During a time when statistics reveal that the established church is making little impact on our culture, we need to take some time to examine how we "operate" as the witnesses that God has called to be to our world. The fact of the matter is – so many people that are lost have a negative view of who we are. I heard a couple of statements within the past few weeks that have pierced my heart and caused me to ponder a few things.
The first statement was made by a layperson in our association. Concerned about relationships she was aware of in Baptist life that seem to have "soured," she made a statement and then asked a question in the conversation. She stated, "We Baptists believe that when we accept Christ as personal Savior, He dwells within us." Then she said, "Well---if Christ dwells in me and Christ dwells within you, why are so many of us arguing with each other and acting so unchristian towards one another?" - a question worth pondering.
Later that week I heard a renowned preacher on a local radio station detailing an account whereby a member of his church (who happened to be an attorney) came to him concerned that he had been witnessing to another local attorney when that attorney asked the name of his church. Hearing the name of the church he stated, "Well there's no way I could ever attend that church. The most dishonest attorney in town is a member there." The pastor went own to discuss how many times our personal witness is made more difficult by the negative witness of persons before us that claim to love Christ.
Yesterday one of my pastors shared an incident this past Sunday. He carried a prospective youth pastor out for lunch after church at a local fast food. A well-known member of another church was in line in front of him. When she received her order, her hamburger was not cooked as ordered. The young lady behind the counter was overly apologetic, worked diligently to correct the problem – always courteous to the woman. Nevertheless, the woman – still dressed in her "Sunday best" became irate, disrespectful, and unwilling to accept any apology the young lady gave her. When she walked away with her "proper" order, the young lady stated to another employee – "you can sure tell she's been in church." Her actions had spoken so loudly that anything she would say about Christ – and anything the next person in line (even if he was a pastor or youth pastor that loved the Lord) would say about Christ would not be heard. We need to be aware that we are hurting the cause of Christ in a world that desperately needs to experience Christ.
A few weeks ago I read a post on my son's blog -- his blogsite is meditationsonthelaw.wordpress.com. The title of that particular blog was "Macs and Christianity." A couple of weeks later he wrote a sequel to that blog and I thought it was pretty good. They both speak well to the above examples so I thought I would share them with you - I think he hits the "nail on the head." We - as people who say we are burdened for those around us that are lost, simply do very little to demonstrate that we really care. I think he writes pretty well--of course, I am his father.
"I have recently decided to join the throng in buying a Mac computer. I have been greatly impressed with what people have told me about the Mac and what I've seen the Mac do. Another thing that really impressed me was the customer service I received when I visited the Mac store two nights ago.
The girl that helped me talked with me for well over thirty minutes. She didn't push the most expensive product down my throat. She didn't try to convince me to buy accessories I didn't need. The store was packed with people, yet she didn't try and rush me at all. She wasn't sure if she would make the sale (she didn't), but she gave me her full attention. One thing that really impressed me was that she asked me a lot about my job, schooling and what exactly I was studying. She was trying to help me get the best computer for what I needed.
I know she's trained to do this, but it was a refreshing experience. I do plan on looking for her when I do buy a Mac (hopefully later this week). But, the thing is when I walked out of the Apple Store I wondered, "Do we Christians invest even thirty minutes into someone's life? Do we do it with such attention and care as she did?" It was just a thought that crossed my mind and challenged me. What do you think?"
As Baptists we are "trained to" share Christ with those that are lost and minister in His name to the people around us in need. YET- unlike the young lady trying to sell my son a new computer, we still do not take the time to "close the sell." When was the last time you took 30 minutes to get to know the people around you and offer them the hope for their lives that only Christ can bring? Perhaps we need to take a trip to the closest computer store for some motivation.
His second post reads this way: "I went back to the Mac store two days ago so that I could pick up an adapter for a presentation I was giving at my job yesterday. When I walked in the store I remembered one of the guys who worked with me to sell me the computer. It was the day that he was training and now he was on his own.
When he saw me he said, "How are you enjoying the switch to Mac?" He had remembered that I bought a Mac and he had remembered that I was switching from PC to Mac at that time. He helped me with my purchase and I was on my way quickly.
But, there was something else that caught my attention in the store. There was a lady who was returning an item. It was made by (some company, which will remain nameless…but not Apple). It was an armband that would carry an IPod while working out. It had broken; this was the third one she had bought. She couldn't verify that she had bought it from a Mac store and she was getting pretty upset about it all.
The Apple employee that was working with her was very patient with her. He was telling her she needed to contact (said company) since their product had malfunctioned three times. She didn't like that answer because she thought she wasn't going to get any money back. The employee perceived this, because she did not state it, and told her, "I don't want you to pay anymore money for this product. All I'm saying is that you probably need to notify (said company) of their product malfunction." He was patient with her all the way.
Many people in retail would probably not put up with that. But, this guy was patient. Again, this models the type of behavior I have seen from Apple itself. And of course, I wondered, do we as Christians do this?
Would we take the time to really pay attention to someone and be able to remember them a month later? I know I usually don't. My memory is horrible. But also, how many of us would work patiently with someone who was getting irate with us. At some point, we would demand our rights, wouldn't we? Maybe this is an over-generalization. But, I just wanted to take a moment and reflect on the good service I have received from Apple.
Now, if they can do that with a product that may last me 5 years, how should we be when offering the gospel in word and deed?"
I think there is a
Often times I am asked by member churches, "Which evangelism program do you think would work in our church?" Of course, they are asking about The Net, FAITH, EE,
I know when people read these blogs, they are looking for practical and/or associational counsel. I am so burdened that we are not being the church God has called us to be to our world. If we are called to be Great Commandment/Great Commission churches, we must show the character of Christ to those around us in "lifestyle evangelism."
Tar River Baptist Association
North Carolina
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