[real-time connections] chapter 10: stop subverting the message

As always, I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in one of Dan’s group blogging projects. Initially I had asked Dan for a different chapter assignment.  Apparently my reply to “Dan only” was against group blogging protocol and the chapter I requested was given to another.  That was fine with me as I feel that God’s hand works mysteriously at times and sometimes the message we are looking for isn’t always the message that is given to us.  Sometimes we hear it, sometimes we don’t. Heck, sometimes it hits us a month later. 

Anyways, I always look at these group blogging opportunities as a moment to stop and listen for the “personal”  message.  Stop Subverting the Message was the chapter that I ended up with.  First, let me say that I enjoyed Mr. Robert’s book immensely.  There is a timeliness to it that spoke to me.  Beyond the chapter’s message of witnessing to Muslims, the writing had a greater relevance to me. 

So on to my chapter………in Stop Subverting the Message, Mr. Roberts shares his thoughts on witnessing to Muslims and sharing the “Great Commission.”  The notion of Muslim religion, the Nation of Islam and many things in the Middle East tends to strike fear in American’s hearts.  Americans tend to think ethnocentrically and it has become instinctive for us to fear the things that we know little of. We tend to know little more than what the pundits on TV offer or the IPod teaches us.  In our world of sound bites and short attention spans, we have people who proclaim terrorists based on name and region.  McCarthyism for the 21^st century. What do you think of when you hear the word Muslim?  Terrorist?  Jihad? 9/11 attacks?  There is a certain amount of tacit fear involved with Muslims.  While nearly a third of the world professes Christianity, more than 20% of the world follows Islam.   

As the Middle East is the epicenter of many religious cultures, including Christianity, Judaism and the Muslim faith, there is a certain incongruity between the peaceful nature of all three religions and the continual turmoil and unrest between these groups.  Mr. Roberts shares his thoughts on the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis.  We are taught as Christians that the Jewish people are God’s chosen people.  Choosing not to take sides, Mr. Roberts recognizes that we are all the same in God’s eyes.  He states “God has no longer confined his redemptive work to a single nation……God wants every nation and people group to be reconciled to him…..”  It is our job to share the word of Christ and to be the witness for God to all people.  Mr. Roberts shares his vision of bringing the word of God to all cultures and people of the world.    The way to another’s heart is through understanding.  To create a dialogue with someone who has a deeply differing perspective on religion, we must work to “… resolve differences with respect and courtesy…”    

I work in customer service.  Anyone who has ever worked in customer service is familiar with the credo that “the customer is always right.”  The credo should read “the customer is always right, even when they are wrong.”  What that really means is it’s all about perspective.  To understand others, to come to an accord and open yourself to sharing ideas…..one must go about this with respect and courtesy.  In customer service, no one ever wins in an argument with a customer.  But by adjusting your perspective, you can come to a place of respect and understanding.  It’s as much about the delivery as it is about the message.  Let our actions move people more than our words.   Imagine the opportunities that perspective could afford us?  If we look at people who differ from us ideologically and write them off, are we really serving God to the best of our abilities?  Should we only save the save-worthy? 

Mr. Roberts asserts that “end time speculation about Muslims has covertly influenced American politics for decades.”   Fear based opinions that perpetuate prejudice.  To overcome prejudice and preconceived ideas, Mr. Roberts ventured to Afghanistan shortly after the 9/11 attacks, in early 2002 to perform some humanitarian work.  While traveling, he spent time with a group of Imams.  By integrating himself into their day to day living, he found himself praying alongside them and engaging them in deep conversation.  By showing respect to their ways and culture, Roberts was able to share the word of Christ.  While the words may not have touched the imams, his respect allowed him to “Live out our lives in front of them as a witness to God’s love.”    

