How serious are you about living like a Christian? And before we go any further, let’s be clear about what that question is really asking: It’s not about how serious you feel or believe that you should be about it, but about whether your life shows real Christian living. Maybe we could put it another way: If the God of the Bible—who knows all things, even our thoughts—were to describe your life, how serious would he say that you are about living the kind of life that a Christian should?

There are two eternal temptations for people who claim that Christ is their master: 1) To be so serious about morality that they convict every weakness or imperfection as a damnable sin, whether the Bible describes it as such or not. 2) To react to that by being so lax about matters of faith that we fail to live up to the standard of godliness to which we’ve been committed.

Neither of those are what we’re called to.

But it’s that second one that I think needs to be emphasized more in our current world. More and more, we seem to live in a world that takes an exceedingly casual approach to Christianity. It’s received with joy, but, all too often, at the cost of its requisite sobriety. And if we’re guilty of that, then we need to get our priorities straight and realign ourselves with true devotion of holy living that God has always required of his faithful ones.

• Many of us need a more thorough grasp of repentance—being truly brokenhearted when we sin, and not just shrugging it off and thinking, “Oops. Good thing that’s not a big deal.”
• We need to make real changes in our behaviors—getting self-control and actually doing the right things rather than excusing ourselves by just thinking, “I guess I need to work on that” or “I’m too tired/stressed/overwhelmed/committed/distracted for that sort of thing right now, but God understands.”
• We need a more serious approach to the Bible—that it’s more than supplementary material to our lives, it is the words of eternal life and of sincere Christian living. It’s worth knowing it deeply for our own sakes and for the sake of teaching others.

So seek the truth. Read it. Understand it. Face it honestly. Accept it. Turn toward it. And live it.

What does that require of each of us? It requires prayer. Work. Dedication. Thoughtfulness. Prayer. Hard choices. Repentance. Time. Prayer. Guidance and correction from spiritual leaders. Focus. Humility. Self-control. Prayer. Lots of Bible reading. Deep christian friendships. Accountability to others. And prayer.

If the gate is narrow and the way is hard, then we had better put our all into it.

- Dan Lankford, minister

When I was a teenager, I spoke like a teen, I thought like a teen, and I reasoned like a teen. That era of my life sorely lacked purpose. I just “went with the flow,” doing whatever seemed exciting, fun, or rewarding at the time. I didn’t think often or very seriously about how my choices would affect others or where they would ultimately lead me in life.

But when I became a man, I put away teenage-ish things. At least, I’m trying to.

One of the hallmarks of maturity is learning to live with purpose, on purpose. And if we’re going to add arete—moral excellence—to our way of life in the sight of God, then we must embrace a purpose more dependable than our own ever-changing whims and wishes.
The Bible gives us this wisdom in several ways.

When Barnabas first spent time with the saints in Antioch, he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord “with steadfast purpose” (Ac. 11:23). And in the rest of the New Testament, we can see that they did! Antioch was a sending church. They commissioned, encouraged, prayed for, and supported missionaries that went all across the north coasts of the Mediterranean to teach about Jesus. They did what Barnabas taught, and many heard the Good News as a result.

This wisdom is woven into several of the metaphors used to describe God’s people, the church: a field (1 Cr. 3:9), a temple (2 Cr. 5:1), a priesthood (1 Pt. 2:9), the branches of a tree (Rm. 11), and household pots and containers (2 Tim. 2:20-21). Those things all serve a purpose beyond themselves. Branches bear a tree’s fruit. Pots and pans are made for specific uses. A priesthood serves their god’s/God’s pleasures. Et cetera. All of them serve an end, just as our existence serves an end: to give God glory.

The time for living life by whims and wishes is past, brothers and sisters. We should never expect that sort of thing of ourselves, even in our teenage years. Those who live with excellence will seek to know, understand, and fully embrace the purpose of glorifying God to motivate us to excellent Christian living. That’s the kind of arete that succeeds in spades and that doesn’t grow weary as years go by.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Three times in the Exodus narrative, an individual or group bows the head and worships God.

