cultural dichotomy

Posts Tagged ‘Gospel’


Posted on July 31, 2008 - by ray

Practically Speaking

I have a friend back in the States, we’ll call him Todd, who is also friends with a colleague of mine, we’ll call her Margie. Margie lives in another country by the way. One of the things I really like about Todd is that he is constantly striving to grow in his relationship with God. He wants to learn, to push himself to live a more missional-incarnational life, and to see God’s kingdom grow. He sent an email to me and Margie the other day asking a couple of questions about how we live out our life in a missional context. I asked Todd if he minded me posting about his questions and our responses. Here’s some of Todd’s original email:

… in your conversations with non-believers, what are you thinking during the conversation? How are you setting up the conversation? Are you trying to direct the conversation at all (I think I know the answer)? Do you feel the H.S. is leading you during the conversation?

I ask this because I encounter different people all day long. I work with others whose beliefs are very screwed up and they attend church. I find myself wanting to pull my head back into it’s shell and write others off. The very anti-thesis of what you both are saying/living.

So, everything that you believe, everything that you’ve learned on the field… can you break it down for someone who constantly struggles to hopefully live a life worthy of a high calling and some how, some way be Christ to those around me?

Before I give you mine and Margie’s response I want to say that Todd is not alone in his struggle to live a life worthy of his calling. I struggle with that. I can only assume that Margie struggles as well. In fact, if we’re being honest as followers of Christ I would hazard a guess that we all struggle from time to time with these types of things. I also want to mention that neither Margie or I are experts. We are simply sharing our experience. With that said, I want to directly quote my response to Todd, and Margie’s response. I responded first to Todd’s email:

I guess one thing I’ve learned is that I have to pay a lot more attention to what’s being said in conversations than I used to. It’s very much active listening. Another thing, and this is not universal, but people like to talk, and most of the time about themselves.

For me, I never force a conversation in a certain direction. My opinion is that people can see through that. I typically go into a planned meeting or time with someone else with a simple pryer that God would give me opportunities to point the person to Him. Sometimes it happens, sometimes is doesn’t. But I never force it.

If you listen closely there are opportunities to turn a conversation. For example, our neighbors came over a few weeks ago to celebrate a birthday. We were talking through dessert about the youth violence in the area. The wife was talking about the reasons (the causes) for the youth to want to act out violently. Things like education, poor economic situations, and poor parenting were mentioned. At that point I asked the question, “Do you think that the lack of a focus on religion and spirituality has anything to do with the violence?” It was a normal part of the conversation, but it turned the conversation. That one question led to a discussion about their beliefs. At one point she asked me about my specific beliefs and if I knew for sure what would happen to me when I die. I was able to walk through my beliefs with them….all of them. Now, it didn’t end in any conversion experience. I didn’t plan for it to. But I continually look for times that little conversations like this can take place, and hope that God is using them to draw my neighbors to Himself.
A lot of the time asking a question instead of making a statement can move a conversation in a direction you want it to go. I don’t know that the conversation with my neighbor would have gone the right way had I started out by saying something like, “Well, these kids need Jesus” or something similar.

All of that to say:
- go in with the idea that you’re making relationships with others, not just seeing them as a possible “convert”
- don’t put pressure on yourself to force a conversation a certain direction.
- listen for subtle hints or places that a question can be asked
- in fact, ask a lot of questions
- don’t start with the end goal being “conversion”. Start with the end goal of glorifying God and moving the individual a step closer to Him.

But again, this is just one man’s opinion.

And here’s Margie’s response:

First of all Todd, I want to say, “good on you for asking these questions!” Seriously, just the fact that you are evaluating how to share and build relationships with non-believers is a significant first step. Too many people never do that and spend a lifetime being ineffective.

Listening and asking questions is the key. You will never be able to meet them where they are if you don’t seek to find out by getting to know who they are.

