Last weekend, I spent some time with friends from out of town. It was a really nice visit and a relaxing time away from home for me. I was extremely blessed to be able to spend a lot of time around my friends' young kids, Cameron and J.Paul, because they taught me something that I feel like I knew but didn't understand.
The first afternoon that I spent with this family was so fun. I watched as Cameron ran around the house playing with puppets, then I saw J. Paul go grab a puppet to play with his sister. The next thing I knew, Cameron put her puppet away and started spinning around. J. Paul did the same. I realized very quickly that J. Paul was watching every single thing that Cameron did and then imitating it.
J. Paul looks up to Cameron. He wants to be like his big sister. I've seen it my whole life - younger siblings look up to their older siblings. My younger sister really looks up to me. It's a way of life.
You may ask me, "What does that have to do with anything?" I'm so glad you asked.
You don't really have to be taught to be an imitator. As a child, you imitate what other people do. My younger sister imitated me and still does. J. Paul imitates Cameron. Children learn entire languages by imitating the sounds that they hear their parents make. Children imitate children and grow up to be adults who imitate other adults.
Ephesians 5:1-2 says,
"Be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you..."
I've heard that verse so many times. I've been told to be an imitator of Christ, but what does that really mean?
I think it means that we're supposed to be like J. Paul with Cameron. We are supposed to study scripture and see what Christ is like: how he reacts to situations, how he talks to others, and how he "walks the walk." Then, we're supposed to do exactly the same thing. Watch, then imitate. (Which means, my friends, that we should be digging into those scriptures.)
As I look around at others and look at my own life, I see that a lot of people imitate a lot of things. How many people who call themselves "Christian" are actual imitators of Christ?
As I watched J. Paul imitate Cameron, I thought about my own walk. Sure, I have some Christlike qualities, but am I an active imitator of Christ? I'd like to think so, but I feel like I have a lot to work on.
As I thought about that, I realized that I really need to strive more to be an imitator of Christ because when I looked at my own life, I realized that there are a lot of people watching me with some people even imitating me in my family, in my hometown, and even in college.
I want to be like Paul. I want to be comfortable saying, "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ (1 Cor 11:1)."
You, Mr. or Ms. Reader, are being watched by someone. I don't know if you know it, but you are. Who are you imitating? If you're a Christian, I pray that it is Christ and this has touched you in some way.
People are watching you. If they imitate you, will they in turn be imitating Christ?
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Comfort Zone
There are a lot of words that I've heard my entire life. You have church words like, "saved," but there are other words that are used by all. One of these words is "Comfort Zone."
What is a "Comfort Zone," anyway? Because I'm lazy, we're going to call it CZ for the rest of this post.
As most people reading this probably know, the CZ is the place where you feel like you are in your element. It's where a person feels safe. For me, it's probably in a coffee shop. For you, it could be on your couch in front of your television.
So, why am I talking about the CZ anyway? I'm so glad you asked.
Many people have heard the Great Commission:
"Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..."
Matthew 28: 19-20
Most people translate that to: Go be a missionary in some foreign country. That's great! I have had my fair share of mission work in my local area and abroad. I plan on continuing in short term missions as God leads, but what about locally? How do people follow the Great Commission locally?
People normally think that since we live in the Bible Belt, we should just invite a lost person to church or a Bible study and then everything will work itself out in this person's life. More power to the people that this works with. But what about the people who say "No?"
Most Christians who receive a "No." when inviting a lost person to a religious function think two things: 1) This person is so lost they won't even go to church. Humbug, I won't invite them anymore, or 2) I'll just keep asking and maybe one day, they'll give me a "Yes."
I used to be a 2.
Lately, God has been talking to me about an alternative. This is where the CZ comes in.
As a young girl, I grew up going to church. Church was a normal thing for me. Sunday, church. Wednesday, church. Thursday night, Bible study. It was like clockwork for me. I felt like inviting a person to go to church was no big deal. That's because that is MY CZ. By inviting someone to church or Bible study with me, I'm asking them to step out of THEIR CZ into mine. It makes me understand a lot better why I get more "No's" than "Yes's."
