How do you carry out the Great Commission? Do you admire the apostles for their boldness that is commended in the Bible and wish to emulate them? Have you ever encountered resistance to the gospel message? Do you find that the harder you push the harder your audience pushes back, so your efforts create resistance? How do you feel when someone is trying to persuade you? Is there anything more important than feeling safe when you encounter a different point of view?
I denounced the Pharisees in my generation. Do you know anything about Pharisees other than what you read in the gospels? They were a relatively short-lived Jewish sect that took their spirituality seriously and applied it to all aspects of life. Is this last part true of you as well? What characteristics did the Pharisees have that I objected to? Even though no one goes by that title today, has anyone taken on the same characteristics to become the functional equivalent by another name? Who do you think I would identify in your current generation to criticize for hypocrisy?
How do you treat the people who leave your church? Do you cut off all communication with them? The term ‘excommunication’ is no longer in common use, but it can be applied in a practical sense that is just as effective as the formal sense. Do you reach out to them in an attempt to bring them back? Is this the only acceptable outcome for you? Is it possible that they had valid reasons for moving on, even if you don’t agree with their reasoning, or find it appropriate for yourself? Can they still be of good character and conscience?
I said that foxes had holes and birds had nests, but the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head. This was my way of saying that I was homeless, not having even the same degree of secure shelter that the animals had. Do you see anything in the Bible that attaches me to a fixed address? I wandered without property, being a guest in other people’s homes, and went from a manger to a borrowed grave. What is your view of those with no means today? Do you see them as being rich in faith? Do you encourage them to rejoice because the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs?
You have perceptions of reality. Do you trust them? Are they always reliable? Have you ever found that you are mistaken about something you thought to be true? Student pilots are taught to believe their instruments. This lesson is emphasized because there are situations that lead to false perceptions when the instruments are correct. Have you faced similar situations in life? Pilots are fortunate to have instruments to keep them from becoming disoriented. What do you have that may conflict with your perceptions that you nonetheless accept as a reliable indicator of reality?
Some churches use holy water in their practices. What about holy air? Air and water are both common elements and readily available, but water is more easily contained and controlled. I described the operation of the Holy Spirit by saying the wind blows where it will. The Holy Spirit is available to you but you cannot contain it. In like manner you depend on the constant availability of air to live and breathe, but you have no control over the supply. Do you recall that I animated the human race by breathing life into Adam? Do you look at breathing as a spiritual practice?
Radio broadcast engineers make a distinction between signal and noise and define a signal to noise ratio. I talk about the separation of wheat and chaff. Can you see the parallels here? Wheat and chaff are metaphors you can and do apply to what people say. Do you find that some people are prone to speak insightful, profound truth consistently and other people speak mostly chaff? Yet if you make the effort you can find something worthwhile in the statements of most people. So this puts the burden back on you. Can you distinguish between signal and noise?
You meet professed atheists who reject my existence. Have you ever met any functional atheists? These may not deny my existence, but they go through life claiming that they take care of all their own provision, and that they are responsible for all of their developments and transitions. You do not accept this position, but how can you refute it? I claim that I send the sun and rain on the just and on the unjust. This would include those who acknowledge my provision and those who do not.
Do you take the Great Commission seriously? Are you aware that it is about making disciples rather than converts? Yet the process begins with making converts, so this is implied rather than stated explicitly. Have you ever made a convert and been pleased with yourself for doing so? There is rejoicing in heaven for every lost sheep brought into the fold. But this is the beginning rather than the completion of your work. You wouldn’t abandon a newborn infant to the elements or to their own devices. The same arguments apply for those who respond to the gospel message. Feed my sheep.
There are some denominations that have practices involving holy water. Ordinary water is blessed and used for sacramental purposes. Other denominations do not follow these practices. Do you? Could all water be holy water? When I created the world I said that it was good. This is a blanket statement, but don’t overlook or diminish it for this reason. Water in particular is essential for life, and you are fortunate if you have an adequate supply of clean water.
