John 10:10(NKJV) 10The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
I was ministering this past weekend in a youth service at a wonderful church, the Door Fellowship in Williamsport Pa. As I was participating in their worship service, they sang a song that spoke of the Lord as being extraordinary. That word stuck in my heart and as I got up to speak to these young people, I encouraged them that they had the opportunity to be extraordinary as well.
What does the word “extraordinary” mean? The definition is in the two words that make it up. Extraordinary means beyond ordinary. Jesus does not want you to be ordinary. He has created you to be something much more than that. The new birth unlocks the potential for the extraordinary in your life.
The New Birth is not just a religious choice. When we meet Jesus, we do not join a church or become part of a movement. We are changed at the core of our being. I have cited 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 many times in this space, but those verses and what they represent simply cannot be stressed enough. When we choose to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, we become new creatures. We are not what and who we were before. We are no longer part of the natural human race alone. We become part of a race of people who live in the natural world but they do not draw their life from that world.
If we understand this truth, we come to realize that the potential we have in life is unlimited. In today’s verse, Jesus tells us that he came to give us abundant life. That is not just a poetic term to describe some religious ideal. That is what Jesus says we can have. Abundant life is not ordinary life. Abundant life is extraordinary life.
Thayer’s Bible Definitions defines this word as:
1a) over and above, more than is necessary.
1b) superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon
Strong’s Greek Dictionary says it is “superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality).”
The life Jesus gives to every believer should be greater in quantity than anything the natural world has to offer. By quantity, it is obvious that, since this life is eternal life that will never end, there is simply more of it. However, I believe this does not mean quantity in the sense of length alone. As a Christian, you can have a bigger, fuller life than someone who does not know Jesus.
The quality of life that a Christian can enjoy should be higher than any other life a person can live. It should have more blessing, more meaning and more impact than a person who does not have abundant life available to them. Make no mistake, if you do not know Jesus, than abundant life is not yours. Jesus came to bring that life. Without him, you are left with what the thief brings. However if you are born again this life is yours by right and inheritance.
I want to focus on Thayer’s definition for a moment. Thayer tells us that this life is “over and above.” What is this life over and above? It is “over and above” anything else! It is over and above any other kind of life. It is over and above any need. There is nothing this kind of life cannot handle.
He also says it is superior or extraordinary. That is what I really want to focus on this week. Most people aspire to more than just the ordinary. However, most people never do extraordinary things in the worldly sense. In our society, we are enthralled with the “special” people. These are the ones with gifts or talents that put them in the public eye. They may be athletes, entertainers or politicians. Often they are just people who, for some reason, find their way into the news. They may have no special talent at all, but something makes them seem special. Usually it is something strange. Most people live their lives comparing themselves with these people and usually they come up lacking in some way.
We need to understand that it is not fame or gifts that make someone extraordinary. A person is not extraordinary because of who knows their name or even what they can do. A person is truly extraordinary when they know the one who makes all things extraordinary. We are extraordinary when we partake of the extraordinary, abundant life that Jesus came to give us.
I believe we all have the potential to be extraordinary people who will live an extraordinary life. Look at Romans 12.
Romans 12:3(NKJV) 3For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
In this verse, Paul tells us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We should not become arrogant and think that we have some potential to be extraordinary that no one else has. He does not tell us to think less highly of ourselves than we ought either. He tells that we should think soberly. What does this mean?
To think soberly means to look at our lives realistically. What is our realistic potential? He tells us what it is. He says the lord has dealt to every one of us the measure of faith. Every person who is born again has the same potential to live an extraordinary and abundant life.
This week I want to look at some people that lived extraordinary lives and find out what made them extraordinary. However, first I want all of us to begin to see the truth of who we are in Christ. No one has more potential than you do. Nevertheless, we must also understand that being extraordinary is not something that is automatic just because you are saved. You have the potential to be an extraordinary person and live an extraordinary life, but that is your choice.
We can choose to be a Christian, but stay on the edges. We can go to church, try to be a good person and one day go to heaven. We can try to limit the sins we commit and make sure that we repent every so often. We can find a “balance” between our religious life and the natural world. We can choose not be too extreme. We can probably make it to heaven living that kind of Christianity, but we will never be extraordinary.
We can also choose to be a Christian who dives into the fullness of abundant life. We can choose not to settle for a “balanced” life. Truly extraordinary people are never balanced even in the natural. We can choose to be sold out for the Lord. We can choose to receive everything Jesus has for us. We can give all we are to him and in turn receive all he is. We can choose to be extraordinary.
Extraordinary is not always comfortable. Extraordinary will usually catch the attention of the devil and that can mean some interesting times. However, extraordinary also catches the attention of God and that means some exciting times. You can choose whichever way you want to live. I know what I want.
I want the devil to breathe a sigh of relief when I leave this world. I want him to be thankful that he has one less extraordinary person plundering his kingdom. I want the lord to give me that extraordinary commendation when I stand before him. “Well Done thou good and faithful servant.”
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