Reflections

Yesterday morning I slipped into my pastor's Sunday school class. The class is for parents of young children and called "Family Matters." I heard him ask a question that was something like, "What is your religious heritage?"

Since I was disengaged from the class anyways, I was free to stop listening to the rest of the lesson and enter my own little world. I thought about that question in a way that would have been quite different from the discussion that was taking place in the class. If you were to ask me that question, I would have to say that I grew up knowing about God. I knew who Jesus was and what Jesus did. But I never really knew God. This is important because I sense that we (the Church) are still doing the same thing today. We want to tell people all about Jesus. We talk of God's great love. But the reality still exists that we are not helping people to know God.

Many of you that are reading this blog actually know me. Many others can only say that they know about me. There is a difference. I believe that as a church, as the body of believers in Jesus as Lord and Savior, we have to stop telling people about Jesus and really start modelling His behavior. God will become relevant to people when they begin to relate to a living God. I wish that I knew how to pull this off. I'm supposed to be the evangelist--the guy that's the expert on sharing Jesus. Unfortunately, I think that we have to change our mind set in this area. I guess I would be crazy to say that it's time that we stop telling people about Jesus. But I think that it is time for us to stop telling people about Jesus--at least in the way that we always have been. He is a better story than the way we've been telling it. He is a story of love and forgiveness. We tell it as a story of judgement and punishment. If I were an unbeliever today, I would be turned off by people that are telling me that I'm wrong, I'm lost, I'm going to hell and they have the answer. Guess what? I'm not listening!

If somebody out there has the answer, I'd love to hear it. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus lived and died because of a great love for us. I believe with all of my heart that each one of us needs to know Him. I just don't know how to make that happen...and I believe that I'm supposed to have a part in making it happen. Perhaps you can sense that I'm a little frustrated today. I feel like I've been given a job that I'm ill-equipped to do. And yet I know that I must do it well. God, help me!

John