What is Normal?
What is your “Normal.” Is it a true statement when people say something like: “Business as usual.” What is business as usual? Is it a statement of proficiency or a statement of mediocrity? Is there a normal in the kingdom of God and if there is, what does it look like?
Let’s just all agree that normal in the kingdom does not look like what we have seen in our lifetime. It looks more like the way Jesus demonstrated it in his lifetime.
What is normal for most people today?
Normal is: “do not rock the boat.” Why do you want to be radical? Why do you have to be different and not just do what we expect you to do? We are comfortable with ticking the boxes. We are totally able to predict what Sunday is going to look like. Five songs, Offering, sermon and some time to pray. Then we all go home and do it over again next Sunday. Normal looks like we choose who we hang out with and when we get there and when we leave.
Normal is: “Safe Theology.” We can explain every reason why something happens or doesn’t happen. Safe theology is a god we created with our own understanding. Safe theology happens when we don’t understand God, then He is sovereign and we don’t have to step into being uncomfortable with not having answers. Safe theology means we are safe and we don’t give a flip about other people, they each have to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Safe theology means suffering for the kingdom is not included and we didn’t sign up for it.
Normal is: I am in my own world. I don’t have to talk to you. I don’t have to share my faith because I separate my church life from my faith life. I drive up at home and shut the garage door behind me. Normal is we don’t talk with neighbors anymore. Normal is loving myself before I love someone else. Normal is, I am in it to win even if it cost you something. Normal is not being considerate and normal is not being contented with what we have.
What does “normal” in the kingdom look like? How did Jesus demonstrate the kingdom? Nothing in the kingdom is business as usual. The kingdom is proficient but not mediocre.
Kingdom Normal looks like love. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another. The Kingdom Normal starts with love. Kingdom Normal looks like laying your life down for others. Kingdom Normal looks like serving each other, being the first to take the lowest seat in the house and giving preference to the weak in faith. Kingdom Normal looks like forgiving others even when they don’t deserve it.
Kingdom Normal looks like feeding the poor, healing the sick and visiting the widows. Kingdom Normal looks like turning the cheek, walking the second mile and praying for your enemies. Kingdom Normal looks like sharing the Gospel, bringing heaven to earth and picking up your cross. Kingdom Normal looks like extravagant worship, standing in the gap and waiting on the Lord until you are endued with power from on high.
Kingdom Normal looks like prayer in a prison, being beaten for preaching the good news and dying on a cross. Kingdom Normal is loving your wife and children, submitting one to another and keeping the oil burning in your lamps. Kingdom Normal is setting the captives free, proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord and healing the brokenhearted. Kingdom Normal is extravagant love, abundant giving and fully surrendering your life to the one that paid for it.
Kingdom normal is walking on water, sleeping with lions and sleeping in a storm. Kingdom normal is getting through a fire, taking your stronghold and killing your giants. Kingdom normal is loving the children, not condemning the guilty and forgiving the robbers. Kingdom normal is opposing the religious, turning the tables over and making God’s house a place of prayer again.
Kingdom normal is what we all are called to do.
What is your normal? Is there enough evidence in your life to convict you as one of His disciples?
