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October 14, 2012 |
| Lean Forward | ||
Part of the Christian life is standing up for Christian values, Christian beliefs and for God. That can mean standing out in a crowd and being subjected to ridicule. Sometimes we know or are pretty sure that a coming event will require us to stand up and be counted as Christians. In those cases we get a chance to prepare ourselves. But many times there is no warning and suddenly we are forced to make a decision to represent ourselves as Christians and the spotlight is on us.
In this lesson we will look at how to handle these situations.
In Canada many of the people help to pass the wintertime by skiing on the snow that God has heaped up everywhere. I was one of those. I got to be pretty good at it and began to take on more difficult runs. But I reached a point where the steepness of the slope was too much for me. I just couldn’t handle it and would fall down or not be in control.
I had never taken formal lessons and didn’t understand why I wasn’t doing well at this level until a friend told me what the problem was. The steepness of the slope was scaring me and I was leaning away from it onto my heals. In that position I couldn’t control the skis properly. Despite the steepness of the slope I needed to lean forward and get my weight centered over my skis. This meant leaning down slope farther than I had been comfortable with. But when I tried it, that was the answer.
For a while I also competed in handgun shooting competitions. I found the pounding of the gun and the noise, even with ear protection, would drive me onto my back foot. In that position I wouldn’t do as well. Here again I needed to lean forward.
Leaning forward is also the answer to handling situations where we as Christians need to stand up, separate ourselves from the crowd and be counted as different. Of course I don’t mean it in the physical sense though, but in the mental sense. The first step is overcoming the fear of ridicule and the fear of looking stupid or saying something stupid. This is done by changing your attitude from one of obligation to one of opportunity.
If you are determined to stand as a Christian when those moments come because it is your duty to do so as a Christian you aren’t doing as well as you could. Instead, lean forward. View it as an opportunity. With this change of attitude comes a change in the definition of success.
Where standing up is seen as a duty, success is defined as completion of a duty, a personal accomplishment. But where standing up is seen as an opportunity, success is defined as helping others. With that change in the definition of success comes a freedom. No longer is it about you, with success and failure being measured in personal terms. But now success and failure are measured in the ability to reach others. No longer is failure a crushing personal blow that makes it harder to stand up next time. But instead failure becomes only a missed opportunity … and there will be lots more of those coming around.
Also remember that your decision to stand up and stand out may give someone else the help they need to stand up with you. Your courage can become infectious and they may in turn give you support.
But some things are necessary to help you turn the attitude of leaning forward into actual leaning forward. Preparation is the key and from preparation comes confidence and courage. In our case preparation is knowledge, whether the knowledge is used by ourselves to choose the right thing to do or whether the knowledge is needed to correct someone or explain something.
Christian knowledge comes from the Bible and much can be learned by reading it. But God has also provided us with preachers and teachers who can bring out deeper understandings or practical applications. We have access to these by attending church meetings and that isn’t only Sunday sermons. There are also Christian books that can be useful. Church meetings also give us access to other Christians who we can learn from.
But not every question a Christian might face has a simple answer – some don’t have answers at all. It is important to know what you don’t know and be prepared to admit it. Don’t make up an answer. Instead offer to find someone to get the answer. Be careful not to represent your personal opinions as biblical facts. There are many things the Bible doesn’t explain. You may have your own explanation but don’t present that as what the Bible says.
Always respond with Christian love and have the wisdom to know when you’ve said all you can. Don’t be dragged down into an argument.
1 Peter 3
15 […]. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Romans 1
15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes […].
"All Christians are hypocrites"
"Christians think they are better than everyone else"
"God wouldn’t let bad things happen to people he loved"
"Did God create dinosaurs"
"Do you really believe Jesus came to life again and went floating up in the air to be with God? Does that mean God lives in the air somewhere?"
"Can God make a rock so large that he can’t lift it"