3 Radical Ways to Live Your Faith

Living the Kingdom in the here and now

As Christians, we know we’re supposed to live differently.

After all, we’ve been brought into a new reality, a new kingdom. We’ve been made new and set on a different path. Called by God to live as salt and light in this world.

But how do we do this?

In our day and age, how are we to live differently?

Here’s three suggestions.

Listen without the need to respond

Everyday we encounter something we disagree with.

Our culture encourages us to respond immediately and passionately. To fight the perceived wrongness of an idea without holding back.

But what if disciples of Jesus modeled a different way?

A way of listening to understand and make the person whom we disagree with feel heard and known—not judged and corrected.

After all, it was spoken by Isaiah that Jesus “will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.” (Matthew 12:19).

Befriend the socially non-strategic

How many friends do you have in which you gain nothing from?

Friends which don’t advance your personal or professional goals. Friends who inhabit a different social strata, economic background, or moral commitments.

Who are the people whom you welcome into your life that make no sense to others?

Pray for your enemies

It’s easier than ever to find enemies today.

Just google something you disagree with and you’ll have a list of people to easily despise. Or scroll through your contact list on your phone. I’m confident some names will pop up that illicit emotions of judgement and anger.

We all have enemies….but do we all pray for them?

Jesus was clear that his disciples are a people who pray for their enemies and bless their persecutors (Matthew 5:44).

This was a radical mark of discipleship then and it still is now.

Living the kingdom

Living out the kingdom of God is not a simple thing.

It involves creatively and prayerfully engaging with God in every sphere of our existence. This means it can get not only complicated but overwhelming. But God is kind and doesn’t expect us to have everything figured out or live his will perfectly at all times—only Jesus could and did so for us.

So take these three suggestions as just that—suggestions.

Consider them practical launching pads into living into the kingdom where God has you this week.