scripture
Psalm 34:14
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
quote
A stone thrown into a pond creates waves which are practically imperceptible before they reach the shore. A shout thrown into the air re-echoes for a few moments, then dies away forever. But the life of Jesus, sacrificially thrown into the lives of His disciples, kindled there a new life that has never died away.
Walter Horton
thoughts
Christians have a message. That message is that Jesus is the remedy for the ills of this earthly life. This is the greatest news ever to be shared and we need to share it! People are dying, fading away in the abuse of this life. Hopelessness, fear, worry, and hate are digging deeper because we lack the “whatever” to speak up. I must, you must, we must speak the truth into this decaying, dying world. The question therefore is how to engage the world and then for those ideas to become action. Let’s focus on developing a real orthopraxy.
question
What are some creative ways to engage the world? What are some ways to bring about positive change?
2 comments:
To change the world you have to build relationships with people. Invite co-workers to lunch. Have people over for coffee. Meet new people in the church. Pray for opportunities to be light, and then when given them pray for the boldness to follow through.
Is it orthprOxy or orthoprAxy? I'm pretty sure it's Greek for "correct action" or "right living" & it's Axy. There's orthoDOxy that's "right doctrine". Just had to check in there.:)
It requires getting out of OUR comfort zones & OUR boxes and putting the name of Christ out there. It requires leaving OUR feelings aside & doing it all for Christ. We're fragile beings & we don't like to be hurt. Yet, we feel hurt easily. Our mission is not to save everyone. Sometimes I think we think it is. Our mission is to share the love of Christ & let Him work.
This means praying always. This especially means praying when you tell someone you will. This means being unified in marriage when you feel "wronged". This means going a little out of your comfort zone by doing things like Tasha suggested. It means asking: "How are you?" and waiting for a reply. It means doing loving gestures that our not "your" love language and/or doing them to someone that you don't necessarily feel "deserves" them. It means being a consistent witness at work, home, school, wherever.
I know I have a little bit of Bible notes on orthopraxy that Jeff Gowling used. While I'm looking for them, I see something from a BSF teaching leader from 2 Thess.--"Check your motives for witnessing- do you do it for Heaven's gain or do you do what's easier for your life? (This sometimes means not witnessing or "selective" witnessing)."
Well, I can't find the "it" that I'm looking for in my Bible notes. But, man do I have some good stuff written in there.:)
I'll close with these notes probably taken from a BSF teaching leader for Romans:
"I, Jesus, take you, a sinner to be my wedded wife." and I do promise and covenant before God the Father & these witnesses, to be your faithful Savior & bridegroom: in plenty & in want, in joy & in sorrow, in sickness & in health, in this life & for all of eternity."--He's so faithful to us & yet how easily we lose faith in Him. KB
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