I was struck by my pastor’s question this Sunday, “How many of you intentionally spend social time with non believers so that they may see what a disciple of Christ looks like without your uniform on? And if you do, are you visibly different?”
A Christian Doctor
How should Christian doctors interact socially with their community? One of the problems of the Church is that we have isolated ourselves from the world and become foreigners with language barriers and social barriers between us and our secular world. Another problem is the opposite, some Christian doctors have so absorbed the culture of the world that there is no significant difference between their lives and the lives of unbelievers around them.
Yet we can be in the world, but not of it, if we:
•Plan events with non-Christians. Such events are critical to our witness and to our ongoing understanding of life outside the Church.
•Spend time regularly and often with believers - in worship and in fellowship. The world will fill the vacuum in our lives if Christian fellowship is missing.
•Meet with non-Christians socially, praying specifically ahead of time for God’s presence in that event. That will not only remind us of our mission, but also remind us of our roots in heaven.
•Enjoy ourselves socially. Most people can identify an imposter who is present with a hidden agenda.
•Never cross a moral line that God has drawn in his Word. It is better to humbly and politely dismiss yourself from an activity, risking embarrassment, than to cross a line that God has drawn. Be careful, though, that the line is God’s and not one fashioned by our religious culture.
We are God’s light in the darkness, but shine very little if we keep our lamps in our houses and switch them off when we visit our neighbors.
Dear Father,
Help me become intentional about spending time with those who do not know you; and when I
do, let me reflect your love, humility and grace. Amen
A Christian Doctor
How should Christian doctors interact socially with their community? One of the problems of the Church is that we have isolated ourselves from the world and become foreigners with language barriers and social barriers between us and our secular world. Another problem is the opposite, some Christian doctors have so absorbed the culture of the world that there is no significant difference between their lives and the lives of unbelievers around them.
Yet we can be in the world, but not of it, if we:
•Plan events with non-Christians. Such events are critical to our witness and to our ongoing understanding of life outside the Church.
•Spend time regularly and often with believers - in worship and in fellowship. The world will fill the vacuum in our lives if Christian fellowship is missing.
•Meet with non-Christians socially, praying specifically ahead of time for God’s presence in that event. That will not only remind us of our mission, but also remind us of our roots in heaven.
•Enjoy ourselves socially. Most people can identify an imposter who is present with a hidden agenda.
•Never cross a moral line that God has drawn in his Word. It is better to humbly and politely dismiss yourself from an activity, risking embarrassment, than to cross a line that God has drawn. Be careful, though, that the line is God’s and not one fashioned by our religious culture.
We are God’s light in the darkness, but shine very little if we keep our lamps in our houses and switch them off when we visit our neighbors.
Dear Father,
Help me become intentional about spending time with those who do not know you; and when I
do, let me reflect your love, humility and grace. Amen
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