How can we think that we can receive the very Spirit of the Living God to indwell us, and we live ordinary? Really now, think on that. The very Spirit of God that hovered over the face of the deep in Genesis 1 is the very same Spirit that now lives in us…what must that look like from heaven? How can we qualify being filled with the fullness of the Godhead bodily and then live ordinary? We didn’t receive an “ordinary” saviour did we? No, I think not.
I found another definition of “ordinary” that really struck me. Historically, an “ordinary” was also the title of an ecclesiastical office, the title of a church worker. The literal definition of an Ordinary is as follows, “a member of the clergy appointed to prepare condemned prisoners for death!” Wow! That really hit me. Why? Because unfortunately today we have many church leaders who are doing nothing but that if the truth be known. They are only preparing their church members for death; getting them ready to “go to heaven” where everything will be okay.
As ministers we’re surely called to prepare people for entrance into heaven, I don’t dispute that, but Jesus Christ said He came that we might have life, and life more abundantly, HERE AND NOW, not just when we get to heaven! Can you see that? We’ve been told that we are joint heirs with Jesus Christ, that we’ve been given authority to cast out devils, lay hands on the sick so they might recover, speak in tongues and demonstrate His infinite goodness in the land of the living. We won’t be exercising too much authority in the land of the angels in heaven because there won’t be any enemies to overcome there.
I don’t want to be an “ordinary” type of minister. I don’t want to be an ordinary Christian. Its one thing to tell people that everything will be okay when they get to heaven, but its an entirely different matter to teach them that they are to reign as kings IN LIFE by Christ Jesus. This is one reason why Satan fights so hard against any teaching that divulges to God’s people their authority as a born-again believer, in the Name of Jesus Christ. Hell and its minions is quite happy for Christians to be focused only on the heaven they’ll experience in the future, as at least that way they won’t be focused on what it takes to set others free today in the present!
The opposite of ordinary is EXTRAordinary. The definition of extraordinary is, “beyond what is usual, beyond ordinary or regular, exceptional in character, exceptional in amount, exceptional in extent and degree; noteworthy; remarkable.” Jesus did not come that we might have life, and have life more normally; He came that we might have life and have it EXTRAordinarily!
God wants to put an “extra” in front of everything that has to do with this life, in the lives of His children. He wants us to have amazing faith, exceptional character, more than enough finances, extreme health and on and on it goes. Why? Because this is what is to distinguish His people from among all the peoples of the earth. Why is that so important? Because seeing this in God’s people is what will attract the other nations to want to know our God too! ALL of God’s blessing and intent for us is designed to draw attention to Him, so that others might be saved. That’s why it is a great injustice to the work of Jesus Christ to live passively, and settle for second best all the time, and just live ordinary.
Remember the testimony that we as God’s people are to have is seen in Deuteronomy 4:5-7 (Amplified Bible):
5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land which you are entering to possess.
6 So keep them and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
7 For what great nation is there who has a god so near to them as the Lord our God is to us in all things for which we call upon Him?
The Lord’s intent is that other nations see how near He is to us when we call upon Him. They want to see results not theory. You can’t live passively and see the results that God says should be in the lives of His people. You can’t live ordinary. You can’t live natural. You’re called to have an “extra” in front of your ordinary, and a “super” in front of your natural. THAT is what will attract the world’s attention to our Living God. May God forgive us for living only in hope for tomorrow, instead of faith for today.
This is why everything that God asks of us is to create maximum dependence upon Him. As I read recently,* God calls us to do the impossible. He demands that we see what is invisible. He thrusts us into situations that would overwhelm us. It could be rescuing more than a million people from bondage to the most cruel, occult, and oppressive regime of the day (Pharoah’s Egypt). Or it could be building a boat where there is no body of water large enough to float it, then populating it with every species of life imaginable, as Noah did.
How would we feel about taking the most fortified city in our world by ordering a week of silence followed by a single shout? (Joshua did it) Would we cheerfully stand by as God reduces our army to one percent of the original number because He liked how those guys drank water? (Gideon had to) This effectively raised the odds from 4:1 to 400:1 in favour of the enemy, making dependency a very real issue.
God wants us to live in a state of extraordinary faith and trust. He knows our weaknesses, and is okay with that. The reason He is happy to send us out as lambs amongst wolves is because He is hugely confident in His own ability to watch over us and protect us as we obey Him. When we do our part, in obedience to His word, He does His part, in faithfulness to His promise.
2015 is the year we throw caution to the wind, and quit focusing on just getting to heaven. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “A little faith will get you to heaven, but a great faith will get heaven to you.” Rebuke the desire for the ordinary in your life. Be delivered from the commonplace and the unexceptional. Repent of mediocrity in your life and jump off the cliff, into the arms of Christ who is more than able to catch you, set you down in safety, and walk beside you throughout your time on earth, and into eternity! Be EXTRAordinary!
Rod Anderson