Beyond Common Sense

• Casual: relax, unconcerned
• Commitment: the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause; an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of actions

Somehow, the two words don’t seem to go together! And yet we can think of situations where casual commitment was quite obvious: the ball player who mostly sits on the bench because he doesn’t make the practices; a clarinet player who squeaks through the concert because she doesn’t practice; the housewife whose house is always a mess; the high IQ student with a C average. Casual commitment. Is it in the church as well?

When the early church was being formed, God did some pretty amazing things: first and foremost was the cruel cross, then Jesus’ glorious resurrection, His “after-resurrection” visits to His followers, and His amazing ascension. Next… they waited. Don’t you just love to wait? (While writing this, I am in my sixth week of sickness! Ugh!) They waited for TEN DAYS! Oh, the agony and doubts that begin to rise just after twenty-four hours of waiting. Can you imagine what must have gone through their minds, not knowing when the Romans might burst in and arrest them all? I’m sure they wondered if all they had experienced had all been real.

And then Pentecost: the Holy Spirit’s arrival; the wonderful multilingual message to the people; Peter’s first sermon delivered with such power; three thousand people saved, baptized, and joined to the church; the lame man healed; and Peter and John arrested by the Jewish leaders. Here is when Peter makes this profound statement: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard,” (Acts 4:19-20). They leave these learned men scratching their heads in wonder. And don’t you just LOVE this precious verse:

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13, emphasis added).

This is definitely NOT a casual commitment!

And then it happens. In Acts 5, we read about Ananias and Sapphira. If you’re not familiar with the story, check it out. Simply put, they lied to Peter and, more shockingly, to the Holy Spirit. Earlier in the chapter, Luke mentions that “great fear came upon all the church.” No kidding! Can you imagine if two of your church members instantly dropped dead in a church service? That’s enough to get the hardest heart’s attention! We would all be watching our Ps and Qs!

 But my attention was brought to verse thirteen:

“Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.”

David Guzik has an interesting comment. He says, “The community of Christians had a marvelous reputation for integrity, and everybody knew it was a serious thing to be a follower of Jesus. An Ananias and Sapphira incident would reduce the level of casual commitment” (blueletterbible.org).

Casual commitment. Is that how I want my dedication to Christ to be described? Sometimes, it seems as though it’s alright to be a sports nut who would rather die than miss a game or a fashion crazy whose clothing allowance is outlandish, but if you’re too involved in your walk with the Lord, you’re labeled as a legalistic fanatic.

WARNING! OPINION STATEMENT AHEAD!

As we plow forward in these crazy times, many wonder, “Is the Lord coming soon?” I love the wise statement of an older pastor who said, “His coming is definitely closer than yesterday!” I often hear comments that there will be persecution before Jesus comes, but persecution revives the church. This topic can seem confusing because Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 8:18). With all the mega churches bursting their seams, Jesus couldn’t come now, or could He? Is there true faith in the hearts of churchgoers? How many are just “casually committed” or perhaps not even born-again? How quickly would the sheep or goats scatter if God did something like what we read in Acts five? You may ask, “But how do I know if I’m just a casually committed Christian?”

Your heart! It’s not about all that you do but all that you are! Some folks CAN’T do much for Christ, but God knows their hearts. It’s simply a matter of saying yes to whatever God calls you to do. It may be planting a flower or pushing a broom or, how glamorous, cleaning a toilet. But whatever the task, it will bring a sweet contentment to your heart because you hear those wonderful words echoing somewhere in the back of your mind:

“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:23).