Drama

"Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness." - 2 Timothy 2:23

     Have you ever been at work and witnessed the phenomenon that occurs when some trivial issue separates most of the staff into factions? Two people get in a disagreement, and it starts out as something relatively private, but before long everyone at work is somehow a part of it.

It starts out as something silly and simple:
"I can't believe they're dating. I think that's unprofessional."
"Did you hear about the new boss? I heard that she's changing the way we're doing everything."

Then, it snowballs...
"They have the right to date if they want to! Their personal life is their own business as long as it doesn't affect their work." "Yeah, but I still think it's unprofessional. What happens if they break up and it gets  messy?" "That's none of our business. If I were in that situation..." etc.
"She is the new boss and we may have to do things differently. That's just part of it." "Yeah, well I've done things in this particular way for years and I'm not gonna change because some new idealist happens to take a position above me." "If you don't, you'll be fired!" "I won't get caught..." etc.

You get what I'm saying. Something that's honestly not worth debating becomes the latest and greatest staff drama. I really hate listening to it, but I even get sucked into it sometimes.

The saddest thing about this situation is that it occurs between Christians all the time. Somebody does or teaches something that somebody else disagrees with, so the offended party goes and talks to someone else about it. Then, a few days or weeks of gossip and debating later, the whole congregation has taken a side on the issue that really wasn't a big deal to begin with. We all know how it feels to be sucked into this type of drama.

When Paul wrote 2 TImothy 2:23, 24, he was attempting to give Timothy advice on how to deal with drama that happens in the church (see vs. 4, 14, 16, etc.). Apparently some of the members at the congregation where Timothy was teaching were bickering about things which didn't really matter in the long run and Paul wanted it to stop. He wanted it to stop because it was a distraction and because it divided the members. As we've all heard before, "a house divided against itself cannot stand."

Next time drama comes your way, stop and ask yourself "Is it really any of my business? Is this really worth debating?" and try to put an end to the drama. Make sure that the quarreling stops at you. When someone leans over and says "So, what do you think about ______?" don't be afraid to say "It's none of our business, really." We're all trying to go to the same place - be the glue that holds the staff, the family, the congregation, or the group of friends together. Be the solution, not the problem.

- In Christian love,
     Ethan

Praying for Rain

Turn in your Bible to Acts 8:20. This verse is the conclusion of a longer story - the story of Simon the Sorcerer and Peter. If you'd like to read the rest of the story, just backtrack a few verses and you can read the whole thing; for now, I'd just like for us to focus on verse 20. Peter says several things in this verse, but specifically, he says "thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money." Let's talk about this for a few moments.

I remember when I was younger, I used to think that having a lot of money would give me the power to help people in the world - that being someone significant would give me the key to changing the world. As I got older, however, I realized that bringing the gifts of salvation and completion to the people in the world don't even require money to begin with. How shortsighted I was to think that having money would give me the means to help others!

We can help others every day - whether we have money, whether we don't; it doesn't matter. We have all been given gifts that we can use to help others. For those who have money, that's great! Use it to serve others and spread the good news about Christ. If you don't have money, I guarantee you that you have something else you can use to help people. For example, I have extreme patience - it comes in handy when having lengthy debates about spiritual topics. I also possess a certain degree of musical talent - I can use that to create music with good moral messages and uplift people when they're struggling. Any talent is useful!

Whatever you're good at - use that. Use that like crazy and get out there. Make a difference in the world. Millions of people are counting on you. God gave you that talent and trusted you to use it to make a difference. See Matthew 25 for an example of how God views your talents. It's up to you and me to use our talents to bring glory to God. Let's get out there and put ourselves on the line, praying to God to give us strength.

Plant the seeds and pray for rain. Show God you'll do your part and that you'll trust him to do the rest.

With Christian love,
Ethan

Love and Sacrifice

Let's talk about love. Sometimes, when we approach others about the gospel, we talk to them with our own opinionated judgments first in our minds. I'm not talking about Biblical judgments, I'm talking about stereotypes. I don't need to give any examples - you know what I'm talking about.

We all judge others, whether we are Christians or non-Christians. In the world that we live in, the word "judge" means something different than it did years ago. Years ago, to judge someone meant to form opinions about that individual. In that sense, everyone judges. Now, however, to judge means to discriminate (i.e. "don't judge me").

We all judge, regardless of religious background. That's fine. That's how we're wired. Without opinions, we would be robots. The problem lies with discrimination. We shouldn't treat others as any less than fellow human beings who have the potential to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. We have flaws, they have flaws. The beautiful thing is - everyone can change. We don't have to live in slavery to our flaws, and neither do they.

Turn to Matthew 9. Read verses 1 through 13. Jesus and his disciples were eating with tax collectors and sinners. They were eating and reclining, hanging out with those who were considered to be "undesirables" by the majority religion in the area at that time: Judaism. Jesus' statement in verses 12 and 13 is nothing short of incredible: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but the sinners."

Wow.

Let's stop and think. Who are the people in our society that most make the religious majority uncomfortable? Gays, alcoholics, drug addicts, and thugs are just a few of those who are looked down upon by the religious majority. Let's not be afraid to spread the word to them. Jesus and his disciples hung out with "sinners" (which implies a constant state of sinfulness) - in public! I feel that it's safe to assume that they talked about God and religion and sin - Jesus was God. It's kinda hard to ignore that.

See Mark 2:16 and Luke 5:30 - the religious majority complained to Jesus and his disciples. "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" They're people too. They have a soul that needs to be saved just like you or I do. They want someone to understand them just like you or I do. It's amazing what kind of a difference you can make in someone's life if you're understanding but persistent.

