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Full Time or Part Time · Fostering Faith

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  Welcome back to Fostering Faith. I'm going to
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  be your host Tracie Foster. And in this episode,
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  it has really just been part of something that's
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  kind of been working in my brain. And so consistency,
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  consistency, consistency, consistency with a
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  diet, consistency with working out, consisting,
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  you know, consistency showing up for your family,
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  your friends, your job. I mean, consistency really
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  is the key to success. I mean, If you want a
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  business, you consistently have to work at it
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  and improve. If you want your health, you have
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  to consistently, you know, choose the better
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  foods. If you want bigger muscles, you have to
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  consistently, you know, lift weights and be stronger.
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  If you want a better marriage, you have to consistently
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  date your spouse. If you want, you know, to be
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  better in most things, you have to consistently
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  show up. And so I think that we are a society
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  of just half -hearted... kind of show up whenever
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  you want to, hope for the best, it's gonna be
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  fine. And we're so inundated with trying to be
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  perfect and have so many things in our lives
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  that we cannot show up consistently for everything
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  that is on our lives. And so we have to really
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  prioritize what we really need to be consistent
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  with. And so that's what brings me to this topic.
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  And so welcome back to Fostering Faith. If you've
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  not been here, I am Tracy. I'm your host. I am
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  the mother of Gia, the wife of Derek, and just
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  a person that is on fire for Jesus. I started
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  back to school. I'm in seminary for a master's
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  in theology and Bible study. uh and I just doing
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  these podcasts just to to deepen my faith to
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  show up consistently um and if you know me I'm
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  consistent I'm consistent I will constantly show
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  up if I say I'm gonna do something I'm gonna
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  do it and I say no to a lot of things because
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  I want to be consistent on what the things that
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  are important to me and so the power of no to
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  show up consistently for those for what is important
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  and that way I don't overbook myself. I don't
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  do things that I don't want to do. And I think
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  that that's greatly important in a society that
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  we live in because we want to be busy and we
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  want to do all the things. But it's the power
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  of no, I'm not doing that. That doesn't interest
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  me. I don't want to do that. I don't want to
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  be on that committee. I don't want to be on that
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  board. I don't know. I don't want to do that.
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  Thank you. And so. those that are returning,
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  welcome back home. And today we're gonna be diving
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  into a message that's been on my heart. And it's,
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  are we living a part -time Christian life? Are
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  we living a full -time Christians? And it's not
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  about being perfect, but it's about being consistent.
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  So ask yourself, what happens after we leave
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  church on Sunday? Do we clock out on Jesus? Like
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  the ship's over, hey, we're done, I'm out, see
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  you next Sunday. Or do we carry him into our
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  Monday or Tuesday and every day after? And so
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  this episode is going to be real and we're going
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  to be maybe convicting. And but it's also going
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  to be freeing all at the same time. So let's
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  be honest, it's easy to dress up and go to church
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  on Sunday, raise your hands and even tie it in
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  the bucket on Sunday. But what about Wednesday
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  afternoon when your coworker kicks you off? What
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  about Friday night when the pressure is on to
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  go along with the crowd? A lot of us, if we're
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  honest, treat Christianity like a part -time
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  job. We're available when it fits into our schedule,
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  but we clock off when life gets inconvenient.
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  And James 1 .22 says, do not merely listen to
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  what the world, so it deceives ourselves. Do
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  what it says. In other words, being a Christian
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  is not about clocking in and clocking out. It's
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  about transformation. And that's what they said
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  in class the other day. They were like, you know,
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  seminary is not about grades. It's not about
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  this. It's not about that. It's about a transformation
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  that's going to happen to you while you walk
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  with Jesus, while you sit with the Holy Spirit.
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  It's about a transformation of your heart and
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  your mind. And so I just think it's so important
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  that we consistently show up. We will be changed
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  from the inside out. And so what does full -time
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  Christianity look like? Now, contrast that with
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  being a full -time Christian. What does it mean
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  when you're preaching on stage every day? It
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  doesn't mean that you are perfect. It means your
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  faith is integrated into every part of your life.
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  As we have Colossians 3 .17 that says, whatever
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  you do, whether in word or deed, do it in the
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  name of the Lord Jesus. And that means whenever
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  you're at work. Whenever you're on the ball field,
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  whenever you're talking to your spouse, whenever
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  you're scrolling on your phone, you're still
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  a Christian. You're still called to reflect Christ.
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  And that's what I tell my kids all the time is
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  that you are a walking billboard for Christ.
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  Whether you're on the basketball court, whether
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  you're on the football field, you just you're
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  here in youth now. That doesn't leave. You don't
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  get to take off that hat. And so here's the kicker.
