Walking Together

Yesterday, I posted a little bit about what it could mean to be inclusive as Christians.  Today, I want to follow that thought up a little bit more.  Specifically, as we think about the things that we do as Christians, how do we seek to include those who may not yet know Jesus, as we hope for the Spirit to do His work of changing their hearts to faith.

I'll start off with a quick question.  What would you think if a new person, not yet a Christian, but interested and open to learning more, came into your church and had a wonderful voice?  Would you welcome that person into the church choir prior to their becoming a "member"? (At some point, I'll talk a little bit about membership and what all it means, but for the moment, we'll say that it means they are instructed in the faith and say that they believe what they have learned)  If you say no, what are your objections?  If you say yes, what is your reasoning for including them?

I'm not going to say that there is a cut and dried solution to such a question as this.  I will also say that we are called to proceed in caution when we think of ways to have people not yet Christian walking alongside us.  For example, I would suggest that it would be inappropriate for a non-Christian to teach in the Sunday School class, regardless of how skilled they are as a teacher.  There is an element of sharing what you have learned in teaching, and if they have not yet learned and know Jesus, how can they share about Him?

At the same time, I would also suggest that we should look for more ways to include those not yet in Jesus in walking together with us.  Could they sing in the choir?  Perhaps there the Spirit will work through the words and the music to draw them to faith.  On the other hand, if they only see it as an opportunity to show off their voice, then perhaps it isn't fully appropriate.  How do you discern between these?  Well, as with most things, it gets back to connecting with the person, growing in a relationship with them.

Ultimately, the reason that we include people in our walk together is because we want them to know the hope of Jesus in their lives.  That means that we need to do the necessary work of getting to know them, of relating to them, of loving them as the neighbor that God puts among us.  Only as we get to know them can we understand which roles are appropriate for them to participate in as they walk along with us.  Sure, we may make mistakes about that from time to time, but that is where we rest even more on the forgiveness of God in Jesus.

How Would You Respond? The Mouth and the Soap

It's time for the Friday focus, how would you respond.  Today's focus is going to be on Paul's words from Ephesians 5:4, with a particular focus on our language and use of words.  In this verse, Paul asserts that Christians are not to engage in filthy talk, foolish talk, or crude joking.  Since we take the word of God as exactly that, let's dive in a little bit to set the stage for our "How would you respond?"

You're in the parking lot after worship and the gathering of the saints on a Sunday.  There are a couple of guys discussing the college football game from the day before.  You know they are big fans of the local college team, and some things happened that they weren't too happy about.  As you pass them on your way to the car, you hear a few explicit words coming from their mouths about the coach, the team, the refs, you name it. 

As a Christian, who is supposed to take God's Word seriously, how do you respond to this?  Sure, it's in the parking lot, where it's unlikely that many sensitive ears will be.  You also may happen to agree with some of the assessments they are making about the various individuals.  You also know that, if you approach them, there could be some kind of consequences, either in what they think of you, or in calling them out.

So how do you respond to this situation?  And as you consider that, I would even throw this out there too.  Even if it wasn't on the church property, but perhaps in the context of a coffee break at work with a fellow Christian, how would you respond?  Are there times where it would actually be better to let things slide, rather than address the situation?  I look forward to seeing what you think as we consider how we would respond to this particular type of situation.

How Would You Respond?

It's time for that Friday feature again, only today, this one is going to be a pretty deep and heavy entry.  Following through my Facebook and Twitter accounts, one thing jumped out at me in both of them.  Several links and articles entered my feed about eight Christians in ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) who were crucified because they refused to renounce their faith in Jesus.  While many of the specific details aren't fully known right now (such as if they were killed prior to crucifiction or not), it still speaks to the real persecution that happens in this world to those who bear the name of Jesus.

I do not, in any way, want to demean the sacrifice that these men made for their faith and their Savior, and so I'm not going to ask you the question on how you would respond in their place.  Truly, I do believe that it is God who gives the strength to endure if persecution and death are the path that our faith leads us down, and it's not anything that we can know prior to actually facing it.  God gives the strength and endurance as He sees fit, and as is needed.  We simply cannot know that ahead of time.

However, when we hear news of events such as this, it probably should have an impact on us, and on how we talk with others about matters of our faith as we live our lives.  When our brothers or sisters truly do die and meet their Savior, it often puts what we endure into a bit of a different perspective.  It shows us that we may not be facing the ultimate brand of persecution.  Yes, what we may face is still real, and still presents its challenges, and isn't to be taken lightly, but it also seems to pale in comparison to what many of our brothers and sisters in Jesus face.

So the question for today is, how will you respond when others ask you what you think or make of such a story as this?  Are you going to simply write it off as something that happened in a strange country far away, treating it as though it has little impact on you?  When they ask, how will your faith be demonstrated in what you say?  That's the one of which I'm asking how you would respond.

How Would You Respond?

On Fridays, I'm going to start a new series for these posts.  I'll paint a picture of an opportunity to minister in Christ's name, and ask how you would respond to it.  In the comments that you may make, please be respectful of each other (and of me, too!), and focus primarily on how we build up the kingdom of Christ rather than looking to tear down what other people think (myself included!).

So here's today's scenario.  You are going through the line at the grocery store.  The clerk does the typical, "how are you today" line, and you share the typical "Find, and you?"  He or she responds that they are looking forward to getting off work and enjoying the beautiful day outside.

How would you respond to their statement?  Or, perhaps, let me ask it in a different way.  How could you respond in a way that would bring your faith into the conversation?  You might have only a minute or two until they are done ringing up your groceries, so your response has to be fairly to the point.  What are some ways that you could respond by bringing God or even Jesus into the conversation?

I look forward to hearing what you might come up with.