You don't have to accept someone's lifestyle in order to talk to them about Jesus. You don't have to help someone do wrong or condone their sin in order to be friends with them. Make friends with a gay person and eventually talk to them about their sexuality. Be a good listener! Let him or her talk. Don't force them to talk about it if they don't want to. Then, once you do, use your newfound knowledge and talk to them about why you disagree with it. Take him or her to church with you even, if they're willing to go.

Or, for another example, become friends with a substance addict, and eventually talk to them about how they can be freed from it through the power of Jesus. You don't have to drink, party, or buy an alcoholic some alcohol in order to be close to him or her. Once again, be a good listener! Ask the person to worship with you. Treat everyone like you would want to be treated.

All sin is sin. Even yours and mine. Treat everyone like with that attitude. Whatever sin you struggle with the most - tell them about it! Be open. It's not hard to earn respect as a Christian in modern America if you'll just work for it.

It's okay to be around people who aren't the same as you. We aren't a cult.

Somebody has to spread the word to those people who are overlooked or feel uncomfortable in a church setting; why not let it be you? You may be the only Bible people read - let's make sure that we're taking the time to understand others' opinions and points of view.

If we approach evangelism as "trying to recruit someone with flaws (just like I have flaws) to join the battle with me and be saved from themselves," we won't be able to bring everyone we meet with us on the road to salvation, but we can at least show them all that we, and God, really do care. All some people need from us is to know that we really do love them and that we're not afraid to step out of our comfort zones to show them the path that we walk.

Let's make sure that we're not denying them the opportunity to worship with us and learn about Jesus by treating them like they're any less than human.

One last point: sin is sin. We all do it. We all have insecurities. We all have unanswered questions. The thing is, we know that Jesus forgives the sin, heals our wounds, and answers our questions. They don't know that unless someone helps them find the way. You can help them find the way. Be the mirror that reflects God's light onto the road in front of them. Take a chance.

Take the time this week to get to know someone who does something that makes you uncomfortable and tell them about Jesus. Figure out why they are the way they are and then pray that God helps you find the words to say to help them. Talk about the questions that you have with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Have faith in Him and He will guide you. Be like Jesus.

In Christian love,
Ethan

Public Prayer

          The other day, I ate a meal with one of my friends - a fellow believer. Before meals, I usually pray over the meal - it's tradition, mind you, and not a command - but I still feel that the habit is as good one for me to have. Anyway, our food arrived at the table and I looked up at him to see if he was ready for one of us to say a prayer. I expected him to do the same, but he didn't even notice me looking up because he was already devouring his meal. I cleared my throat and got his attention, but when he looked up at me, all he said was "what?" I mentioned prayer and I could see the pieces click together in his head. "Oh! I totally forgot about that. I don't usually do that in public anyway. It makes some people uncomfortable."

Hmm...

I told him I was in the habit of delivering a prayer before I ate and asked him if he would mind if we prayed before we ate. He replied with "Sure, I guess." I asked him if he wanted me to pray or if he wanted to do it and surprisingly, he volunteered. We bowed our heads and he said "Dear Lord, thank you. Amen." He barely mumbled it, flew through it as quickly as possible, and then began devouring his food again. I'm not even exaggerating when I say that I think he grabbed the fork before the prayer was even over because I opened my eyes and he already had another bite in his mouth.

Is that really how we see public prayer nowadays?

"I don't usually do that in public. It makes some people uncomfortable."
Then say the quickest prayer possible in order to hurry up and get back to the food.

If we do that with public prayer, that's essentially what we're saying about our Christianity. A conversation with someone that has this kind of attitude would probably go something like this:

"What has changed in your everyday life since you became a Christian and decided to start leading the life described in the Bible?"
"Well, I don't usually do that in public. It makes some people uncomfortable."
"What about those times when you have no other choice or someone confronts you with something relating to your Christianity?"
"I just do the quickest and most indiscreet thing I possibly can to get it over with so I can get back to doing whatever I was doing."


          Now, as I said, I understand that praying about a meal is just a tradition of mine and that's fine. If you don't practice that same tradition, then that's perfectly okay. The thing I'm asking about, however, is your public prayer life. If you don't pray in public, why don't you?

Now, if we do pray in public, but we do it for show, then we are just as wrong as the hypocrites in Matthew 6. Still, there's nothing wrong with praying in public. Don't be ashamed of your Christianity.


          If you just accomplished something great, you're about to undergo a trial, or you're just wanting to remind God that He matters to you and that you're thankful for all he's done, don't be afraid to find a place to pray. Praying silently in your head is just as good as praying out loud, but just don't be afraid to pray. No matter how you do it, don't be afraid to show your Christianity in public. We live in a society where those who are gaining power would love to oppress our Christianity - we live in a society where praying in a public school could get someone suspended. The prosecutor would say that that individual might have possibly offended someone who doesn't have the same religious conviction. It's time for us to stop letting them silence the Word of God.


          We don't have to yell at anyone, go beat anyone with a Bible, go picket something, tell people that "you're going to Hell, you know that right?", or anything else like that - that is offensive and usually entirely unnecessary. We can, however, pray in public, casually bring up Jesus in conversations, invite people to church, and have debates about the validity of our beliefs with people who disagree without being unnecessarily rude. People who get offended when we do things like that need to suck it up. Don't be afraid to show the world who you are - Christianity's enemies definitely aren't afraid to show the world who they are. 

If you don't already do this, next time you eat a meal, pray before the meal. It'll be good for your relationship with God and it might even open a door for someone you're eating with that might not have been opened otherwise. Someone with you might ask you "Why do you pray before a meal?" and boom - there's your opportunity to share the good news with them. You'll never know until you try.

With Christian love,
Ethan