As Roberts identifies the Muslims of his past as previously fear inspiring, but now provoking his Christian love and fellowship, shouldn’t we likewise consider the people whose ideology differs from our own and embrace them?  Imagine the possibilities?  As mirrored against today’s political landscape imagine the inroads that could be made by addressing adversaries with respect and coming to them with understanding, bringing the word of God in a loving manner.  How many times have you seen political demonstrations with signs calling for God’s wrath against sinners?  It brings to mind the protests against same sex marriage.  While I don’t advocate the sin, Christ teaches us to love the sinner but abhor the sin.  Hey, we are all sinners in God’s eyes.  While words have an impact, our actions are much more telling.  Robert’s offers the question, what is the difference between a fundamentalist Muslim jihadist calling for a holy war and a televangelist calling for the bombing of a Muslim nation?   

Shouldn’t we try to move someone’s heart with love and Christ-like actions instead of hateful signs and derision?  Imagine the possibilities?  We have Christians living side by side with Muslims?  Republicans reconciling with Democrats?  Cats living with Dogs?  McDonalds and Burger King drive-up windows intertwined.  Where it really gets difficult is moving past the specter of fear.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of things changing and where that might carry us. 

Only understanding can overcome fear.   How can Christians and Muslims relate to each other?  The first thing that popped into my head was Rodney King.  Rodney King became the flash point for civil unrest and racial tension back in the early 90’s.  An unlikely spokesperson for peace, Rodney simply said “Can’t we all just get along?”    

Working side by side and creating an atmosphere of respect and truly illustrating the riches that God provides his people is the start.  The loving manner in which we share those gifts is the start of creating the “Great Commission” that Robert’s references.   

One of Robert’s contacts in the Middle East is Evangelical Palestinian pastor Bishara Awad.  Awad’s mission is engaging the entire Middle East for Christ.  By not focusing on a specific group, the message is spread universally.  Robert’s and Awad recognize that Christians in the Middle East are not only challenged with bringing the word of God to Muslims, but also to the Jewish who don’t recognize Christ as the son of God.  Engage all.  Engage the known, engage the unknown.  Stop subverting the message.   

When we stand up for the Lord and share our hearts with others, in spite of our fears, that is when we truly serve the lord.  Ultimately it is our role to engage ALL people for the Lord, not just the people who look like us, talk like us and believe the way we do.  Robert’s and Awad began by creating humanitarian missions together that would employ both Muslim and Christian, working together towards a common goal.  What are you going to do?   

As I juxtapose that with the current political landscape of America, I see the same culture of fear.  Are we listening to messages from false prophets?  Is the message that you are listening to perpetuating fear and distrust?  Do we discount people who don’t look like us, think like us or act like us?  As we work to accomplish things, are we driven by fear?  In all things we do, are we sending a message of love?  Do our actions convey Christ-like love?  Whatever your political affiliation, stop subverting the message!  

In conclusion, Roberts asks

Do you have friends who are of a different religion?

Look at the Non-Christian places of worship in your area…..is there a way that you can reach out to these groups?  In what ways can you serve people of other religion?

Have you seen speculative theology and political bias undermine the Great Commission?

Inform yourself.  Open yourself up to other cultures with respect and humility.

Let your witness be conveyed in not only your words, but in your respect and actions with others.   

Thanks Mr. Roberts for your inspiring words. 

Thanks Dan for the chance to share my thoughts.

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[real-time connections] chapter 9: making space for everyone

I don’t know what I expected when I volunteered to lead the discussion on chapter nine of our BibleDude group blogging project, but it wasn’t a discussion on religious freedom. With a title like Making Space For Everyone, I was thinking tolerance; I was thinking love (I like to talk about those things).

Bob Roberts, Jr. was thinking these concepts too, just from a slightly different angle. I was thinking of accepting differences inside the church–or at least showing love to people with differences. Roberts had a bigger picture in mind. Well, duh. The title of the book we are reading is Real-Time Connections: Linking Your Job with God’s Global Work. So small-minded me gets a lesson in Big Picture thinking, and I’m all the better for it.

Roberts believes that if Christians want to make a global impact, we must have a good understanding of religious freedom:

…a failure to understand who believes what and why it matters–continues to cause confusion and prevents leaders from truly understanding the problems and underlying causes of conflict. 

