As with many things, Christians often have one of two
opposite reactions to what is happening around them.
One is the fortress mentality. Its primary tactic is avoidance of “worldly”
people and activities to keep us away from the corruptions of the sinful
world. There are a couple of problems
with this. First, the Great Commission
we received from Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples is very hard
to pull off, if we are hiding from that same world.
Also, I’ve seen a lot of not so happy endings with Children
raised inside the safety net of the Christian bubble. When a young person grows up with a steady
diet of Christian media, surrounded by friends who have been carefully vetted
prior to their admittance to the homeschool playgroup, they can struggle with
how to interact in a mixed crowd. Also,
when they are taken off the leash, the neon glow of bad decisions can become
very appealing.
The other mistaken reaction to culture is to recklessly dive
in headfirst to every indulgence. Those
who maintain a connection to their faith while adopting many elements and
practices from mainstream culture can end up with a complete separation of
their faith from everyday activities.
The answer isn’t easy. It never has been. Jesus sent His
disciples into a world that was very hostile to their message. Yet they reached the known world with the
message of Jesus.
For us today, I think part of the answer is to allow people
to see that we are clearly different, without needing to piously make our
presence known or announcing how offended we are by what people are doing
around us.
This needs to flow from us in a natural way. There is no checklist of does and don’ts for
Christians beyond the text of the Bible, itself. Our uniqueness as disciples of
Jesus Christ comes about as we grow and mature in our faith.
It’s likely that people outside of the church think of
Christians as people who “DON’T DO” things. Unfortunately, we are known for
what we oppose. I’m going to jump past
the typical topics of serving others and look at something that happens every
day.
How do we interact with others and conduct business? Please
allow me a broad question: If you find
an opportunity to make a transaction that will be very profitable to you, is
legal, but takes advantage of another person or business, do you go for it?
For example, many retailers have a “membership card.” Often,
points are collected towards discounts on future purchases. If a friend discovers a way to cheat and accumulate
a massive amount of points, do you take the invitation to get in on the scheme?
One more scenario:
When selling a product or service, would you take advantage of a naïve customer
and take far more than the fair market value of what you have to sell? With my own lack of knowledge about motor
vehicle repair, I would be easy prey for an opportunistic mechanic. I have great respect for those who have
treated me well in this area. I am egger
to do more business with them.
From a broad perspective, these seem like small
situations. However, our lives are an
ongoing series of small transactions. If
we are known for handling them well, our character and reputation could earn us the opportunity to address
far bigger issues.
Everything matters, and nobody we meet is unimportant.
