Mark Carey writes

Part of my summer TV viewing is the documentary called “All or Nothing” – following my beloved Arsenal through the highs and lows of last season. Now, bear with me all of you who have immediately started switching off because football bores you – I do have a point to make that may be helpful!

Documentaries give you an insight into something, but they are always and only a limited insight. You don’t ever, truly understand until you are flesh on flesh with the people or living in the situation. I am aware, watching the Arsenal documentary that a lot more is happening behind the scenes. The same can be said of God’s kingdom and the way of Jesus – sometimes we get the documentary version that gives a glimpse of some of the internal workings. But this is simply a glimpse – helpful – but not the whole story. We are invited to be flesh on flesh – not viewers, spectators, on-lookers and dare I say it……. church-goers. This means we give ourselves to being set apart for God – part of the documentary and not just viewers. The Bible word for this is ‘consecration’ – set apart as holy – dedicated to a higher purpose. A disciple of Jesus is one who is set apart for a higher purpose in our ordinary lives – people get to see us and realise that there is much more to this than turning up to a service in a church building.

A final thought – ‘All or Nothing’ is a pretty good title for the life of a follower of Jesus – consecration to Him and His way means we have chosen all or nothing – St Paul put it in this way -

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him…”