S05E020, Weather Forecasts and Wet Faces Part 2, Andy B 2 Minute Video
Following on from my last Andy B 2 Minute Video – Weather Forecasts and Wet Faces Part 1 – I’m thinking more about how we come across to other people. People might read a biography about you, then meet you and discover you are simply not who you say you are. And that is never a good thing!
Because, as Christians, we’re called to be in this world but not of it. To me, simply, that means we’re supposed to live and work and breathe on this planet like everybody else, but that we should be standing out. Being experts at camouflage is something we should not be excelling in: as followers of Jesus Christ we simply can not just blend into the background until someone asks us about our faith. That is just not how we should be living!
Jesus died so we could live bold lives worth living. Not timid lives that are never even noticed.
Of course, we should not go around preaching at people loudly and pointing out how terrible they are; remember that when you point a finger at someone, you’re also pointing 4 fingers right back at yourself! Judging others is something we should leave to God. Making judgements, of course, is an absolutely essential part of Christian living, and something we are commanded to do by God: being the person that nobody wants to come near is absolutely not what we are called to do. Moreover, the bible instructs those of us who love Jesus to live peaceable lives so we can win others to Jesus.
We should, therefore, be authentic examples of people who love Jesus; who are at peace with the world around them; who put others first; who have a sacrificial approach serving others ahead of ourselves.
In short, we should be like Jesus – willing to die so that others may have life. That death might be as simple us losing our unwillingness for our colleagues to know that we believe prayer is critical to a life worth living.
Just yesterday a doctor in the UK won his legal case – the judgement, at the end of a 4 year period of his life, stated that he has the right to offer prayer to his patients. And he absolutely should! He has gone through what can only be described as a hellish time as saw his job, his lifestyle, his livelihood on the chopping block. But, he also, clearly, knew it was worthwhile because, above all else, we all need Jesus – every single one of us.
Just a thought…
Andy B
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Transcript
0:06
So another Andy B 2 Minute Video. And this is part two about weather forecasts and wet faces. Because, in the previous one, we were thinking about how weather forecasts.
0:15
Well, it's a prediction of the future and we can never actually rely on it. We can even go to the lengths of using weather radars and it shows us where it's raining, but it never is going to be guaranteed where it's going to rain.
0:25
So I said, we need to be really careful about facts. Evolution is not a fact. It's just a theory. Climate change is not a fact. It's just a theory. So why have I got a part 2? Well, it's simply this!
0:36
When we look at a weather forecast we think, well, there's going to be clouds here, and there's gonna be rain there. We look at the pressure in the environment, and the weather forecasters will say, well, there's an 80% chance, or a 100% chance of rain likely in this area.
0:49
When we're thinking about meeting people for the first time, we might read a really good biography about them, when we meet them for the first time they are absolutely nothing like we thought. There's no authority or authenticity. Who they project themselves to be is not.
1:03
Now, Jo, and I, now have a Radio Show on Konnect Radio, and I got to meet Gareth Cottrell over lunch, who's the breakfast presenter. And I can tell you with absolute certainty, he's even nicer in person than he is on the radio. He's a really lovely guy. He's authentic. Who he is is who he projects himself to be. He is who he is. He is who he says he is. He is how he comes across. But, is that the same for you and for me?
1:27
I know for Jo and I, back in the day, we had quite a few interviews at different churches for jobs and they always said, 'You know what we love about you Andy and Jo, you're exactly who we thought you were'. Because on a CV, you can say all this and that. 'Look at how amazing I am'. But it isn't true. And actually they said 'The one thing about you, Andy and Jo', at every single interview we went to, basically, 'It's so lovely to meet people who are exactly, authentically who we thought you were from how you describe yourselves.'
1:54
As Christians we should be authentic to the gospel. We should not look like everybody else. We should stand out. And that doesn't necessarily mean that people will want to be near us. As Christians, we're supposed to be salt.
2:07
If you put too much salt in the earth, what happens, in your food, well, what's gonna happen is it's not gonna be very nice. So, you want a good healthy dose of salt. But if there's no salt, you can't taste anything. And, actually, it's very easy to go into the no salt category as a Christian because we just want to blend in, and then we can have a witness. I've been there. I know that struggle! But I also know as Christians we're supposed to stand out. A bit like having a bit too much salt, so there's something obvious there.
2:33
So, my thought is this, really simply. Are you who people think you are? Do you come across authentically or not?
2:41
Just a thought.