I think the only thing I would add is praying and asking God to really break your heart for lost people. You mentioned wanting to pull away and write others off. I am going to be honest here and I hope I don’t offend you. I think one of the biggest weaknesses of the American, evangelical church is our satisfaction with being with the family. What I mean by that is this….the church has become everything, the center of our spiritual growth, our social network, our political party, everything. We have created a subculture from where we never want to leave. We talk about reaching the lost but what we mean by that is inviting them to church or preaching to them from a distance. We don’t want to hang out with them, be their friends or really let them into our lives. We reserve that right for fellow christians. The result I think is a fear that hanging out in the world will pollute us. We get almost disgusted by the lostness we see around us. That wasn’t Jesus’s heart at all. He felt compassion. He lived among broken people. We have to see sin as brokenness. We are here to mend brokenness. That means we have to get our hands dirty. We have to get out among the broken. We have to open our lives to them. We have to minister. I would ask that God would break your heart. That you would see their brokenness as he does. That you would enter their lives not to just give them a message but to share your own life with them. I would challenge you to leave your subculture, seek the broken and patiently and gracious share the gospel with them as God provides opportunity. That would be my prayer.

My only other advice is…treat them like people not projects and you can’t go wrong. Truly love and care and you can’t help but reflect Jesus. Share the truth with love and grace and you can’t help but penetrate their hearts with the gospel.

I have to say, what Margie said to Todd really resonated with me. I never understood how entrenched in the American Christian subculture I was until I moved away from it. Before moving here I could count on my hands the number of lost that I interacted with on a daily basis. Now it seems to be the other way around. That’s not a point of bragging, but a point of what a re-focus can do for you. I think as we grow closer to Christ our draw towards the lost increases. It has to…simply because that was the heart of Christ. And I constantly have to ask God to break my heart for the people I’m around. For me, this hasn’t been a once and done type of situation. It’s a continual, daily process.

Hopefully this has been a help to someone. I think it was a help to Todd, and I know that it was a help to me.


Posted on April 24, 2008 - by ray

Frosty, Part 1

This weekend I had the opportunity to listen to Michael Frost. He’s the co-author of “The Shaping of Things to Come”, along with Alan Hirsch. This was my first time to hear him speak, and overall I was impressed.

One thing I want to quickly mention today is how Michael views the effectiveness of church today. And this is not limited to, or directed towards American churches. This would apply in Western Europe and in Australia (his home country) as well. He pointed out that in Australia about 10% of the population would say they are Christian and actively engaged in church. While 10% may be a little high, it’s probably closer to 5-8%, we’ll go with what he said. The church, according to Frost, is really good at reaching those in the church and those that are 1 to 2 cultural steps away from church. Those that are 1 cultural step away from church are those that are christians but they are not active in any church. If a church is going to reach someone it’s most likely this group. And in Australia this group would make up about 5% of the population. Those that are 2 cultural steps away from church would be non-christians but live with a “christian” worldview. In other words, they live like christians live, but have no faith in Christ. The church is also pretty good at reaching this group.

So, those in the church and those that make up these 2 groups make up about 20% of the population. And the majority of churches today are reaching this 20%. By and large, if a church is growing it’s because it’s pulling from this 20%.

But what about the other 80%? If culture is to be transformed this 80% must be reached. And this 80% won’t be reached “in” church. The church is going to have to go to them. They won’t be coming to us.

The question becomes: is the church fluid enough to come up with incarnational ways to reach this 80%? And if we can come up with ways, truly revolutionary ways, are we willing to implement them?

Just something to think about.
-shorty

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Posted on January 2, 2008 - by ray

The Stories of Others

I was watching a show recently where a part-time character was killed in an auto accident. One of the main characters was responsible for telling the spouse about her husband’s death. The main character commented that until this particular day she didn’t even know the wife (they worked at the same place), but was now the one that brought the news that would make up one of the worst days in the life of the wife. The main character would now be known as the one who told the wife of her husband’s death. She would be “that” person in the wife’s story of her life.

It got me to thinking…what part have I or will I play in the stories of others? When my neighbors tell their life story what part will I play? Will I be the one that showed them what Jesus was like, or will I show them what hypocritical religion was like, or will I even be mentioned at all?

I hope that when others I know, or will come to know, mention me in their stories it will be because in me they saw and experienced the hands, feet, eyes, mouth, and ears of Jesus. Hopefully they will say that I pointed them to the throne of Christ.

