Show Me Your Work!
This last weekend, I had the privilege of sharing a conversation with one of the directors of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. In the course of our discussion, he asked me something like this:
"If you were marking a math exam and someone just gave you the answer to a problem, what would you do?"
"I'd write, 'Show me your work!' In other words, I'd want to see the process behind the answer," came my reply.
"Yet, the church just wants the answer. We are not interested in the process. We want to hear the word 'Jesus'. That's it."
I couldn't agree with him more. The director went on to explain how we need to acknowledge people's experiences before we rush ahead to provide them with the correct explanation. Furthermore, we need to provide individuals with a place to belong before we insist that they have faith. Lastly, it is imperative that trust is developed before belief occurs. Sadly, the current evangelical movement does the opposite. We desire to fill potential followers of Christ with the "right answer". Often, we are not interested in the process that has brought that person to a point of decision. We insist that faith is the precursor of belonging to the church. And we selfishly desire for people to believe in what we believe before any trust is developed.
In contrast, Christ was keenly interested in people's experiences. He accepted people before they confessed faith in Him. Also, He established a rapport of trust with His followers prior to them solidifying their belief. Take the apostle Peter for example. Peter was called to be a disciple in the first chapter of Mark. It wasn't until eight chapters later that Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ. In the interim, Peter experienced Christ's miracles and teaching. Peter was given a place of belonging: a disciple, one of the twelve, a confidante of God Most High. And he learned to trust Jesus as the provider of people's needs, the authority over demons, and the calmer of the storm.
Yet, Peter royally screws up in chapter 14. He denies the man he confessed as the Christ, the expected Messiah. Did Jesus give up on Peter? No. When Christ rose from the grave, the angel that sat at His abandoned grave said to the women who arrived there, "But go, tell his disciples and Peter..." Jesus was still pursuing the Apostle Peter despite his faults. Was it worth it? Yes. Peter became a huge proponent of the faith, a convincing author, a powerful preacher, and an eventual martyr for the cause of Christ.
We have a lot to learn from Christ's example.
"If you were marking a math exam and someone just gave you the answer to a problem, what would you do?"
"I'd write, 'Show me your work!' In other words, I'd want to see the process behind the answer," came my reply.
"Yet, the church just wants the answer. We are not interested in the process. We want to hear the word 'Jesus'. That's it."
I couldn't agree with him more. The director went on to explain how we need to acknowledge people's experiences before we rush ahead to provide them with the correct explanation. Furthermore, we need to provide individuals with a place to belong before we insist that they have faith. Lastly, it is imperative that trust is developed before belief occurs. Sadly, the current evangelical movement does the opposite. We desire to fill potential followers of Christ with the "right answer". Often, we are not interested in the process that has brought that person to a point of decision. We insist that faith is the precursor of belonging to the church. And we selfishly desire for people to believe in what we believe before any trust is developed.
In contrast, Christ was keenly interested in people's experiences. He accepted people before they confessed faith in Him. Also, He established a rapport of trust with His followers prior to them solidifying their belief. Take the apostle Peter for example. Peter was called to be a disciple in the first chapter of Mark. It wasn't until eight chapters later that Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ. In the interim, Peter experienced Christ's miracles and teaching. Peter was given a place of belonging: a disciple, one of the twelve, a confidante of God Most High. And he learned to trust Jesus as the provider of people's needs, the authority over demons, and the calmer of the storm.
Yet, Peter royally screws up in chapter 14. He denies the man he confessed as the Christ, the expected Messiah. Did Jesus give up on Peter? No. When Christ rose from the grave, the angel that sat at His abandoned grave said to the women who arrived there, "But go, tell his disciples and Peter..." Jesus was still pursuing the Apostle Peter despite his faults. Was it worth it? Yes. Peter became a huge proponent of the faith, a convincing author, a powerful preacher, and an eventual martyr for the cause of Christ.
We have a lot to learn from Christ's example.