What am I trying to say here?
Why don't we, as Christians, step out of OUR CZ into the CZ of the unbeliever? Paul did it:
"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."
1 Corinthians 9: 19-23
He developed relationships with the lost, but he didn't veer from his Christian doctrine. What would that verse look like today?
For I am free from all men, I have stepped out of my CZ, so that I may win more to Christ. To the ________, I became a ________, always glorifying Christ, so that I could win the ________.
I'm not saying that this path is easy. If you are reading this and think that this alternative route is for you: I say that you should use extreme caution. Many have tried this and failed. They find that stepping into the realm of the unbeliever is too much to handle. Many have made compromise after compromise until there is no difference between them and the unbeliever. If you choose this route, please look inside yourself first. Do you truly know where you stand with Christ? Is your faith strong enough to withstand trials?
Could you step into the CZ of someone else and still be strong in your faith? People don't care who you are, what you do, or what kind of car you drive. What they want to see in your life is compassion. Do you even care about them, or are they another strike in your count of Jesus converts?
I challenge you: Step out of your CZ. People won't listen to the Gospel until they know how much you care about them. Once they realize that YOU are genuine, go ahead, invite them to church, Bible study, whatever. Maybe they'll say "Yes."
What is a "Comfort Zone," anyway? Because I'm lazy, we're going to call it CZ for the rest of this post.
As most people reading this probably know, the CZ is the place where you feel like you are in your element. It's where a person feels safe. For me, it's probably in a coffee shop. For you, it could be on your couch in front of your television.
So, why am I talking about the CZ anyway? I'm so glad you asked.
Many people have heard the Great Commission:
"Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..."
Matthew 28: 19-20
Most people translate that to: Go be a missionary in some foreign country. That's great! I have had my fair share of mission work in my local area and abroad. I plan on continuing in short term missions as God leads, but what about locally? How do people follow the Great Commission locally?
People normally think that since we live in the Bible Belt, we should just invite a lost person to church or a Bible study and then everything will work itself out in this person's life. More power to the people that this works with. But what about the people who say "No?"
Most Christians who receive a "No." when inviting a lost person to a religious function think two things: 1) This person is so lost they won't even go to church. Humbug, I won't invite them anymore, or 2) I'll just keep asking and maybe one day, they'll give me a "Yes."
I used to be a 2.
Lately, God has been talking to me about an alternative. This is where the CZ comes in.
As a young girl, I grew up going to church. Church was a normal thing for me. Sunday, church. Wednesday, church. Thursday night, Bible study. It was like clockwork for me. I felt like inviting a person to go to church was no big deal. That's because that is MY CZ. By inviting someone to church or Bible study with me, I'm asking them to step out of THEIR CZ into mine. It makes me understand a lot better why I get more "No's" than "Yes's."
What am I trying to say here?
Why don't we, as Christians, step out of OUR CZ into the CZ of the unbeliever? Paul did it:
"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."
1 Corinthians 9: 19-23
He developed relationships with the lost, but he didn't veer from his Christian doctrine. What would that verse look like today?
For I am free from all men, I have stepped out of my CZ, so that I may win more to Christ. To the ________, I became a ________, always glorifying Christ, so that I could win the ________.
I'm not saying that this path is easy. If you are reading this and think that this alternative route is for you: I say that you should use extreme caution. Many have tried this and failed. They find that stepping into the realm of the unbeliever is too much to handle. Many have made compromise after compromise until there is no difference between them and the unbeliever. If you choose this route, please look inside yourself first. Do you truly know where you stand with Christ? Is your faith strong enough to withstand trials?
Could you step into the CZ of someone else and still be strong in your faith? People don't care who you are, what you do, or what kind of car you drive. What they want to see in your life is compassion. Do you even care about them, or are they another strike in your count of Jesus converts?
I challenge you: Step out of your CZ. People won't listen to the Gospel until they know how much you care about them. Once they realize that YOU are genuine, go ahead, invite them to church, Bible study, whatever. Maybe they'll say "Yes."
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