nooma_bullhorn
Have you seen these guys on the street corner of a busy downtown intersection. They have pamphlets, a box and a small PA system or a bullhorn and they are yelling judgement on those passing buy. Words such as hell, repent, burn and Jesus are stewed together in a mix of anger and rage. We all have seen the 'bullhorn guy'. We have seen them on television we have seen them in movies. We may have heard them in church.
How do you feel about the 'bullhorn guy'?
Are you like me and just want to tell him to "Stop!"? I mean, I don't think it's working. All the yelling and the judgment and condemnation, is not working. Maybe it is even making things worse. Have you ever tried to share your faith with someone only to have that person bring up 'Christians' they have known that have distorted the Gospel? It's like, "You know I am a Christian and I would like to invite you to church with me this Sunday..." And before you can finish your invitation, they shake their heads and say something like, "Nope! I will never step into a church again. Not after what so-and-so said to me...or...did to me..."
Are people like bullhorn guy hurting the general perception of Christianity?
What things other than bullhorn guy negatively taint the perception of the Christian faith?
What drew you to the message of Jesus? What was it that caught your attention or made you listen to his message rather than someone elses?
One of the reasons so many are fascinated with Jesus is because he never stops reminding us that God really, really loves us...exactly the way we are. Just knowing that God loves us unconditionally is a new concept to some of us. How many time have you said something like, "If you pick up your room then i'll give you a treat." or to a lover "I'll love you if you only (fill in the blank)." We put conditions on how we love. We love with an agenda.
Matthew 22:36-40 (CEV) "Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?"
Jesus answered:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, "Love others as much as you love yourself." All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments."
When Jesus is asked, 'What is the most important thing?' His response is to love, love God with all you have and then love those around you in the same kind of way. Do you notice that Jesus doesn't seperate loving god and loving others. For Jesus, everything hangs on these two. So what is the one thing that should set Christians apart from the world? What is the one defining atribute given to Christians? Love.
What's the most important thing in you life?
How does that line up with what Jesus said?
Is the most important thing in your life your job or career? Okay, then how are you showing love to you coworkers? Are you showing love to God by loving them? Or does the extent of your witness end with the Christian radio station on in your cubical?
God's plan for setting Christians apart from the world and God's plan for winning outsiders over, is not through yelling or condemnation, but through love. That is why the yelling and the bullhorn are so disturbing, it seems like you're trying to convert people to your religion. Like people are just notches on your spiritual belt. But they're not. They are people, they're people God loves. They are people that Jesus wants us to love. They aren't statistics, they aren't numbers, they aren't possible conversions. If i'm loving someone with an agenda, then it isn't really love, is it?
What does it mean to love someone with an agenda (or condition)?
Is trying to convert someone to your religious beliefs an agenda?
This is a dangerous trap minsters can fall in to. It is something i struggle with. i genuinely want people to join our church. I wan them to be a part of this fellowship, because it is a good place to be. However, if i am reaching out to that person just to get them to place their membership with us, then i am loving them with an agenda. God wants us to love them, because he loves them.
John 13:35 (TNIV) "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
"So a Christian is somebody who understands this, who understands that people with different perspectives and differetn religious beliefs and convictions, they're to be loved and respected, because they're made by God, and they're sacred and they're valuable and they matter. god loves the world, so a Christian does too." -rob bell
Does god love people with different beliefs than you?
As much as he loves you?
How do you feel about people with different beliefs than you?
The danger with the hell fire and brimstone message is that when you tell someone that they should follow Jesus so that they don't burn forever, it sounds like a threat. It goes back to the tactic of trying to scare people enough they'll make some magically decision to love God and follow Jesus.
Do you think it's possible to scare people into loving God?
If you say yes, then you are probably thinkg about someone who may have come so close to death or a life threatening illness or event they 'wake up' and give their lives over to God. This isn't what this question means. Can you scare people into 'loving' God. Almost always, "No." What you would do is scare people into being afraid of God (which isn't the same as fearing God).
Most people rally behind this kind of talk of telling the bullhorn guy to stop. You may be saying, "Yeah, you tell 'em." But what are you doing to change the perception of christianity. That's really what it is, people have a perception of Christianity based on their experiences. So, when someone spends time around you, what would their perception of a Christian be?
Are there some general negative perceptions of Christians out their? What might some of those be?
Are their negative perceptions of Christians caused by what we believe or how we're living?
Are you doing anything to change the negative perception?
Understand this, how you love others is how you love God. you say, "I love God." Really, so why did you say all those mean things about your co-worker? YOu say, "I love God." Really, so why do you tell all those jokes about people who are different than you? If you want to really love God, then you show it by how you love others. That's the way of love. That's the way of Jesus.
How do you feel about the 'bullhorn guy'?
Are you like me and just want to tell him to "Stop!"? I mean, I don't think it's working. All the yelling and the judgment and condemnation, is not working. Maybe it is even making things worse. Have you ever tried to share your faith with someone only to have that person bring up 'Christians' they have known that have distorted the Gospel? It's like, "You know I am a Christian and I would like to invite you to church with me this Sunday..." And before you can finish your invitation, they shake their heads and say something like, "Nope! I will never step into a church again. Not after what so-and-so said to me...or...did to me..."
Are people like bullhorn guy hurting the general perception of Christianity?
What things other than bullhorn guy negatively taint the perception of the Christian faith?
What drew you to the message of Jesus? What was it that caught your attention or made you listen to his message rather than someone elses?
One of the reasons so many are fascinated with Jesus is because he never stops reminding us that God really, really loves us...exactly the way we are. Just knowing that God loves us unconditionally is a new concept to some of us. How many time have you said something like, "If you pick up your room then i'll give you a treat." or to a lover "I'll love you if you only (fill in the blank)." We put conditions on how we love. We love with an agenda.
