As followers of Jesus, we are called upon to be both people of faith and those who inhabit the world. We should demonstrate a genuine concern for the world and be involved with the actual issues of our time. Yet, at one and the same time, we should relate intimately with God and be men and women of prayer. While this dual role may lead to tension, it must be our desire to live a life of faith in both the community of faith and that of the world. If we are to live in both communities, successfully we will need a great deal of common sense. Our faith must be practical and down to earth if it is to move between both communities without it becoming dualistic or schizophrenic. Indeed, it takes a healthy and holistic faith to moves comfortably between the two communities without getting sucked into the ghetto-like existence that is often the church or overwhelmed by the world and its values. Like Jesus, we have to be in the world without becoming of the world. We must eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners while remaining in fellowship with God and his people.