• The first is when Aaron announces that God has heard them and has come to set them free from slavery (Ex. 4:31).
• The second is when God explains the punishment he will inflict upon Egypt on the night of the Passover (Ex. 12:27). 
• The third is Moses himself, at the moment that Yahweh reveals himself as “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty” (Ex. 34:6-8). 

These passages show us a pattern for worship. Not a pattern for corporate worship (church assemblies); rather, for personal worship. They show us the importance of worshiping God in our hearts and from our hearts. They show us worship as an act of the mind and the heart and the body, by which we laud and magnify God. At the moments in which they were truly impressed by God, the Israelites humbled themselves (“bowed their heads”) and lifted him up (“worshiped”).

Do you ever do that? Do you ever take a pause in your life to just praise God, either in your heart, through singing, by reading a psalm of praise aloud toward his throne, or by some other act of adoration? This is an important practice for his people, and it’s one that I fear (though I don’t know for sure) we neglect. Our worship assemblies are crucially important, but they are only a part of a whole life that is given in service and worship to him (cf. “spiritual worship,” Rom. 12:1).

The frequency and and depth of private worship may be a stronger indicator of our devotion to God than our attendance at worship assemblies. Like Paul and Silas praising God and singing hymns while in prison… or James’ prescription for a saint to “sing songs” when he is joyful… or the Psalmist who speaks of praising God for his wisdom “all the day”… Our daily lives ought to be defined by adoration and praise for God. It’s more than corporate religious activity; we too ought to frequently bow our heads and worship YHWH, just because he is worthy of adoration from our hearts.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Sometimes victory is the greatest enemy of excellence. That seems counterintuitive, but it’s nonetheless true. Often, our success does not lead to more success, instead it leads to complacency. I’m sure this phenomenon pops up in many different places in life, but I see it most often in athletics. 

I see it in the team who wins the championship one year but misses the playoffs in the next because they just don’t have the same drive and hunger to win it all. I see it in the phenom who finally makes it to the big leagues but stops working because they feel they have “arrived.” I see it in the player who is awarded that enormous contract and then never plays hard again. Sometimes victory is the greatest enemy of excellence. 

Might that also be true when it comes to spiritual things? I think that’s a temptation for all of us. We use our spiritual success as an excuse to slouch back into spiritual complacency. What’s that look like? Maybe a little like this…

“I conquered my temper, my worry, my lust, etc. Now I can just coast to the finish line.” 

“I built a beautiful marriage and raised good kids. My work here is done!”

“I helped convert my dear friend. I worked on them through my teaching and my example for years and they finally responded! I’ve done my duty in evangelism.” 

“For the past two decades I’ve been that person who made every visitor feel welcome, I’ve opened my home liberally, I’ve been a picture of hospitality. Time for someone else to take up the mantle.” 

These are not small things! These are tremendous spiritual victories! Yet, if we’re not careful, victory becomes complacency. Adding “arete” to our faith means that we continually press on toward excellence despite our accomplishments. It means that, like Paul, we forget the things that are behind and press on toward perfection. It means we refuse to allow what has been done to distract us from what still needs to be done (Philippians 3:12-14).

- Jonathan Banning, Minister — Temple Terrace Church of Christ

When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 3-4), Moses was understandably nervous to answer the great calling. But his understandable nervousness turned into unfaithful excuses. Four times in the conversation at the burning bush, he gave God reasons why he didn’t think he was the one for this task (and the fifth time, he simply said, “Please send someone else.”). His fearfulness had turned into disrespect. What may have started as humility had become cowardice. It’s no wonder that by Exodus 4:14, God was getting angry with Moses.

We often do the same thing with God’s commandments. We do not have the chance to argue verbally with him, but we go back and forth in our minds, rationalizing whether we will obey or make excuses for disobeying.

• God says: “Give to those who are in need.” We respond: “But I don’t have enough, and they wouldn’t appreciate it properly anyway.”
• God says: “Teach the lost about salvation thru my son.” We respond: “But evangelism isn’t my gift, and I don’t even know any non-Christians.”
• God says: “Keep far away from sexual immorality.” We respond: “But I have needs that aren’t being met,” or “How will I find my soulmate if I don’t…?”
• God says: “Don’t be greedy for money.” We respond: “I’m not being greedy; I just need enough money to give me security and joy in life.”