A Brief History of Religious Freedom

Our chapter starts with a history lesson. Roberts gives us a rundown on how religious views shaped the foundation of our country.

America’s roots in religious freedom started when a Puritan named Roger Williams was banished from Plymouth Colony in 1635. Williams was not only the first proponent of separation of church and state, he believed in something he called soul liberty–which he defined as the right of each individual to follow his own conscience in matters of faith. Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island in 1638 and established the Baptist Church in that year.

Williams’ ideas helped shape the concept of religious freedom that our founding fathers built into the U.S. Constitution. In his book Founding Faith, Steven Waldman defines the three part creed that the framers of our constitution were guided by:

1. Religion is essential to the flourishing of a republic.
2. To thrive, religion needs less help, not more, from the state.
3. God gave all humans the right to full religious freedom.

The founding faith, then, Waldman concludes, was not Christianity, and it was not secularism. It was religious liberty–a revolutionary formula for promoting faith by leaving it alone.

The Importance of Religious Freedom

But why should I care about religious freedom? Shouldn’t I be concerned only with the freedom to practice my own religion? Shouldn’t I be grateful when practicing other faiths is prohibited by law? I mean, after all, they are wrong, aren’t they?

Such thinking of short-sighted, according to Bob Roberts, Jr. Religious freedom is important, says he, because it ensures that Christianity will never be prohibited–despite a growing intolerance for it. In protecting the right of others to practice different faiths, we are also protecting Christianity. Restricting religious freedom also inhibits the impact faith has as cultural unifier, says Roberts.

At the heart of the concept of religious freedom is the recognition that the human being has a conscience, and they must have the freedom to follow where their conscience leads, even if it leads them in a wrong direction. Without that freedom, faith is forced and becomes a societal obligation imposed on everyone. When this happens, true faith loses its power and no longer has the ability to engage individuals at a meaningful level or to produce the personal transformations that will, in turn, transform the culture.

Faith matters in society for many reasons. Some of the reasons Roberts points out are:  faith is necessary to form the character of society, faith is necessary for the spirituality of society, faith is necessary for the conscience of a society, and convictions become the basis of all behaviors.

Roberts quotes an article by Brian Grimm when discussing why faith matters:

…religious freedom promotes stability, helps to consolidate democracy, and lessens religious violence. Based on our analysis, it is much more than an American pet peeve; religious freedom is a universal aspiration.

Why Does Freedom of Religion Matter In Society?

Roberts cites four main reasons why:

1. Freedom of religion allows healthy expression for diversity.
2. Under religious freedom, conscience cannot be bullied or bought.
3. Freedom of religion keeps evangelism pure.
4. Freedom of religion allows investigation of alternatives.

Roberts hits the core, I think, of the critical importance of religious freedom in the following quote:

If Christianity cannot win because of its message, winning by the sword will be futile. What we would force, we cannot hold forever. What we believe and accept willingly in our hearts will last beyond our life on earth. Christianity should be accepted on its merits, and its love demonstrated in the activity of Christians…the right of a person to choose, even wrongly, is important because in the long run, it benefits Christianity…that shows me people are granted the right to choose, and when that right is granted, the message of Jesus has a chance to prove itself.

The question is, do I believe Jesus is powerful enough to make His voice heard amidst the din of other faith voices out there?

Of course I do. He certainly has a better chance of getting the Good News heard than I.

This chapter has helped open my eyes to the smallness of my world. Here in America, we live a privileged and sheltered life. Reading the stories about the Christians in Vietnam that Roberts shared was deeply moving, but also shattering for me. I have to ask myself, what am I doing to help these brothers and sisters who struggle so tangibly to worship in their Christian faith?

It is a question that makes me uncomfortable. Embracing religious freedom requires a higher love…a higher tolerance than I have ever considered. And faith too. I have to trust God to change hearts in amazing ways.

I am so grateful that He can.

Connection Steps:

1. How are you using your religious freedom to bring about transformation?
2. Whom do you know who has been persecuted by being beaten, put in jail, or killed simply for being a Christian?
3. Pretend God is calling you to work in a place where there is no religious freedom–what would you do?

