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Do you draw a strong distinction between full time ministry workers and laymen? Do you see your own occupation as full time Christian work? Let me rephrase the question. Are you a full time Christian? Have I instructed you that you are to do whatever you do as unto me? The Bible recognizes church offices, but it makes a stronger case for inclusion and all belonging to one body than it does for multiple classes of believers. I want you to think of whatever you do as full time Christian work, whether you are a farmer, engineer, barber, or truck driver, among others.

Have you ever killed time? You understand that time cannot be killed in the same way that living sentient beings can, but this is a common phrase never the less, and for good reason. If you pass time without any accomplishment or worthwhile activity, it is just as dead, and it will pass at a uniform rate either way. Does this concept imply that you have a duty to move ahead, to make connections and progress? I told my disciples that their time was always ready. Have you ever been in a situation where there was nothing beneficial you could do?

Do you believe in Santa Claus? Children believe in Santa because adults tell them to. The adults know better, and generally leave it to the kids to figure out the truth on their own. Yet adult believers who claim not to believe in Santa still have an approach to prayer. What are the essential features of your prayer life? Does it involve a list of requests? Do you expect answers on the basis of whether you have been naughty or nice? Do you ask primarily for toys for yourself?

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Are you an evangelist? The Great Commission applies to every believer. Where do you begin? You have certain doctrines that you consider essential to your faith, so you may be tempted to begin there, cutting to the chase, so to speak. But your audience may not be ready for that. Education typically proceeds in a logical progression, building concept upon concept. Evangelism is a type of education, and people learn what they don’t know by comparison to what they do know.

Do you face opposition to the advancement of your faith? Do you identify this as coming from your spiritual adversary known as the accuser? Is this a doctrinal position, or something you have a conscious awareness of in real life? The opposition is real enough. Do you see it more as external resistance or internal resistance? Can you identify sources of external resistance? What about internal resistance? Can you examine your own fears, biases, prejudices, narrow, lazy, sloppy, or self-serving thinking, and realize how these things are holding you back?

Do you like stability and predictability? Do you like to be comfortable? These things are generally preferred, but if these are your primary goals you will live a life that is too small for you. Growth requires exposure to the new and unfamiliar. There is no predictability in new situations, and you cannot expect to be proficient in new tasks on your first attempt. Don’t let this fear discourage you from moving onward. Anything worth doing is worth doing badly at first. How else would you start? I have called you to follow me, but everywhere I lead you I will be beside you and support you.

Do you like things that are entertaining? Do you find things that are informative to be more helpful, for they enlarge your understanding? Is there yet another step to take? What about things that are profound? Informative sources give you facts, but things that are profound address transcendent subjects in an articulate way. Their truth is enduring rather than transient. Truth that is forever is more important than that which is only true today. Haven’t you observed this already?

Do you normally think of courage as a virtue of soldiers? Is it possible to be courageous if you are not a soldier? Are you a courageous person? Combat is a special category, but even in everyday life it is possible to show moral courage, and even here there is a distinction. If the culture, or the crowd you are in, is going in the wrong direction you can part company and follow the path you regard as true according to your own conscience. And there is still another distinction, for you can do this silently, or you can speak out against what you see as the wrong direction.

Do you have a title? How strongly do you identify with your title? Do you know that I never wore a nametag? You may say they hadn’t been invented yet, but there were indicators of rank and status in my day, but I didn’t have any of them.  If I had worn a nametag what would have been written on it? You have many titles for me, but the one I chose for myself was the Son of Man. Does this seem like the least grand of all the descriptions that you could apply to me? It is not wrong to hold an office, but you should be wary of the influence a title has on you. Is it enough to be my child?