Our excuses do nothing to change what God has commanded; they only serve to anger our Father when we behave as disobedient children. We must have humble hearts to simply trust and obey—to do what God asks of us and make no excuses. Moses eventually obeyed God’s commands. Let’s strive to be more compliant than he was.

- Dan Lankford, minister

New Year’s resolutions are typically about making improvements in our lives: correcting some of more benign bad habits and improving upon the lifestyle habits that we already have. We start from a belief that we’re doing okay as things are, and we just want to make some improvements. And for spiritual people, it’s the same: we tend to start from a position a belief that we’re doing pretty well on December 31, and we just want to make some improvements on January 1.

But maybe for some of us, the New Year ought to be a time to take a good, hard look into our lives and fully repent of some sins. That’s not exactly on par with making small improvements. That’s a matter of faithfulness and obedience to God.

Repentance is what the apostles often called for in their letters to our first-century brothers and sisters. When Paul called out the many sinful habits in the Corinthian church, it was not just to make them sad, but to make them actually change their behaviors. When John confronted the churches in Asia Minor, he said simply and forcefully, “Repent.” And when Peter talked about why God’s final judgment hadn’t come yet, he said that it was because God was patiently giving all people the chance to repent.

And, perhaps more important than any of those was the first message that our Lord himself preached: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt. 4:17)

So…

• Have you habitually sinned against your family—against your spouse, your parents, or your kids? Then make 2025 a time to repent of it and change it.
• How about against your employer? Then make 2025 a time to repent of it and change it.
• How about against your church family? Then make 2025 a time to repent of it and change it.
• How about against those outside of Christ? Then make 2025 a time to repent of it and change it.
• And how about against God himself , most of all (cf. Psa. 51:4)? Then make 2025 a time to repent of it, confess it, and change it.

Will that be difficult? Yes. If we’re honest about our lives, or if we take it a step further and allow someone else to give an honest assessment of our lives… we’ll hear things that are difficult to hear. And so the question is not so much about what can I improve for this year as it is about what I must fix this year. Am I willing to do the hard work of self-examination, confession, and repentance so that I can serve God truly?

- Dan Lankford, minister

The initial tweet: “Jesus calls us to *be* different people, not just to *do* different things.”  The response: “And yet, sometimes the only way to be someone is to do something.”

As a Bible teacher, I have often spoken about the importance of being transformed people, of having hearts and minds that are changed to our very core, and of fully being Christians—not just doing Christian things. And I don’t regret any of that, because it’s all Biblically accurate. But I find, as I look across the landscape of Christian teaching, that sometimes, I and others have taught strongly on the concepts of being, and perhaps too weakly on the ideas of doing. As the Twitter conversation above says, “Sometimes, the only way to be someone is to do something.”

The reality is that God calls his people to do a lot, and the great test of our faith is not always whether we mentally or emotionally approve of them and really “open our hearts to his truth.” The test comes down to whether or not we actually do what he’s told us to do. The lives of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, David, Samuel, and Daniel were characterized by the things they did or did not do when they followed God’s instructions. And our lives ought to be the same.

So, do we simply do what God calls us to do? Do we behave as husbands and wives like God has told us to? Do we control our words and give thanks to him always? Do we give to the poor? Do we pray? Do we refrain from gluttony and drunkenness as he has said we must? Do we turn our eyes from things that tempt us, including envy, lust, and greed? Do we control our anger? Do we forgive others who have repented toward us? Do we attend assemblies with his people to worship him and edify others?

All of those questions are based on verbs—action words. And they just compel us to ask whether we have the faith to do what God has called us to do.

“But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (Jas. 2:18)

- Dan Lankford, minister

Which do you value more: perfection or honesty?

Which type of person would you rather have a relationship with: the one who never makes a mistake and never needs help from you, or the one who is willing to trust you and ask you to be there for them? Which type of friend would you rather have: One who will tell you the truth even when it’s difficult and messy, or one who will bend the truth to keep up good appearances and niceness? Which type of family would you rather be part of: One in which you can confess that you were wrong and hear someone sincerely say, “I forgive you,” or one in which your imperfections and failures are held in perpetuity as indicators that your character is flawed?