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[real-time connections] chapter 8: sweating the work

I must confess to you a scandalous secret: I have an aversion to Evangelism.

Oh, dear reader, please do not hate me! This distaste does not stem from a lack of love for my God – it’s just that my experience with evangelism has always been so – um, what’s the word? Fake.

I think it started in early childhood, when I was repeatedly pushed and prodded and terrified by various authoritative adults into “accepting Christ,” which I dutifully responded to by repeatedly raising my hand or walking down the church aisle. I did this at least six times, just to be safe.

This guilty conviction tracked right through to my youth, and later into college, when I joined an enthusiastic group of good Christians swarming the streets of our college town on Saturday evenings so that we might witness to the rowdy students making their rounds at the various drinking establishments. Our goal was to intercept these unsuspecting strangers on their way to the next bar, and strike up casual conversations about their relationship with Jesus. Awkward!

No one ever converted.

I didn’t like evangelism because it made me feel like a dope. It all felt so contrived and plastic and pushy, forcing my savior down the throats of unwilling targets with a robotic telemarketing script. And yes, that’s all those drunken students were to us: targets, not people. I might as well have worked for the Mormons, or the JW’s.

I’m afraid I just wasn’t cut out for evangelism, so I quit.

Which brings me to chapter 8 of Bob Roberts book, “Real Time Connections.” As you can imagine, I groaned just a wee little bit when I cracked open this book to face an immediate barrage of church-lingo terms and phrases like “The Great Commission,” “discipleship,” “witness,” “ministry,” and, yes, “evangelism.” But as I got into it, and especially here in chapter 8, I was pleasantly relieved to find that Mr. Roberts mostly replaces “Evangelism” with the term, “Engagement.” It would appear that our author is also fed up with the old-school notion of preaching, witnessing and generally badgering a group of people into accepting Christ without first establishing a relationship.

Roberts says, “When I speak of sweat, I am talking of engagement – working side by side to serve the common good of society. All the while we look for opportunities to share why we do what we do.” Meaning, of course, we serve the common good of society because that’s what Jesus would have us do. Now, this engagement is something I can get on board with. Real relationships, real service, real people. Nothing fake about it.

I think his take on Christians engaging with other cultures is especially refreshing, by admitting that the first order of business is to build relationships with people, so that you can “love them regardless of the religious, racial, political, or whatever differences you might have.” There is still an interest here in getting people to join the Jesus team, but Roberts presents it as secondary, almost opportunistic. Whatever work one is doing to serve the needs of the community, the idea is to meet people where they are at, respecting their ideas, beliefs and culture. The means is also the end. The process is as important as the outcome.

Roberts’ advice is simple: serve, love, get busy, and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

The only trouble I had with this chapter, and the book in general, is that it emphasizes outreach to the world and community while totally disregarding the spiritual opportunities that might exist right inside our jobs and careers. In other words, Roberts hammers us with the need to get out into the world to serve all its hurting needs, but he completely blows off the idea that our workplace in and of itself might be the place that God has called us to.

Instead, Roberts invites us to discover the mystery of how to connect “your job, your passion, your skills – your call – with the work God is doing in the community.”

Wait a minute. So God is not at work in my job? My job is not my community? Can’t God’s call be at my workplace, in my current job?

Apparently not, according to Roberts. Although he acknowledges the validity of a Christian’s influence in the marketplace, he more or less skims over our workplace, viewing it as training ground, something to get you ready for God’s REAL work, which is out there in the world somewhere. Not so much at your job.

I, for one, have absolutely, positively zero interest in leaving my job to do something “more” for God than what I am doing right now, here in my career. And I believe God is perfectly happy with my decision.

Why? Because, if there is such a thing as a “calling,” (still, I am somewhat doubtful of this 21st century phenomenon), I believe I have found it right here in the suburbs of Philadelphia, doing my job at the company I am with, serving my employees, co-workers, customers, community and shareholders. This is my calling, this is my witness, this is my mission field. This is where I am planted, engaged, and where I truly believe I am doing God’s work.

