it as “mere infants in Christ”. The best mentor on the planet, Christ the Carpenter, will not be invited to join the team.

Be the spiritual Christian Paul refers to in I Corinthians 3:1. Place Christ at the center of your work-life. God created you, the world you live in and the work you do. He is the Source. All things good start with Him.

STAY SPIRITUALLY MINDED!!!!!!!

[Kim]

I wanted to refute this but I have to concede this is true. Its just so hard to watch a grown man (or woman) whine. I realize we all start out as infants but then we have to GROW UP !!! Well, I have to say you put it out there, even if I am having a hard time accepting it.
In Him,
Kim