Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

For Christians who have suffered, especially those who live in poverty, it is no surprise that life is hard, tragedy strikes often, and encounters with evil are a daily part of life. Believers who live outside America’s middle class (which is most of the world’s population) know by experience that a wartime footing is the only way to live the Christian life. Peacetime Distractions Part of the reason Christians struggle with so many sinful addictions and distractions is because they live like peacetime soldiers. Mark Batterson said, “One reason many of us get entangled in sin is because we don’t have enough God-ordained vision to keep us busy. The more vision you have, the less you will sin. And the less vision you have the more you will sin. It is a vision from God that keeps us playing offense spiritually. Too often we try to stop sinning by not sinning … The way to stop sinning is not by focusing on not sinning. The way to stop sinning is by getting a God-sized vision that consumes all your time and energy.” 63 A God-sized vision gives EPIC Christians a wartime footing . They have no time for meaningless arguments and are fiercely loyal to their leaders and co-laborers. Concentrating less on themselves and more on their contribution to the Kingdom, they work hard at the spiritual disciplines and seek creative ways to represent Christ inside and outside the church. They seek to learn more about God, but never assume they have everything figured out. They are willing to be surprised by God, but never caught off guard by the enemy’s schemes.

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