Matthew 22:36-40 (CEV) "Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?"
Jesus answered:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, "Love others as much as you love yourself." All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments."
When Jesus is asked, 'What is the most important thing?' His response is to love, love God with all you have and then love those around you in the same kind of way. Do you notice that Jesus doesn't seperate loving god and loving others. For Jesus, everything hangs on these two. So what is the one thing that should set Christians apart from the world? What is the one defining atribute given to Christians? Love.
What's the most important thing in you life?
How does that line up with what Jesus said?
Is the most important thing in your life your job or career? Okay, then how are you showing love to you coworkers? Are you showing love to God by loving them? Or does the extent of your witness end with the Christian radio station on in your cubical?
God's plan for setting Christians apart from the world and God's plan for winning outsiders over, is not through yelling or condemnation, but through love. That is why the yelling and the bullhorn are so disturbing, it seems like you're trying to convert people to your religion. Like people are just notches on your spiritual belt. But they're not. They are people, they're people God loves. They are people that Jesus wants us to love. They aren't statistics, they aren't numbers, they aren't possible conversions. If i'm loving someone with an agenda, then it isn't really love, is it?
What does it mean to love someone with an agenda (or condition)?
Is trying to convert someone to your religious beliefs an agenda?
This is a dangerous trap minsters can fall in to. It is something i struggle with. i genuinely want people to join our church. I wan them to be a part of this fellowship, because it is a good place to be. However, if i am reaching out to that person just to get them to place their membership with us, then i am loving them with an agenda. God wants us to love them, because he loves them.
John 13:35 (TNIV) "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
"So a Christian is somebody who understands this, who understands that people with different perspectives and differetn religious beliefs and convictions, they're to be loved and respected, because they're made by God, and they're sacred and they're valuable and they matter. god loves the world, so a Christian does too." -rob bell
Does god love people with different beliefs than you?
As much as he loves you?
How do you feel about people with different beliefs than you?
The danger with the hell fire and brimstone message is that when you tell someone that they should follow Jesus so that they don't burn forever, it sounds like a threat. It goes back to the tactic of trying to scare people enough they'll make some magically decision to love God and follow Jesus.
Do you think it's possible to scare people into loving God?
If you say yes, then you are probably thinkg about someone who may have come so close to death or a life threatening illness or event they 'wake up' and give their lives over to God. This isn't what this question means. Can you scare people into 'loving' God. Almost always, "No." What you would do is scare people into being afraid of God (which isn't the same as fearing God).
Most people rally behind this kind of talk of telling the bullhorn guy to stop. You may be saying, "Yeah, you tell 'em." But what are you doing to change the perception of christianity. That's really what it is, people have a perception of Christianity based on their experiences. So, when someone spends time around you, what would their perception of a Christian be?
Are there some general negative perceptions of Christians out their? What might some of those be?
Are their negative perceptions of Christians caused by what we believe or how we're living?
Are you doing anything to change the negative perception?
Understand this, how you love others is how you love God. you say, "I love God." Really, so why did you say all those mean things about your co-worker? YOu say, "I love God." Really, so why do you tell all those jokes about people who are different than you? If you want to really love God, then you show it by how you love others. That's the way of love. That's the way of Jesus.
posted by ymbrad @ 7:24 AM
4 Comments:
At 3:27 PM,
Anonymous said…
this week i listened to the song Sales Pitch by John Reuben and it reminded me of this lesson ,like how people have agendas and stuff. i even started to sing it during my geometery test today. bull horn was kinda the downer one that i couldnt really realte to. and so i guess that im typing this cause im bored. You asked 'what drew you to Jesus at first?'and i was kinda blank on that. i supose when i got into it at first i was like a zombie. and i was just following some empty religion with memerized sunday school answers. but when i got into middle school and i got really interested in this Christ guy. i guess what drew me to him was the way that he made me feel. like my friend said " you just feel something come over you ."after a while that feeling was gone and i dont know anymore why i believe in Him.....i guess i just want answers and where ever i look for answers, the only response i get is i dont know or just pray. it seem like its getting old. and now i feel like its merely an empty religion again. Its not Him, its just me.
At 6:07 PM,
Anonymous said…
this was a good nooma lesson. I enjoy ur nooma classes. I get so much out of them because it explains so well. The one about rythm made sense after u explained some more of it. Well I gotta go. Kepp up the good work!
Lylab
At 2:40 PM,
Anonymous said…
brad...quit slacking! i thought youd have at least rythem on here!
At 8:01 AM,
Anonymous said…
This comment really intrigued me. If we are all honest we would admit that sometimes (maybe in alot of times) we feel our connection with God has been unpluged. I do know that my biggest problem is forgiving myself. God says he forgives so why can't I forgive.
When I look back on the stages of my life I can pin point exact times when I felt closest to God. Of course, during our "high" points in our lives we are happy and satisfied and thus we think we are closer to God.
But I am positive that the times I truly feel closest to God (Jesus) are when I am deep in the word. When I am faithfully reading, studying, talking about the word, listening to preaching, teaching, tapes, DVD's, and reading related material. I don't know how to explain it other than its a craving for more. Sometimes I may search a scripture and from that scripture be directed to another and then another and then a new thought takes me in a different direction. It's like I can't get enough. And those are the times when my prayer life seems so meaningful. But the main thing I have to keep reminding myself is that there is nothing I can do, feel, say that will save me. I don't have to have a lightening and thunder experience, I don't have to continually worry about working for it...all I have to do is accept the gift that Jesus died for me. And that makes me love him soooooo much.
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