Eric Heath - March 28, 2025
In the middle of his letter to the church at Colossae, the apostle Paul instructs the people of Christ (at Colossians 3:17): “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
I know that there are many people, maybe even some of you reading, who view Christianity as a part of who they are. Your faith is one component of you, a part of your make-up, alongside a number of other things: your job, your family status, your hobbies and interests, your political affiliation, and everything that goes into the mix. And in a way, this is true! We have each been gifted with different strengths and personalities that allow us to view, approach, and interact with the world and each other in different and unique ways.
The challenge of the above verse is that it doesn’t seem to leave us room to compartmentalize our faith as readily as we might some of the other ways that we view ourselves or the world. If I am a truck driver by trade, that has no real bearing on what kind of movies I enjoy watching. The colour of my hair doesn’t impact how I spend my leisure time. Yet, if I believe what Paul has to say, my relationship with the Father through Jesus is going to have an effect on everything that I say and everything that I do. No exceptions. All of those parts of me – those things that I like to compartmentalize off to the side – they are actually subcategories of my faith in Christ.
One of the courses that I took during my seminary study was called “Applying the Gospel”, and the first objective of the course read as follows: “Students will be fluent in the message of the Gospel and how the regenerating and renewing work of Jesus changes everything they are and do.” Everything. That can sound daunting. Especially if you have been content to view your faith as simply a part of who you are, how do you start to “apply the gospel” into the areas of your life that you have left untouched?
One way that I have found to help break down the seeming weight of this question is to ask three questions of any piece of Scripture that I am studying – and I think these are helpful questions for all of us to have in mind when we search God’s word for application in our life. I use the words THINK, THANK, ACT. Specifically, I ask the following questions:
- How is this passage of Scripture working to change the way that I think (about God, about other people, about the world)?
- What is this passage of Scripture encouraging me to be thankful to God for?
- How is this passage of Scripture encouraging me to act differently?
In thinking through the answers to these questions, I am mindful of the call in Colossians 3:17 that I am to do everything in Jesus’ name – so when I consider the answers to these questions, I must be mindful of whether my answer is something that brings honour to that very name. This THINK-THANK-ACT framework pushes me to consider how I can love God with all my mind, heart, and strength – and forces me to personalize the answers into my life, and the various components of my identity: husband, father, pastor, friend, ambassador of the kingdom of heaven in the world, and so on. I have found it to be tremendously helpful! Maybe you might as well.
As we come out of Spring Break here at Northview, there is another option available for you to consider how you apply the gospel in various aspects of your life. This is the time of year that we begin our TLC (Theology, Life, and Culture) semester. One of the goals of our TLC courses is to apply the gospel in a variety of different areas of life – you can view this year’s course offerings here! Most courses begin this week and run for the next month or two (depending on the course). If you haven’t already signed up for one, I’d encourage you to take a look!
See you this weekend,
Eric