Hands On! (part 2)

After writing a post of the necessity for a "hands on" approach to Christianity, I decided it would be important to develop the concept a little further.  While "hands on" training is important for honing skills in a trade, the work done in the classroom is not necessarily what you will face in the field.  In fact, it is safe to assume the work done in a classroom will always be different than the field!  The concepts could be applied, but the differences are many.  The level of fitness required to be a mechanical insulator (potentially climbing up and down a 10 foot ladder hundreds of times in a day, for instance) is not addressed in the confines of a classroom.  In a classroom, the material needed for the job is on hand.  Specialised tools are easily accessible to fabricate metal.  Pipes and vessels in class are not energised, unlike in the field when repairs need to be made on "live" steam pipes.  In class therefore, no care is required to avoid burns.  Insulation in the class setting is applied to pipes without any interference of any kind at eye level.  These conditions are shockingly different from the field, where there could be shortages of the correct-sized material and necessity demands you to "make it work."  Material may need to be carried long distances, and hoisted or lowered with a rope.  Ships are notorious for having all manner of interference:  pipes, electrical, and equipment not associated with insulation work have to be carefully avoided and kept clean.  While classwork is valuable for developing hands, eyes, and skills, there is undoubtedly a large divide from practice in school and actual insulation in the field.

This is very true in the spiritual arena.  It became evident to me when I entered university that in church I had learned answers to questions nobody was asking!  Growing up in church, certain things were a given:  God exists, the Bible is the Word of God without error, and truth is absolute, just to name a few.  We did not spend much time discussing the reality of these facts, because apparently they were self-evident.  But in university, everything was debatable.  Everything was questioned.  It was a good thing for me, because I was forced to carefully examine the things I believed.  That experience helped me to understand the necessity of approaching the Bible and Christianity from a view of unbelief - though I believe myself.  We need to be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in us in a manner unbelievers can relate to.  The Holy Spirit will give us wisdom and discernment to speak the truth in love and demonstrate through love unfeigned the truth of the Gospel.  How much Christians would learn if we could organise a time to meet with people who hate Christians or deny the existence of God and ask them some simple questions for the purpose of understanding their perspective!  I'll bet their reasons for believing what they believe will surprise you.

When I was in trade school with Local 5 in Los Angeles, we insulated the same pipes with the same insulation in the same arrangement all the time.  It was not long before the work became a routine.  Some sneaky apprentices saved their layouts as patterns - only to have the sizes changed for the final!  The students who did this struggled with time and didn't learn the concepts behind laying out a circular pipe on a flat surface.  Without a proper grasp of the basic fundamentals, I doubt the techniques learned in class were ever applied outside the classroom.  The same thing can happen in church.  We are around "church" people so often that we forget there are so many different issues and struggles people have.  We cannot simply apply a "pattern" to approach people with the Gospel.  Using an insulation pattern in the field with all sorts of interference would be a waste of time.  The pattern we must follow is that of Christ who always did the will of the Father.  It is so important that all we do is steeped in Christ's love as we are led by the Holy Spirit.

There were plenty of guys I trained with who had skills at layout and insulating in class, but their knowledge did not immediately correlate to ability in the field.  Some lacked speed and fitness required to put in a full day of work in sweltering conditions.  Others were confronted with their fear of heights.  In the church many have skill within the church context, but struggle with the idea of speaking to an atheist or someone of another faith.  But no matter where we find ourselves in our Christian walk, the imperative is to take the concepts and truths we learn in the church and apply them in our lives wherever we are.  We are to continue growing in grace and knowledge, seeking to walk in love always.  God desires His people walk skillfully through life.  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.  As we are led by Christ, may we grow to maturity and bring much glory to His name.

Hands On!

Something I've been mulling over lately is the value of "hands on" experience.  When I was in training to be a journeyman mechanical insulator, my classes were broken into two basic parts:  book work and hands on.  We spent a good deal of time learning about hydronic systems, four and three pipe systems, chillers, boilers, and identifying what pipes or surfaces required insulation.  A bit dry at times, but valuable information.  But hitting the books did nothing to develop the eye, hands, or gain any practical experience of actually doing the work.  Hands on training was the primary part of our training so we could familiarise ourselves with layouts, cutting styrene, metal jacketing, fiberglass cloth, and rubber.  The high quality our teachers required was obtainable only after much practice, repetition, and the development of learned skills.

In the church today, I think the tendency is to have things backwards.  In my view, there is a real possibility we focus primarily on the book work and put little emphasis on the "hands on" portion of our faith.  Can you imagine a hairstylist who spent 95% of time in beauty school learning about the history of scissors and brushes, the anatomy of hair follicles, the chemical properties of various hair products, studying the evolution of hair styles through the centuries, and and only spent 5% of their time in school actually cutting, curling, dyeing, and styling hair?  But this is what we can do with our many Bible studies, home groups, Sunday Schools, prayer meetings, and discipleship classes.  Don't get me wrong - fellowship, prayer, and study of God's Word is vital to our spiritual health and growth.  The point is, how often are you actually getting your hands dirty, learning through experience to apply your knowledge in real life situations?  Unless our faith includes a lot of hands on, we have the Christian skills of a hairdresser who really hasn't styled much hair ever!

