Missions Misunderstood » Holy Spirit http://missionsmisunderstood.com Let's give the Commission back to the church. Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:58:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 My Favorite Part of My Job http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2006/08/26/my-favorite-part-of-my-job/ http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2006/08/26/my-favorite-part-of-my-job/#comments Sat, 26 Aug 2006 21:13:00 +0000 Ernest http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2006/08/26/my-favorite-part-of-my-job/ My favorite part about my “job” is hanging out with people. Even if it’s just sitting across from a friend in a coffee shop, I enjoy being in the moment of spending time with them. Any time that I have with a national is a gift from God. Really. There’s no way someone would want to spend time with me other than God compelling him do do so. I am literally that uninteresting. It actually took some time for me to get used to having people from here call and invite me to hang out with them. For the first couple of years, it was all I could do to keep from asking “Why are you asking me, of all people?” But God called me here to minister to people, so I know what (Who) motivates them.

I love that subtle pressure to think of something interesting to talk about, to keep the conversation going with witty questions and by showing interest in the other person. Eventually, you get to the kind of casual interaction that is so natural that you don’t mind the times you run out of things to say. At that point, you’re in a constant attitude of prayer as the Spirit prompts you to say the right thing at the right time. My friend shares about a struggle; I want to express my sympathy without coming across as condescending. He thinks out loud about world events; I learn what’s important to him. I want to encourage him in the Truth, so I’m prayerfully considering what he needs from me. It’s in that relational balance and personal human interaction that ministry really happens, and Truth is shared. People don’t feel like targets, and I don’t feel fake.

And the best part about it? I’m intentionally in touch with God, who knows both my friend and me inside and out. I don’t have to guess what he needs; God already knows. There’s not some terrible spiritual drain on me, because God uses my friend to minister to me as well. I open up and share personal struggles, I honestly relate the difficulty of working out my faith, and he sees, first hand, what life in Christ is like. These are the times I see God working. I’m reminded what He’s called me here to do, and I’m humbled as I remember that I’m insignificant in the whole process. I am thankful that I get to interact with nationals. That’s my favorite part of my job.

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]]> http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2006/08/26/my-favorite-part-of-my-job/feed/ 3 How Do You Know? http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2006/07/13/how-do-you-know/ http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2006/07/13/how-do-you-know/#comments Thu, 13 Jul 2006 23:32:00 +0000 Ernest http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2006/07/13/how-do-you-know/ A few days ago, I took part in a great discussion about faith. A Catholic, an Atheist, an Agnostic, and I (sounds like the beginning to a bad joke) sat around a table in the smoking section of a cafe that was really too small to go to the trouble of designating “sections.” We took turns sharing what we believed, but mostly what we didn’t believe, and we let everyone speak their mind. After that, we sat in silence while we all processed how differently each of us approach and express our spirituality. The Catholic is religious, but hardly spiritual. The Atheist is spiritual, but in a soulful, dreadlocks and hemp poncho sort of way. The Agnostic is not so much religious as superstitious. As usual, I presented myself as spiritual but not religious. When I say it that way it makes me sound like such a rebel.

After the silence, the Agnostic (appropriately) asked us, “But how do you know?”

Looking back, I’m not exactly sure what she meant by the question. I guess I wasn’t the only one guessing, though, because we each took turns answering a different version of it.

“You know a religion is right for you when it is such an influential part of your family and cultural history,” the Catholic answered. “Common sense should give you some clues,” said the Atheist, accidentally sounding snobbish. “You just know,” was the only answer I could come up with. I immediately wished I had come up with something better, you know, more evangelistic.

But then I got to thinking, how do I know? Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Way to the Father. Salvation is found only in Him, and He came that we might have real life; I believe all of this to be true. But how do I know?

I know because I have been convinced by supernatural means. I believe something that is unbelievable because something unbelievable happened to me. I know I have been born again in the same way I know I was born physically. And I know because in Christ, I am not the person I would otherwise be. I know because God has opened my eyes to the spiritual reality.

The national language differentiates between two types of knowledge. One can “know” something in the factual sense of the word. I know where the bank is, I know my phone number, and I know how to drive a car. But there is also another type of knowing, one that explains one’s relationship with the subject. This type of knowing starts with an introduction and deepens in familiarity through time and experience. I know the store keeper. I know the city.

Next time I sit down with the group of friends, that’s the word I’m going to use, and that’s what I’m going to tell them. “You know…” I’ll say, “Ever since our talk about our faith a couple weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about that question…” And that’s when I’ll tell them how I know.

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