-shorty

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Posted on September 26, 2007 - by ray

A Definition

I recently listened to a sermon by Matt Chandler, the pastor of The Village church in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It was part of a series he was preaching on Ecclesiastes. It was a really good message, and one of the better presentations of the gospel that I’ve heard in quite a while. During part of the message he spoke on what “repentance” meant. Until then I had not really given it much thought. It’s been one of those words that I’ve heard all my life, growing up in church. But after I finished the message I really started to spend some time thinking through the word “repentance” and how I would explain it to a not-yet believer.

So, I’m wondering…how would you define “repentance”, especially to a not-yet believer?

If you’re interested in listening to the message, you can subscribe through iTunes here, or from the Village’s website here. It’s message number 5 in the Ecclesiastes series. Oh, and by the way, here’s Matt’s definition of repentance:

Let me try to explain repentance to you, because I think it’s been done really badly. Like, how many of you have heard this, “Repentance is a military term that means to change from walking one way to walking the other way.” Anybody ever hear it spelled out like this? Well, if that’s the definition of salvation, I’m in a lot of trouble. Because Christ kind of enacted in my heart and woke up my heart, and man, for the last thirteen years, I’ve been turning the other way, taking three or four steps and with my long gangly arms, reaching back there and grabbing stuff. Is it just me? No, liars, you too. So, if the definition of what is required for salvation is to go 180° and walk this way and never touch anything back there again, I’m out. So, what is repentance then? Here’s what I think repentance is: repentance is a sorrow over our sin that creates an earnestness and a ferocity to know Jesus deeply. And when that’s the pursuit, you’re running towards Jesus, this stuff starts fading away.

-shorty

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Posted on July 10, 2007 - by ray

On Strategy

I read with great interest blogs and sites that deal with issues of strategy and methodology in missions. I appreciate and respect individuals like Guy Muse and David Rogers. They talk about things like MAWL (Model, Assist, Watch, and Leave), or common elements found in CPM’s (Church Planting Movements), or strategies from Wolfgang Simpson’s book Houses That Change the World.

In and of themselves these are all good things to discuss. I’m of the belief that while strategies are good to study, the implementation of them is quite dependent on the geographical location and group of people you are working with. There are things that Guy writes about on his blog that simply wouldn’t work where I’m at. It doesn’t mean that they are bad, they’re just not right in this context. Much of what is written about mission strategy starts with a wrong assumption. The assumption is made that there are those that have either come to faith, or about to come to faith. So the strategy focuses on what to do at the point of conversion so that it can be duplicated such that it leads to a movement. This is why much of what I read about mission strategy doesn’t work for me.

I live in a European context. But I’m not working with Europeans. I’m working with Muslim ethnic minorities. The community is completely closed. They have little to no use in outsiders. If you don’t have a good or service to offer them they want nothing to do with you. To “do life” with them is very difficult…next to impossible in my opinion. Theological discussions will not persuade them. And these people are not coming to faith and are not near coming to faith.

So you can see that I have a hard time taking what others are doing (or not doing) and try to implement it here. I have to find something that works for where I’m at and who I’m trying to reach. And this has led me to a passage I read recently in John 4. The son of a royal official is very ill. The father comes to Jesus asking him to heal his boy. Jesus responds by saying, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe”. In other words, Jesus is saying “look, you won’t believe in me based on what I’m saying, so I’m going to have to show you something miraculous and blow you out of the water in order for you to believe.” And he does just that. He heals the boy and as a result the father and his whole household come to faith (v. 53). This is where I’m at with strategy. I’m not giving up on building relationships with those in my community. In fact, I’m doing just the opposite. But I truly feel that these people will have to see sign and wonders, and will have to have dreams and visions in order to come to faith. I know that God can move anyway he chooses, but it just seems that something is going to have to shake these people to their very foundation before they will look and behold the glory and grace of Jesus Christ.

So now my strategy contains a lot of praying for signs, wonders, dreams, and visions. It may be the only way this community is saved.

-shorty

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