There are 2 types of Christians in town - the “天” type and the “地” type.

“天” types have pined all their hopes and energies on the future. They belong to the missionary class, who see the salvation of souls as the highest call that God can have on one’s life; because the great Christian hope, is ultimately not found in the present age but in the one yet to come! So the kind of activities that “天” types engages in are prayer meetings, bible studies, evangelistic outreaches, worship songs etc and the kind of books that are read include Hudson Taylor Missionary biographies, Elizabeth Eliot on relationships, Richard Foster on disciplines and so on. These folks are notably, very regular in their attendance and invariably become the bulwark of the church lay leadership. Also, ministry in church is a passion, while secular work generates far less satisfaction, meaning and excitement.

“地” types express their spirituality differently. They may not exhibit contagious enthusiasm in the area of church ministry, but they seek to work out their faith in the work place, in their area of influence, in their family; they try to minister in areas where light is most needed, in places where there is darkness. They try to bring what is taught about heaven, back to the real practical world, where more often than not, there are no clear cut answers. The activities they get involved are mostly secular, and the books they read, inform them about their jobs, such as Human Resource, Finance, Information Technology and Supply Chain. Because if God has revealed to us truths from heaven, then surely, it will become manifest, in the wisdom and work of our lives, especially in the present age. Our faith is vouched by our actions, in the sight of the world.

My point is, that not everyone who has a “天” type of outlook, is spiritual, and not everyone who has a “地” type is unspiritual. Man (including the Church) looks on the outside, but God looks on the inside.

Yet the converse can be true. We should not excuse ourselves in labouring for the future, by being overly preoccupied with the present. We are sojourners in an alien land, awaiting in child birthing anguish for our heavenly home.

In my thought journey, I was mildly rebuked to have this dichotomised view of “天” and “地” . There should not be a distinction; true spirituality ought to be both at the same time, whether you are a full time church worker or workplace minister:

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven

In this transitionary period, we have one leg in heaven and one leg on earth; we need to be careful not to be polarised in our spirituality. There is a need for integration and consistency. There is a need for integrity in our lives.

I also know that our God is one whom the bible make known as “who was, who is, and is to come”. He is the God of not just our past or our future, but He is the author of life - our past, our present and our hope for the future.