Sure, I am also working with other outreach organizations, volunteering at the homeless shelter, working with my church’s youth program – but these are all extracurricular. I believe my main calling is in my work, where I can operate in excellence and integrity, and impact a significant community around me to further God’s kingdom – whatever that might look like.

All in all, there is much in this book to inspire, admire and apply. But the thought that I must escape my job in order to serve God, well, that just rubs me the wrong way. It gives me the impression that my job is just, well, fake.

And it is not.

It’s a real-time connection.

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[real-time connections] chapter 7: serving together

[real-time connections] chapter 7: serving together

This Chapter has relevance in 2 areas of my Life.

1.) My Church is Also a Missional Church, similar to Bob Roberts- Northwood Church, Focused on reaching outside the 4 walls of our Church, to Reaching the world for Christ, locally, and globally = Glocally

My Home church is Lifebridge Church, In Fort Wayne, Indiana.

My Church’s Mission Statement is: Connecting to God, Each other, and the World thru Christ.

I have been a member of this church since the very beginning, but  it  has only been within the last 1 1/2 -2 years that i have begun to realize what our mission statement truly means. More than just connecting to God. More than just connecting to each other (which is not a hard thing for me to do by any means!), but connecting to the community, and the world, to help people find the life in Christ that we have!

When I first Re-dedicated my life to Christ, I  had heard of the Great Commission, but it was a Foreign Concept to me.

Matthew 28:18-19 (NLT)
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,  baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

I read that and thought, “how am I supposed to do that??”  But, I now realize that i am not necessarily supposed to do what that literally says, but by meeting others needs by reaching out and showing that you care, with no strings attached, it  allows God to open doors that wouldn’t otherwise be opened. It allows God to transform lives and make disciples because it really isn’t about us at all! It’s about Him and  weather we are going to allow God to use us to bring him glory, and now that I realize that, The Great Commission doesn’t Seem to be as foreign to me as it once did. When I love God and love on people, he takes care of the rest!

Making a Difference in the Local Community

The part of this chapter that resonated with me the most was in this part:

The Author heard a Question and asked it to his Congregation.

“If this Church were absent from our community, would anyone miss it but your members?”

The author said that he wanted his church to be a church That would be missed,  and I think that  any church that wants to focus on being a Missional Community needs it.

I have an AWESOME Pastor named Bill Campbell, who just recently preached a sermon called “Together We Can”

In this Sermon, Which was Quite Similar to this chapter,one of his points was that Our purpose was to function as a “Missional Community” and as a Missional Community we needed to make a difference in the World we live in, and how important that was. He stated why it was important, was because “IT ISN’T ABOUT US! (Recurring theme isn’t it?) Its about Being God’s Hands and Feet!

Matthew 25:34-36 Says this :
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation.

35 And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,

36 I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“When we Allow God to use for his Glory, together we can produce lives that are changed so that they can find the Life in Christ that we have” -Pastor Bill Campbell

That’s what its all about! There have been SO many times I have felt God speak to my heart about this topic over and over; I have seen the Mathew 25 Verse pop up over and over. When that happens I know that this is something important that he’s trying to get across to me.

The Second Area that this Chapter that this Spoke to me on was Actually in my Job. I Truly Believe with all my heart that God has me working when I am for a Specific Purpose, and that Purpose I believe is to Learn to Serve Selflessly.

I work as a Team Member at a Chick-Fil-a. I can Honestly say that, this is NOT your Everyday Fast-Food Place!

I thought I knew how  to serve others before I started working there, but boy was I wrong!

At Chick-Fil-A, they serve customers and expect customers to be served on a Whole Different Level!

S Truett  Cathy  The Founder of  Chick-Fil-a,

“Illustrates to readers that significance and success come when one exhibits servant leadership in all areas of life, seizing everyday opportunities to help others” .

Working at Chick-Fil-A is not just a job to me. Its also a Ministry, and I really feel that its preparing me for the ultimate purpose God has for my life, which is  to be used by God to Serve Others.

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