The apostle Paul describes his missionary work: “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10.5 NIV11). In its immediate context, the statement refers to the task of winning people to Christ, dismantling any kind of intellectual barrier—reasonings, arguments, objections—to the gospel of Christ.
In his devotional guide My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers offers a complementary perspective, applying it primarily to those who already consider themselves followers of Christ. He suggests, “so much Christian work today has never been disciplined, but has simply come into being by impulse!” And often such impulsive action is mistakenly praised or commended as religious zeal. The problem with such commendation is that it gives rise to a kind of ministry that is governed more by our own desires and preferences rather than the will of God. “We take ‘every thought’ or project that comes to us by impulse and jump into action immediately, instead of imprisoning and disciplining ourselves to obey Christ.”
It appears that the primary focus of Chamber’s thoughts is the radical activists, who tend to see every need or task as a new and immediate call to action. The activist can become critical of those who do not immediately
join in the action as slow, lazy, or lacking in zeal. What matters is action … now!
I would also like to suggest that the problem might also arise among the conservative traditionalists, who see everything from a predetermined set of directions. Their only concern is that every ministry must comply with the way it has always been done. What matters is that the traditions are upheld.
Either way, both the activist and the traditionalist end up acting impulsively without giving sufficient attention to the will of God. Zeal is defined by personal preference—action for the activist; tradition for the traditionalist.
Again, Chambers says, “True determination and zeal are found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that arises from our own undisciplined human nature.” Every ministry must be engaged with a “determined discipline” that builds and nurtures the mindset of Christ, whose speech and action were always aligned with the will of the Father (John 5.10; 8.28). The result is that personal decisions and ministry decisions are consciously and intentionally made with full regard to the will of God. Then Christian life and service will bear the stamp of obedience.
—Keith Y. Jainga