Christian Minimalism – Would God Want You To Be a Minimalist?
Christian minimalism can be defined as a conscious choice to focus more on your Christian faith and less on things outside of that.
It’s choosing to spend more time living out your faith. It’s decreasing the items and experiences that aren’t as meaningful to your faith lifestyle.
You may have concerns if minimalism takes too much of your focus off of Jesus. But you’d be surprised to learn that being minimalist reflects many of the same teachings in the Bible.
Examples of minimalism in the Bible
Believe it or not, the very first Christians in the Bible made choices that look similar to what minimalists do today.
In Acts 2:45, it gives a description of Christians selling their property and possessions and sharing them with each other.
You could almost say this sounds like extreme minimalism. But this act of people selling their items and sharing with one another is an example of focusing on more important things.
Focusing on higher ideals such as charity, unity, and above all faith.
What would Christian decluttering look like?
Christian decluttering would reflect getting rid of things that distract you from God. Perhaps getting rid of things that tempt you to sin a lot.
For example, you could get rid of movies that feature content that would cause you to lust.
You could limit your internet browsing by blocking websites that would lead you to sinful thoughts or actions.
Once you get rid of these things, you’ll have an easier time focusing less on sin, and more on God.
Should Christians have minimalist churches?
The issue of church size gets debated a lot within Christian culture. With the rise of megachurches, one could wonder if it’s possible for a church to be too big.
Much of the first church gatherings among Christians were done in houses. There were just a few people that got together to sing songs to God and hear readings of the Word.
In a way, churches were kind of more minimalist during Biblical times than they are now. Is it better that way? That’s for you to decide.
But we can agree it’s important for church gatherings to focus on worship of God and reading the Word, much like was done in the Bible.
Is it okay for Christians to be minimalists?
Minimalism can be a good thing for Christians to practice. As long as it doesn’t get more focus than your faith, it can be a great thing to practice.
It should always matter more to you that you’re following Biblical ideals rather than minimalist ideals.
While some teachings of minimalism line up with the Bible, others might not.
The emphasis of the Minimalist documentary was about finding one’s own personal happiness and peace.
Instead, as a Christian, you should replace that ideal with focusing on finding your happiness and peace in God.
How to become a minimalist God’s way
Beyond getting rid of items that cause you to sin, you should focus more on having items that build your faith.
Read your Bible and study what Christians did to please God.
Pray to God for wisdom and guidance in doing the activities that He would desire of you.
If you do all of these things, you’ll not only succeed at a minimalist lifestyle, you’ll more importantly live in a way that pleases God and reflects your faith.
Because ultimately, He wants you to be a follower of Christ.
