Lesson 4
Building Relationship – Dealing with the noise
I want to deal with two aspects of being a good disciple. Paul wrote to
his young disciple Timothy in an effort to teach him about being a good
disciple and eventually Apostle of Christ. First and foremost, we are about the
business of building relationships. We are building lifelong relationships that
allow others to see Christ in us through our actions, words and deeds. Being a
disciple in the first century meant that you were friends with other disciples
who would gladly give their lives for what you believed in. Though I doubt many
of us will ever be held to that kind of accountability, developing the
relationship for such an event is precisely the important work we are about. As
we develop these lifelong relationships we need to keep in mind that our
primary purpose is to bring those friends to Christ. Let’s listen in as Paul
instructs young Timothy and then in turn us how to be good witnesses to Christ.
NRS 2 Timothy 2:20 20 In a large house there are
utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for
special use, some for ordinary. 21 All who cleanse themselves of the
things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to
the owner of the house, ready for every good work. 22 Shun youthful
passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who
call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with
stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24
And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt
teacher, patient, 25 correcting opponents with gentleness. God may
perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, 26
and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive
by him to do his will.
I doubt that it could have been put in
better words. Paul is trying to tell us that being a disciple is special.
Witnessing our faith to others is a higher call than our vocations here on
earth. We are dealing in the spiritual realm here, Kingdom things are at hand
as we share the good news of the Gospel. As such we need to pursue righteous
things like faith, love and peace with a pure heart. And not allow ourselves to
get caught up in senseless controversies that in the end only manage to
circumvent the greater task we are given. And it doesn’t pay to become like the
world that would rather argue the validity of a thing than accept the truth of
it. Lord knows, we are in such a politically correct society today. We are
about building relationships with people that they share in eternal life.
That’s the promise.
Now this begs us to define a little nuance
that we will encounter as we share our stories. There are those who will ask us
to share only to use it as a platform to share their own agenda’s about the
church. Unfortunately, much of what they throw at you will be somewhat correct.
The church does not have the best track record in part because the good news of
the church is often overshadowed by the few who bring shame to story. I
remember reading the story of Gandhi as a young man and his reading of the
Sermon on the Mount. In that sermon he found the embodiment of how to live one’s
life and spent the rest of his life living it in that way. In the cross he saw
how the world treats those who choose to live for others and for injustice, the
crucify them. And he often said that if Christians lived their lives in
accordance with the Sermon on the Mount, he would have become a Christian. Now
that’s a convicting statement that should compel us to reflect on how we
present the image of Christ to others.
My suggestion in this short chapter is
that each of you gather some courage and present your story to the class. Let
the class give you constructive ideas on how it might be better presented, but
remember; your story is yours alone. The questions for this chapter are to help
you prepare for those criticisms that will come as you share the Gospel with
others. Good luck on your journey.
Questions for Lesson 4
1.
You are approached by a young man who complains
that all Christians are hypocrites who judge others and never offer anything in
return. How do you respond using one of the biblical stories?
2.
While talking to a young woman, she suddenly breaks
down crying about how her life is in shambles and how she cannot understand why
God would continue to test her this way. How do you respond?
3.
While talking with a young man, he responds that
he is a Buddhist. He then wants to know about your God and your faith. How do
you respond?
4.
A young man wants to understand how you can
continue to have faith even in the face of adversity. How do you respond?
5.
An older gentleman friend asks you why you
continue to go to church every Sunday. How do you respond?
6.
A young man down on his luck asks for a handout.
He is hungry and poorly clothed. How do you respond?
7.
A new couple visits your church for the first
time and asks you what it means to be a Christian. How do you respond?
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