dealing with difficult people/groups
11/30/2004 02:06 a.m.

difficulties with people seem to be unavoidable in this life.  I find it helpful, in a difficulty with someone, to try to state what the problem is in a sentence or at least a paragraph.  the more concise the more cogent I think.

I also find this helpful with groups  --like churches.

I've often been in churches or groups where I "sense" something akilter, something off base or negative.  rather than ignoring it, I find I get several benefits from this exercise.

1) it helps me consider what blessing, what opportunity to sow to the spirit, what way God grants me to respond in a way to receive grace peace and power from Him.  In other words, God cares for me deeply and wants to draw me into a sense of His reality, a sense of connection with Him --through this difficulty.
2)maybe tangentially --it helps me keep a positive and joyful perspective --which is reality if God is real --I need a faith that can abound in joy in Christ no matter my circumstances
3) also tangentially --it helps me craft a response that is in my best interests

that said
one of the key problems I see in the Bible believing churches of our western culture

see if you agree with this

Our churches are not doing a good job of drawing her members into mission.  I don't mean a trip to some foreign land once in a while, I mean a mission that taps our energy and we could loose our lives in the serving of it.  I believe God wants to give to us such a mission.

What will happen to believers who have little sense of giving their lives away in mission to gain a greater measure of Christ.  Won't their sense of meaning in life revert to building and maintaining their own kingdom??

Is it not one of the highest callings of the Church of Jesus Christ to save believers from the dead end of building and maintaining their own kingdoms??

there are two aspects , the inward and outward.  I'm not suggesting that a sense of mission alone is what is needed in our fellowships.  Part of our sense of mission must include growing in the inward, growing closer to Christ.  If our labors or service do not flow from a connection with God it will in the end be unfulfilling.

What do you think of that?

The next thought is how to draw people into mission.  Take a look at II Corinthians 13:5  it appears to be a command to me but it doesn't explain how to do it.  The Bible gives 6 or 7 categorical, objective, differences between a believer and an unbeliever.  I wonder if you've ever had the opportunity to examine, for yourselves, from the Word the 6 or 7 differences between a believer and an unbeliever.  that would be, I think, how to obey II Cor 13:5.

I'b be delighted, if you are interested, to share with you what I think, from the Word, what those 6 or 7 differences are.  It's important to say, that you  wouldn't have to agree with me.  what I want to do is to conform myself to the word, so if we looked at it differently you'd be doing me a favor to tell me.  I know I'm wrong somewhere, just don't know where it is yet.