Speaking of hope...
During a converstation at a recent Paradox gathering, a passage of the bible came to my mind:
"There are three things that will endure - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT)
Many outside the church have frequently pointed out the lack of love they see coming from or even within the church. I would agree that this is far to often the case for a group of people who say that they believe that this is what they should be about. I've seen a lot of people outside of the church who have a non-selfish love for others that puts the love of some church people to shame. I've seen love within a church that seems to exist to serve ones own agenda or as a "task to earn brownie-points with God". It seems that the church has a lot to learn about loving people and needs to read the entire chapter that was quoted above a little more closely (read the entire passage at www.biblestudytools.net to see what I mean).
Somone mentioned, however, that there was something about those who claimed to follow Jesus that stood out to them from those who didn't. At first I was prepared to blow it off until this passage above clicked into my mind. Although I'm not sure I agree with the way in which it has been framed, perhaps it is the hope that faith has carried for people that has been a positive way in which Christians have stood out a bit. I take a look at this in light of another passage that had been on my mind for a while:
"Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have" (1 Peter 3:15, NCV)
Frequently used to say that Christians should tell people about their faith, but I think it clearly talks about being prepared to explain if someone asks. The part that interests me is that it is talking about being ready for someone to ask because of the hope that they see. How many Christians in mainline and evangelical churches wait until someone asks them about their faith instead of trying to push it upon them? Seperate from that, how many of these Christians have people approach them because of the hope that they see in them, and want to know about it themselves?
Perhaps that is where the tide needs to turn. Instead of standing out on a street corner preaching at those passing by, instead of assaulting those who are outside the "norms" of the church with various bible passages ripped from context, instead of insisting that if you want to be "in" the circle you have to conform to their image - what would things look like if churches encouraged their people to simply live out their life of faith, serving as a benefit to others (not trying to change them, but to serve, help, listen, be there), and being ready to share their stories when asked about it? What would things look like if people associated with the church genuinely cared about those they ran into on the streets and not out of an agenda to add another notch to the belt of how many they've converted to their religious system? What if faith, hope, and authentic love are the core of what it means to be a follower of Jesus? Add in his teachings about the most important thing being loving God and loving everyone you run into and his teaching on going and showing others what you have learned in all of this. Might this be of more interest to those who have said they wanted nothing to do with the church or organized religion (and rightly so in many cases as I have heard many horror stories of abuse by the church towards those on the "outside").
I've cut this short to avoid ranting on, but let me know what you guys think, maybe we'll continue this conversation...
"There are three things that will endure - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT)
Many outside the church have frequently pointed out the lack of love they see coming from or even within the church. I would agree that this is far to often the case for a group of people who say that they believe that this is what they should be about. I've seen a lot of people outside of the church who have a non-selfish love for others that puts the love of some church people to shame. I've seen love within a church that seems to exist to serve ones own agenda or as a "task to earn brownie-points with God". It seems that the church has a lot to learn about loving people and needs to read the entire chapter that was quoted above a little more closely (read the entire passage at www.biblestudytools.net to see what I mean).
Somone mentioned, however, that there was something about those who claimed to follow Jesus that stood out to them from those who didn't. At first I was prepared to blow it off until this passage above clicked into my mind. Although I'm not sure I agree with the way in which it has been framed, perhaps it is the hope that faith has carried for people that has been a positive way in which Christians have stood out a bit. I take a look at this in light of another passage that had been on my mind for a while:
"Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have" (1 Peter 3:15, NCV)
Frequently used to say that Christians should tell people about their faith, but I think it clearly talks about being prepared to explain if someone asks. The part that interests me is that it is talking about being ready for someone to ask because of the hope that they see. How many Christians in mainline and evangelical churches wait until someone asks them about their faith instead of trying to push it upon them? Seperate from that, how many of these Christians have people approach them because of the hope that they see in them, and want to know about it themselves?
Perhaps that is where the tide needs to turn. Instead of standing out on a street corner preaching at those passing by, instead of assaulting those who are outside the "norms" of the church with various bible passages ripped from context, instead of insisting that if you want to be "in" the circle you have to conform to their image - what would things look like if churches encouraged their people to simply live out their life of faith, serving as a benefit to others (not trying to change them, but to serve, help, listen, be there), and being ready to share their stories when asked about it? What would things look like if people associated with the church genuinely cared about those they ran into on the streets and not out of an agenda to add another notch to the belt of how many they've converted to their religious system? What if faith, hope, and authentic love are the core of what it means to be a follower of Jesus? Add in his teachings about the most important thing being loving God and loving everyone you run into and his teaching on going and showing others what you have learned in all of this. Might this be of more interest to those who have said they wanted nothing to do with the church or organized religion (and rightly so in many cases as I have heard many horror stories of abuse by the church towards those on the "outside").
I've cut this short to avoid ranting on, but let me know what you guys think, maybe we'll continue this conversation...