I am a big fan of “Star Trek,” the science fiction television series that first aired in 1966 (the year of my birth). One of the things that I have always appreciated about “Star Trek” is the fact that all of the “Star Trek” characters willingly submit themselves to a behavioral edict known as “the Prime Directive.” The prime directive, also known as Starfleet General Order #1, mandates that all Starfleet personnel are prohibited from interfering with the normal development of any alien society. Furthermore, any crewmember or vessel is to be considered expendable if it means preventing the violation of this foundational priority. The rationale behind the prime directive is that a strong emphasis upon non-interference would hopefully prevent an imperialistic misuse of Starfleet’s power.
The arrival of the fall season, which, for me, is always conducive to some change-of-season meditation and soul-searching, has inspired me to reflect upon the question of what constitutes the church’s “General Order #1.” In other words, what is our “prime directive” as disciples of Jesus Christ? What is the foundational priority that undergirds our behavior as Christ-followers?
Some Wesleyan thinkers may answer this question by appealing to brother John’s three simple rules: do no harm, do good, and attend upon the ordinances of God. These three simple rules can certainly be interpreted as a prime directive, especially by those who embrace Wesley’s two-fold emphasis upon both piety and mercy.
These days, however, I am finding the church’s prime directive, not in three simple rules, but in one simple verse. That verse is Philippians 2:5: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.”
The church’s prime directive, according to Philippians 2:5, is to become so passionate about manifesting the likeness of Christ that people cannot help but think of Jesus when they pay attention to the lives of his disciples. To put it another way, the church’s prime directive is to make disciples who are so inwardly occupied by the Spirit of Christ that they begin to think the thoughts that Jesus would think, to speak the words that Jesus would speak, to do the ministry that Jesus would do, and to view the world in the way that Jesus would view it. In a human pilgrimage that often illuminates agendas that are as complex as they are multi-layered, the church’s prime directive is one of Christocentric simplicity: Imitate Christ in all things until his consciousness becomes our consciousness, until his Way becomes our way, until his mind becomes our mind.
I’m curious. What is your prime directive these days? Where do you find your General Order #1?
I’ve always been challenged by Galatians 6:9-10 - “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
My prime directive has been to learn all I can about the Bible. My life seams so much more meaningfull since I accepted Jesus as my savior.