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  The world's watching. The youth in your home
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  are watching, your teammates, your co -workers,
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  your neighbors. They're looking for consistency,
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  not perfection, but authenticity. Full -time
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  faith that says, my relationship with Jesus doesn't
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  end when the benediction is given on Sunday morning.
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  And so, for the youth that's listening, being
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  a full -time Christian means standing up for
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  what's right when your friends are gossiping.
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  choosing to walk away from whenever temptation
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  pulls, and daring to say, I follow Jesus, even
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  if it costs me my popularity. And for the adults,
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  it means leading with integrity at work, refusing
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  not to cut corners, speaking kindness over criticism,
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  prioritizing prayer at home, and not just in
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  the pew. Think of it like sports practice. If
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  you only show up on game day and never practice
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  during the week, you're going to get smoked on
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  the court. Someone's gonna break your ankles
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  for the kids out there. And the same with your
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  faith. If you live and only do it on Sundays,
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  you will crumble when life throws pressure your
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  way because you've not trained. You've not been
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  consistent. You don't know what's in the scriptures.
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  Jesus doesn't call us to do part -time discipleship.
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  In loop 923, it says, whoever wants to be my
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  disciple must deny themselves and take up their
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  cross daily to follow me. The word daily. That's
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  full time Christianity. And so let's dive a little
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  deeper. And you have Paul in Romans 12, one that
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  says, it calls us to offer our bodies as a living
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  sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is
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  your true and proper worship. sacrifice is not
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  part time. It doesn't come off the altar when
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  things get hard. That's what makes this call
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  super radical. Karl Barth once said that faith
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  does not part shape the whole of life, is no
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  faith at all. Let's repeat that. So Karl Barth,
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  a known theologian, and says that Faith that
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  does not shape the whole of your life is not
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  faith at all. Tim Mackey from The Bible Project.
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  And if you've not listened to The Bible Project,
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  go read it. Go listen to it. It is great, great,
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  great. If you're going to study a chapter or
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  a book, go watch the videos first and let him
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  explain it to you. And then go and read. And
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  it just makes the whole book. Just come alive.
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  And so Tim Mackey from the Bible Project explains
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  it this way. The biblical word for faith is E
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  -M -U -N -A -H. Enuma. It is not an intellectually
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  agreement, but a covenant of loyalty. This means
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  that you're not nodding your head at a sermon.
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  You're aligning your life to the God who saved
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  you. Theologically, when we treat Christianity
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  as a part time, We reduce God to an accessory
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  instead of the Lord of our life. But Jesus isn't
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  interested in being an accessory. He's king.
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  He is the king that rules every part of your
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  life. And so how can we actually do this? How
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  can we put this into practice every day? One,
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  start your morning off with Him. Before you check
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  your phone, check in with God. Two, Integrate
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  prayer into your daily routine, not just before
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  meals, but in the car, in the shower, in between
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  classes, in between meetings, in every aspect
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  of your day. I mean, just whenever anything goes
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  good. I mean, whenever you hear something, instead
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  of texting your friend, go to God with it. Three,
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  live accountable. Find a brother or sister who
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  is willing to check in with you and not just
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  about church attendance, but about your walk
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  with Jesus. Four, guard your inputs. What you
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  watch, what you listen to, what you scroll, it
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  shapes your output. A full -time Christian filters
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  everything because we have to guard our gates
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  through the lenses of Christ. Five, embrace consistency
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  over perfection. Don't give up whenever you fail.
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  Repent, reset, and try it again. And that's full
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  -time faith. And so let me leave you with this.
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  Are you a part -time Christian? Are you a full
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  -time Christian? When the music stops, when the
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  sermon ends, when Monday morning chaos begins,
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  are you still carrying Jesus with you? Or did
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  you clock out Sunday at 1130? Jesus gave his
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  whole life for us. The least that we can do for
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  him is give our whole life back, and not just
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  out of obligation, but out of love. And so I
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  would love to pray for you today. Dear Heavenly
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  Father, thank you so much for these listeners.
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  Thank you so much for this day. I pray today
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  that we will choose you, that we choose to live
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  a full -time life, a life of sacrifice, everyday
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  disciples, because whenever we do, the world
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  won't hear the gospel on Sunday and see you all
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  week long. Thank you for consistency. Thank you
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  that you always show up for us and that we will
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  always show up for you. Thank you for all that
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  you do. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Thanks so
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  much for joining us today on Fostering Faith.
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  I just encourage you, share it with a friend.
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  And remember, faith isn't just part -time, it's
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  a lifestyle. And so we love you guys. Have an
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  amazing week.