tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537955942063154384.post4337759740761105556..comments2012-03-04T07:51:12.257-05:00Comments on For The Sake of the Gospel: Listening-In On the Home Team HuddleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537955942063154384.post-87376961580946670532011-10-29T18:09:16.711-04:002011-10-29T18:09:16.711-04:00Well said, Kevin, I like your perspective.
Everyw...Well said, Kevin, I like your perspective.<br /><br />Everywhere people go, they’re constantly being besieged by an onslaught of marketing messages with two common objectives in mind: get their attention and recruit them to a cause or product. It’s tiresome, and people have understandably become cynical of the “hard sell.”<br /><br />Unfortunately, we in the body of Christ have often succumbed to similar “tactics” in getting our message out – gimmicks and manipulation! What I hear you saying is that if we can just learn to “be real” with people and relate to them in authentic ways, we just might be surprised by their openness to talk about these deeper matters in due time.<br /><br />I also hear you saying that we have a severe credibility issue within our society. We cannot and must not change the core of our message one iota, but instead of bringing the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom, we tend to focus on a whole host of “other stuff” and wonder why we’re viewed as we are. <br /><br />We’ve got some real soul searching to do as the people of God, but nothing is ever going to change until we recognize how we ourselves may be hindering the very message we hold so dear.Bill (SOTG Blog)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03847641645805443999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537955942063154384.post-30841477265621565872011-10-27T12:42:35.889-04:002011-10-27T12:42:35.889-04:00I think we as human beings tend to focus on the di...I think we as human beings tend to focus on the differences to much. Instead of "What <i>DON'T</i> I have in common with this person?", think "What <i>DO</i> I have in common with this person?"<br><br>For example, my predominant hobbies are motorcycling and playing music. Most of my friends share one or both of these interests with me. That is our common bond. In many cases however, there could not be more disparity between our faiths or worldviews. That does not change the bond I have with them due to our common interest(s) though. The friendship and time together because of the common interest(s) often leads to discussion of faith, God, science, history, death, the afterlife, the meaning of life, paranormal/supernatural activity, and so on and so forth. This is where I see the opportunity to share my faith, my beliefs, my worldview because in such cases the conversation is organic and each of us is receptive to the other's point of view.<br><br>Conversely, I've tried to "force" the issue with people before, and generally to no avail. Typically this manner of sharing my perspective would result in a heated argument or complete unwillingness to participate in the conversation. This caused me to pause many times and think about it from my own perspective. Do I appreciate someone trying to tell me what to do or how to do it? No. Do I like pushy sales people? No. I prefer someone who answers my questions directly and knowledgeably when asked. As do most people I suspect.<br><br>When the Spirit moves someone to ask about your faith or question their own, <i>THEN</i> they are receptive to another perspective. Listen, truly listen, to what they're asking. This is not the time to share everything you think you know about God, the Bible, etc., but to share the insight and perspective of another human being; one who knows God and applies His Word to their daily life. If someone is asking you for advice, they probably have a certain amount of respect for you in that regard. Don't assume they want to hear your philosophies on every aspect of life if they're asking about a specific part of theirs.<br><br>It seems to me that hostility towards Christ is caused in great part by "church" (not The Church). For many of the reasons I shared in my letter to my parents, most non-believers I know are not interested in attending one/any of these ritualistic services. Pedophile priests, extreme exhibitionism, gay hate; all of these things have been pinned to the Christian church or religion which causes a great deal of discomfort for many in approaching the subject at all. Remember that to a non-Christian, there is no real distinction between the "religion" and the relationship. This is simply not a concept that most are familiar with or can comprehend without first understanding our faith.Kevin [not my real name]noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537955942063154384.post-4533574425526713672011-10-27T11:01:13.882-04:002011-10-27T11:01:13.882-04:00Hi Kevin [not your real name], thanks for dropping...Hi Kevin [not your real name], thanks for dropping by! You bring up some really good thoughts/questions and I couldn’t agree with you more. <br /><br />I wish it could be different, or that we could put a positive spin on it, but sadly what you’re saying is all too true.<br /><br />I’m glad to hear that you have meaningful relationships with the “others” in your life. Though I want to be careful not to make any sweeping generalizations, I would say that a large number of Christians have little to no meaningful involvement with people who don’t share their beliefs, and that is, in my opinion, a tragedy.<br /><br />By meaningful involvement I think in terms of going beyond “being nice” to people. I’m talking about actually taking the time to hang out with people who don't share our beliefs. For many Christians, that is a hurdle that is simply insurmountable and all too often shows up in our attitude towards “others.”<br /><br />The image that comes to my mind is that of a castle. When it comes to evangelism, we let down the drawbridge and charge out into the world to rescue the perishing, and then, when we’ve done our duty, retreat back to the safety of the castle until guilt forces us to lower the drawbridge once again to engage the world.<br /><br />No meaningful contact with the people in our world, except when we have to, and yet we wonder why we’re not being more effective. The fact that God sent His Son to “dwell among us” ought to give us a clue about the importance of “incarnating” the Gospel (as imperfect as we are).<br /><br />I’ll be posting part 2 of Ben & Kathy’s story tomorrow, so I won’t say much now, but you’re right. I would have been much more comfortable with them “listening in” if I knew the attitudes in the group were, generally speaking, less caustic toward people like them. It turned out okay, but it could have been disastrous. <br /><br />Let me ask you this. As you’ve interacted with the “others” in your life, what would you say are one or two of the main issues that seem to perpetuate their indifference, even hostility, toward Christ? And what do you feel we can do, as the people of God, to help narrow that gap?Bill (SOTG Blog)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03847641645805443999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6537955942063154384.post-48146762942241732102011-10-26T19:12:25.731-04:002011-10-26T19:12:25.731-04:00Bill,
Can't wait for the next post. At this p...Bill,<br /><br />Can't wait for the next post. At this point in my life, I have more friends in the "other" category, mostly due to the reasons described in your post, "<a href="http://sakeofgospel.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-would-you-respond-to-kevin.html" rel="nofollow"> Talking It Over: How Would You Respond to Kevin?</a>". It seems to me that the very animosity that you refer to: <br><br>"<i>It didn’t take long for me to wince as I thought back to the attitudes displayed the very first week. The discussion centered on the culture gap between Christians and non-Christians and I immediately recalled how the group seemed to display a not so subtle animosity toward "other" people right from the start. . . .The more I thought about it, the more I realized that most of the discussion to this point had revealed some pretty negative attitudes in the group……and Kathy witnessed them all! </i>"<br><br>is the very problem. It is human nature to feel and act in this manner, but how do we turn that animosity into compassion? Is <strong>that</strong> not the feeling and attitude we are called to display? It is not the "others" that make it difficult to witness, it is we Christians who are at fault. We who are not truly transformed.<br><br>"<i>Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but <strong>be transformed by the renewing of your mind.</strong> Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.<br>Romans 12:2</i><br><br>If compassion had been displayed toward non-Christians by the Christians in the group, would you have had any fear of what Kathy and Ben had been "let in" on?<br><br>Of course, I'm not suggesting that any one of us is perfect and will always display the proper attitudes at the proper times, but as they say, "<i>Character is what happens behind closed doors.</i>" Why should our feelings/attitudes towards non-Christians be a secret from them?Kevin [not my real name]noreply@blogger.com