Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
"Tell Me All Your Thoughts on God, 'Cause I'd Really Like to Meet Her"
Do you remember this song from the '90's? The lyrics were ringing in my head this morning when I woke up and couldn't remember the one hit wonder who wrote it. "Tell me all your thoughts on God, cause I'd really like to meet her. And asked her where and who we are." Apparently Dishwalla wrote it, but no one cares. However, their words lived on in my memory this week as I thought about how people are always trying to spread their beliefs to other people. In Christianity, this phenomena is often called Evangelism, the spreading of your faith to others. First off, do not associate the word, "Evangelical" necessarily with that either, because I know the baggage that comes with a word like that, especially after just going through election season. Sorry about the Religious Right to people who are not followers of Jesus. Know that they mean well, even if sometimes it comes across as loopy. Enough on that though, that is not where I want to head with this...
Since this week at church we were talking about world missions, it was interesting to me to be thinking about what is more important, spreading your faith, or assisting those with greater needs than our own (or those in conjunction with one another). What I'm referring to by saying, "needs greater than our own" is people who do not have clean water, have HIV, the genocides, sex slavery...we know the terrible list of all the indecencies in the world. Something that one of the members of our group at church said this week though, specifically in regard to sharing our faith with others, is to remember that we are both learning from each other when these dialogues happen. So often I see evangelism as a "me trying to convert you to exactly how I view the world". Now I want to be clear that I'm not trying to water this down either. I believe, even if some consider it narrow minded, that accepting Jesus Christ into your life and following him is the only way to receive salvation. However, when "sharing my faith", it is not that I am going around looking for people who think differently than me so I can then convert them. It is that I develop relationships with people who maybe are followers of Christ, and then some that are not, and then learn from both of them. I usually learn more about how to follow Jesus much better when I am around people who do not consider themselves believers in God.
The words from a song on Relient K's new album (which I don't really recommend buying, but has a few good songs) say, "I'm not saying I'm right, I just want you to know". They repeat this phrase over and over, screaming it at the top of their lungs, as if to get their point across. Here are select words to the rest of their song, "I Just Want You To Know":
"I'm a human being, Being happy and sane
Oh, but human beings, We all need to quit, Being inhumane
Yeah I don't wanna say I'm right
I just want you to know (x2)
To know that there was a man, Who lived one day
With holes in his hands, as some do say
And I believe we'd be friends, if we talked and we prayed
So we do, that's right we do.
Yeah I don't wanna say I'm right
I just want you to know."
I think this approach sung by Matthew Theisson is right on. It is an approach of creating awareness, but not being over the top with it. So that is my challenge of the day: Learn from every person around you and never look at it as just a mission to "convert" the other person, but to show the person why God has you excited with your life, and let them show you the same. Remember that nearly every person on this Earth thinks that they have the truth, but really we are all a bit off the mark.
Go. Love. (Matt. 28:19, 1 Cor. 13:13)
PS - Here is the song if you are interested in it (and no its not the best of songs, but buy it if you like it...):
http://www.box.net/shared/n7oue0m6mf
Since this week at church we were talking about world missions, it was interesting to me to be thinking about what is more important, spreading your faith, or assisting those with greater needs than our own (or those in conjunction with one another). What I'm referring to by saying, "needs greater than our own" is people who do not have clean water, have HIV, the genocides, sex slavery...we know the terrible list of all the indecencies in the world. Something that one of the members of our group at church said this week though, specifically in regard to sharing our faith with others, is to remember that we are both learning from each other when these dialogues happen. So often I see evangelism as a "me trying to convert you to exactly how I view the world". Now I want to be clear that I'm not trying to water this down either. I believe, even if some consider it narrow minded, that accepting Jesus Christ into your life and following him is the only way to receive salvation. However, when "sharing my faith", it is not that I am going around looking for people who think differently than me so I can then convert them. It is that I develop relationships with people who maybe are followers of Christ, and then some that are not, and then learn from both of them. I usually learn more about how to follow Jesus much better when I am around people who do not consider themselves believers in God.
The words from a song on Relient K's new album (which I don't really recommend buying, but has a few good songs) say, "I'm not saying I'm right, I just want you to know". They repeat this phrase over and over, screaming it at the top of their lungs, as if to get their point across. Here are select words to the rest of their song, "I Just Want You To Know":
"I'm a human being, Being happy and sane
Oh, but human beings, We all need to quit, Being inhumane
Yeah I don't wanna say I'm right
I just want you to know (x2)
To know that there was a man, Who lived one day
With holes in his hands, as some do say
And I believe we'd be friends, if we talked and we prayed
So we do, that's right we do.
Yeah I don't wanna say I'm right
I just want you to know."
I think this approach sung by Matthew Theisson is right on. It is an approach of creating awareness, but not being over the top with it. So that is my challenge of the day: Learn from every person around you and never look at it as just a mission to "convert" the other person, but to show the person why God has you excited with your life, and let them show you the same. Remember that nearly every person on this Earth thinks that they have the truth, but really we are all a bit off the mark.
Go. Love. (Matt. 28:19, 1 Cor. 13:13)
PS - Here is the song if you are interested in it (and no its not the best of songs, but buy it if you like it...):
http://www.box.net/shared/n7oue0m6mf
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