This simple dichotomy is one of the ongoing challenges that Christians face. Obviously, perfection is the goal and the calling (cf. Jas. 1:4), but that perfection depends on the ability to be honest, because all have sinned and fallen so far short of perfection (cf. Rom. 3:23). After all, what is the concept of confession but honestly confronting our sin and calling it what it really is? Perfection is not a pretense of no sin having ever existed in our past; it’s the acceptance of God’s grace that forgives the sins of the past. We can’t make ourselves unstained, but we can accept the stain-removing power of Christ in us. It’s not that we hide our sins and even our temptations; it’s that we confront them, repent of them, and turn to God to accept grace that overcomes them.

Obviously, we want to pursue both attributes in our own lives. We’re supposed to be perfect in our love for God, and we’re supposed to be honest about our failures. We’re supposed to be perfect in faithfulness to God, and we’re supposed to be honest that some temptations pull really hard on our hearts. We’re supposed to be perfect in the way we relate to our family and friends and neighbors, and we’re supposed to be honest when we sin against them so that we can repent of it and be forgiven.

Ultimately, we must learn to value both things, as they work in tandem to make us better. We must be people who value honesty even when it reveals unpleasant truth, and we must be people who strive for perfect faithfulness to God. May God help us achieve both.

- Dan Lankford, minister

With election season now fully upon us, I think it’s important that we be reminded of a few powerful, life-shaping truths:

First, that the church’s primary tool for changing the world is not politics; it’s The Gospel. Our task is not necessarily to get Christians into high offices; it’s for us Christians to be “the salt of the earth” that makes a positive impact on the world through our relationships in everyday life. Would it be better for everyone if our country’s laws were more faithful to God’s character and the Bible’s teachings? Yes. But will we still be able to serve God faithfully if the laws are not according to his ways? Also yes. Our king is Jesus, no matter who our President is.

Second, that there is no Bible command for who we should vote for. If you have convictions about that, keep in mind that while they may be Biblically informed and dearly held, it’s not a Christian’s place to bind them upon others as a matter of their righteousness.

Third, that neither political party will do the work of God in this world—that’s the job of Jesus’ church (which is his people). When I look at the two predominating political parties in this country, I see institutionalized error and attempts at righteous things in both. And so our choice is not between one that is right and the other that is wrong; our choice is which group of flawed humans and their ideals we will entrust to lead our country for the next four years.

And finally, that no matter who gains The White House in next month’s election, God will still reign over all the world’s kingdoms. Psalm 2 reminds us that YHWH and his Son reign above all the earth’s kings, and Psalm 1 reminds us that his righteous ones always put our total confidence in him alone!

- Dan Lankford, minister

“Now also finish the task, so that just as there was an eager desire, there may also be a completion…” (2 Cor. 8:11)

Zeal. Passion. Enthusiasm. Fire. Excitement. Drive. Eagerness.

Those words communicate the Christian mentality to all that is truly virtuous. They don’t necessarily mean that a person has a vibrant, outgoing personality. They do mean that when we observe behaviors like Bible study, prayer, church participation, generosity, moral purity, and teaching the lost about Christ… a person with “eager desire” will show ample evidence that those things matter to them.

I hope that each of us could say honestly and humbly that our lives demonstrate eagerness and zeal for the things of God. I hope that our preparedness and participation in Bible studies demonstrates that our zeal for those things overshadows our fear of what others will think of us because of our comments. I hope that our eagerness to bless others by hospitality outshines our concerns about messing up or looking silly in some way. I hope that our drive to help others by leading them in true worship eclipses our fears of being thought of in a negative light. I hope that our eagerness to participate in good works of the church compels us to be quick to sign up for all sorts of things when opportunities present themselves.

Holding back our enthusiasm for the things of God may be wise on a few rare occasions, but those occasions are just that: rare and few. Overall, saints are supposed to be people whose lives are defined by a fire that burns more and more brightly as time goes on. And that’s an act of will—a thing that we must decide. So are you deciding to live out genuine zeal for the things of God? If not, then it’s time to make some changes, so that where we have set our minds to becoming great Christians, we may finish what we have started and fully become who Christ calls us to be!

- Dan Lankford, minister