Stand and Deliver
by Tom Goodman
January 16, 2008

A few years ago, the Seattle Police Department ordered their employees to undergo a training session on how to safely sit in a chair.  The order came after two employees slipped off their rolling desk chairs and fell to the floor, one injuring herself badly enough to miss work.

A memo was sent out to 26 employees with these instructions on sitting down:  "Take hold of the arms and get control of the chair before sitting down."  Later, the department didn't feel that was clear enough, so they went on to schedule a half-hour lesson on the proper way to sit down.

Some of us need lessons on sitting down, I suppose.  But most of us need some lessons on standing up.  In a way that is natural to our personality and our relationships, we need to learn to how to communicate the good news of Jesus to others.

I'm sure you've heard about the most recent survey reported in USA Today that found a very low opinion of Christian churches among unchurched adults.  Eighty-six percent said that they can have a "good relationship with God without belonging to a church."  And 72% said the church is "full of hypocrites" while 44% agreed with the statement "Christians get on my nerves."  I wrote about this in last week's LeaderLines (click here to subscribe).

What didn't get as much ink, however, was the surprising finding of the survey that 78% of the "unchurched" said they would be interested in hearing more about Christianity from someone.  And when asked whether Christians they knew talked about their faith too much, 71% disagreed.

Wow.  That led David Kuo to ask on his blog, "Are Christians as willing and open to talk about Jesus as they are about their favorite sports team or political candidate or movie?  Theologically speaking they obviously should be.  But what this poll shows is that practically speaking they should be as well.  People want to hear more about Jesus, not less.  People are open to loving and honest discussions about Jesus."

This Sunday, we return to our study through the Gospel of Matthew with a three-week series called "Stand and Deliver."  In chapter 10, Jesus sent out his apostles with guidance on how to share the life-changing message of the gospel.  His words to them apply to us.  Come learn some lessons on standing up!  Join us at our 9:30am "Bold Blend" service or the 10:45am "Smooth Blend" service, or listen online Monday (iTunes; website).
 
--Tom

Drop By the Blog, Leave a Comment.  At my weblog, "Get Anchored," every Sunday I post a new "Song of the Week."  (This week, "Like a Mountain," by Peter Mayer .)  Also, every Tuesday I post some entertaining and informative "Links to Your World."  In addition, read comments on "evolution theology," loopy reactions to Huckabee, advice for leaders on how to help people love God's church, a report and photo of Austin Toros players training kids in our Hillcrest Hoops basketball program, and a great report of victories at Maggie's House.

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