Brilliance in the Basics

If we want to address the ills of the world that surround us as Christians, I believe we need another reformation. And if we are to have another reformation, we must return to the basics of Christian living.

In November 2002 I had the distinct honor of checking into First Force Reconnaissance Company. As a non-infantry man, a POG, I got there by sheer luck not because I had passed the rigorous selection and training that operators must pass in order to become part of that community. Suffice it to say I did not deserve to be there, I was there by grace alone. But I will never forget the advice of the Sergeant Major when I checked in; “You did not earn your way here, and if you want to stay here, you must prove every single day that you deserve to be here!”

It wasn’t long before I knew exactly what it meant to prove myself. You see these men were the elite of the elite. The guys that they make movies about and tell stories of generations later. to this day those men are my heroes. From outside their world they seem like giants, accomplishing impossible tasks. And they are, but not for the reason most think. You see many look at these guys and think their strength lies in all of the advanced skills they acquire and master, but that is not the case. You see these men and men like them are successful in all they do because of their ability to master the basics. Outside of this community you meet great men as well, but they just do not have the level of mastery in the basics of combative as these men did.

It was brilliance in the basics that made them so successful at what they did. They knew how to shoot, move, and communicate better than any other Marines I knew. It was these three basic skills that I was told I must master. It was these skills that I must improve every single day.

So it is apparent that the battle for the world is raging all around us. As Christians we are called to prepare for war. If we hope to be of any effect in this battle then we ourselves must seek to become brilliant in the basics. In order to do that we must understand what those basics are, in order to understand what the basics are we must return to see what the first church was doing that week after Pentecost.

The Fellowship of the Believers

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42-47

These people were focused on three things it seems. Worship, through learning from the apostles, praying, taking of the sacraments and gathering at the temple daily. Witness, through the wonders and signs being done, caring for one another, and having favor with all the people. Fellowship, breaking bread in each others homes, eating, sharing what they had.

They were working on the basics, Worship, Witness, and Fellowship. And through that God added to their number daily. It wasn’t through flashy presentations, better music, more door to door visiting. It was through their worship of the true God, their witness of the Kingdom of Christ in their lives, and their fellowship with one another that God changed the world as we know it.

If we want to change the world we must start at the lowest level, with ourselves, with our families, and with our churches. If we cannot get those right, then we have no hope of changing the world.