P4E.172 Now What? - Part 2

In my last post, Now what?, I set the premise of a person becoming a Christian. Let's say he believes his salvation is secure. He believes he is going to Heaven. Now what? Here, and on Facebook, I received answers that ranged from "If you've checked off the list, your done!" to referrals to I Corinthians 13.

First, our churches seem stuck in evangelism mode. The distinction between "saved" and "un-saved" seems lost on many churches. I hear so many sermons on the radio where the pastor is "preaching to the choir." Who is caring for, educating, encouraging, holding accountable those millions who are already "saved?" I want to make the distinction between "Faith by Works" and the "Works of Faith."

Christianity is simple, but complex. The ideas contained in Scripture are really simple. Living them out is complex. The church over-emphasizes the idea that we are not saved by our works to the point that, after we've accepted Christ, we excuse our bad behavior, believing that Christ has "got our back." Let me put it this way: A Calvinist, believing "once saved always saved" must exhibit evidence of salvation or else he wasn't ever truly saved. An Armenian, believing that one can lose his salvation, must exhibit evidence of salvation or else he will lose it. Either way, a Believer must exhibit evidence of salvation in his day-to-day life. He must "bear fruit."

The question is what does that evidence look like? What does the fruit look like? Again, the answer is simple and complex. Yes, we can look at I Corinthians 13. And we can also point to Matthew 22: 35-40. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." Simple! But digging deeper, what does it look like to love God and love my neighbor as myself on a day-to-day basis? Let's find out!

P4E.171 Now What?

Let's suppose you've checked off all of the pre-requisites of Christianity:

aAccepted Christ as your personal lord and savior.

aMade decision about baptism.

aAttend church every weekend and a demographically appropriate mid-week study.

aPray before meals and read Bible.

aAdopted appropriate views on the authorship, accuracy and infallibility of Scripture.

aAdopted appropriate views of Christ's deity.

aAdopted appropriate views on evolution/creation.

aAdopted appropriate views on homosexuality.

aAdopted appropriate views on abortion.

aAdopted appropriate views on capital punishment.

aAdopted all other appropriate political views and vehemently defend them.

aAdopt the appropriate patriotic stance and defend the Constitution (for US Christians).

aMade decision about speaking in tongues.

aPay tithe and thereby support evangelistic missions.

aLearn everything there is to know about "end times" and decide for pre, post or a-millenial rapture.

aUnilaterally condemn all "cults" who do not share the above views with you or your church.

aVolunteer at church as usher, in nursery, Sunday school, Bible study or home group leader.

Now what?

The reason I'm asking is that as I listen to the mainstream Christian media and culture it seems that this checklist encompasses the whole of Christianity as practiced here in the US. Forgive me for believing and contending that there must be more.

My reasons for saying so are that I used to be the person who had the list all checked off and was still a miserable, horrible, wicked, husband, father and human being. And, that since I've been made well, I know others who have the list dutifully checked and are the same. I'm hoping to explore the answer to "Now what?" If you have any suggestions I'd certainly like to hear them.

Kim

P4E.170 My Dad Always Said: "Attitude is Everything"

I'm writing not what my own father always said, but ideas that I'm hoping my own sons will remember me for holding dear. The next is "Attitude is Everything." If you look at definitions of "attitude," they break down into mental, posture and position.

Mental: "a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways."

Posture: "the arrangement of the body and its limbs."

Position: "relative to a frame of reference (i.e. the horizon or direction of motion)"

The mental aspect affects the posture and position. The mental definition is also spiritual. Many people (especially women and children) are sensitive to other's attitudes. We give off all sorts of communication about our attitudes by our facial expressions, voice volume and inflection, hand gestures, arm placement and body language in general.

On a day-to-day basis, what I'm talking about is "heart attitude." Scripture says "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." I would say, not only the mouth, but the face, the body and the spirit also speak. If my heart is dark, detached, numb, melancholy, mysterious, contemptuous, selfish, cynical, impatient, frustrated, and angry, my mouth, face, body and spirit will exude those attitudes. On the other hand, if my heart is positive, pure, giving, engaged, communicative, uplifted, open, patient and joyful, my mouth, face, body and spirit will exude those attitudes. I know this: The people close to me, especially my wife and children would much rather have the latter than the former.

So, my sons, remember, Dad always said, "Attitude is everything."

Love, Dad

P4E.169 My Dad Always Said: "People Over Things"

Actually, I never heard "People over things," until my wife, Gwen, introduced me to the idea. So, it's a saying I've co-opted, but that I've been hypocritical about. Nevertheless, It's a concept I hold dear, that I aspire to and want to pass on to my sons.

"People over things" means that I value relationships and people's feelings over objects. The world places a high value on money and the things that money can buy. God, on the other hand, places little value on money and high value on people. I naturally have a worldly outlook on life and when I go with what comes naturally I get in trouble and act like a hypocrite. So what does this look like on a day-to-day basis?

I did not have this concept modelled for me earlier in life. I remember when I was about 17 years old I drove my younger brother to work in the family car. I got in an accident on the way home, which caused quite a traffic jam. And who would be stuck in that traffic jam on the way home from a long day at work? My father. By the time he was through, I was quite convinced that he cared a lot more about the car (and the consequences of the accident) than he did about me.

It shames me to tell you that years later, I would repeat this scenario as a father with my own son, David. I tell the story here. Again, at a certain point, I'm sure David was convinced that I cared more about the car than I did about him. Even more recently, I unfairly blamed my youngest son, Ben, for making me spill cranberry juice on our beige carpet. A little later I apologized, but I could still see the damage I had done by that one incident in Ben's eyes.

So, on a day-to-day basis part of what I mean by "people over things" is that I forgive, overlook, minimize when people misuse, damage or break my things. The thing is NOT as important as my relationship with the person, especially if that person is my dear wife or child. It's more difficult to put into practice than it sounds and I think men have a more difficult time with the idea than women do.

So, given that I have only sons, I encourage you boys all the more to value "people over things."