There was no person more hands on than Christ.  He invested wisdom and time with His disciples, taught the Word in the synagogue, and He laid hands on the sick and healed them.  He fed the hungry, and discussed spiritual truth with unbelievers.  Jesus went about His Father's business, which involved Him traveling around and doing good.  He had a message to share with the world, and He compassionately shared it with all who would hear.  How important it is that we provide a Christ-like example for our spouse and children, our friends and co-labourers in Christ!  Unless our kids are given hands on experience in following Christ and are taught to live skillfully as we invest ourselves in them individually, how will they practically know what following Jesus looks like?  We can't be content to feed them information alone.

Once we are washed from our sin, our call is to engage in the work of the ministry.  So let's get our hands dirty, people!

Taught to Know War

"Now these are the nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan ² (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), ³ namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath."

Judges 3:1-3

When the people of Israel neglected to drive out the inhabitants of the land according to God's command, He allowed the people to remain to test the Israelites.  In Judges 2:22 God revealed one purpose why He allowed the nations to remain:  "...So that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not."  By allowing nations that did not fear God to remain, He effectively provided His people a choice.  The Israelites were granted an opportunity to prove themselves faithful to God's commands or reveal their disobedience.

This second reason God allowed the nations who did not fear God among His people I find most compelling.  There was a new generation of Israelites who did not know God, His mighty works (Judges 2:10), and had not experienced war firsthand.  They were not battle-hardened warriors who placed their faith in God to fight their battles.  This new generation was soft, easily influenced by the enemies of God, and needed to learn how to fight and stand up for righteousness.  So God saw fit to allow enemies of Israel to remain so His people would "be taught to know war."  No one gains skill through ignorance.  No one improves without a level of training and practical experience.

It is for this reason that God has allowed Satan - the enemy of our souls - to remain presently alive and well on this earth.  He goes to and fro like a hungry lion, seeking who he may devour.  We are called to resist him, steadfast in the faith, standing strong girded with armour supplied through the Holy Spirit.  God wants Christians to learn how to fight, defend the truth, to resist temptation, and to be strong.  God does not want us to be warmongers against flesh and blood, but to be battle tested and grow increasingly proficient with our blade:  the Sword of the Spirit which is is the Word of God.  He wants our minds to be sharp, our lives focused, our hands toughened, taking courage in God though we see the enemy advancing.  No one in the midst of a fight entangles himself with the affairs of this life, and we must remain vigilant.  God wants us to be battle-hardened veterans, not doughy and soft through lack of exercise.  He desires we be courageous and bold to trust His promises.  Every day we are being tested and tried:  are we willing to make peace with the world through compromise?  Are we willing to stand up for righteousness or will we acquiesce to the world's wisdom to please the flesh?  Will we choose to love God and others enough to labour to pull down the enemy's strongholds?

God has provided all His people with a choice.  Our desires, decisions, and the use of our time shows if we are truly loyal to God or not.  May God be able to say to us at the end of our days:  "Well done!  You have fought the good fight; you have run a good race; you have finished the course.  Enter into the joy of the LORD."  Even as the enemy gains strength, we need not fear.  Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.  The battle is the LORD's, but we must be resolute to fight!

Nimby!

I learned a new word today:  nimby.  It means, "Not in my backyard!"  It reminded me of something I've been thinking of lately.  The messages at Calvary Chapel Sydney lately have compelled me to do some personal examination and inventory.  As a parent or leader, we are to be circumspect in our conduct and that of our children.  There is always the potential that we will be personally offended when kids we are supervising (especially our own!) fall into destructive or sinful behaviour.  We can forget that we too are imperfect, and sin ultimately is not against us but God.

It has been revealed to me by God that I tend towards a "nimby" or "Not on my watch!" mentality.  When we make the struggles of others focused on primarily how they affect us, we have ceased to walk in love.  If I grit my teeth in frustration because of the inconvenience of an internet filter installed for the safety of my children, I am walking in selfishness - not love.  It occurred to me that as a parent, it is better to be watchful and discern sinful behaviour than to bury my head in the sand and pretend all is well.  Sometimes as parents we discover our kids are struggling in an area, it feels like an indictment against us.  We are tempted to believe the lie that this means we must be doing a terrible job as a parent.  Actually, quite the opposite may be true!  It is a good watchman who notices the danger and does something about it.  His discovery of a threat proves he is doing his job, and his loyalty to his master and his position moves him to action.

When we aren't aware of the struggles of our kids, we may think we are doing a spectacular job.  But our ignorance of a struggle does not mean there is not fight a going on.  God is the best Father, yet that doesn't mean His kids are perfect!  The fella who said "Ignorance is bliss" clearly never considered the certain end of that path.  God said in Hosea 4:6 that His people were destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Ignorance of the law does not make a man innocent, and ignorance concerning the struggles of others does not spare them the consequences.  It would be better for our children to go "off the rails" whilst in a nurturing, loving environment where they are accountable before man and God than to do so after they have left home and resort to their own devices.  If open communication is established while kids are young without there being hell to pay, kids will confide more with their parents about the real issues they face.  The consequences of freely confessing sin should not bear the same punishment for sin parents discover themselves.  If you think all is well because your kids haven't approached you with a conflict, don't be deceived to think they are immune from sin.  It won't be your great parenting that saves them, but the grace of God.

I must move beyond the nimby mentality which suggests as long as I don't know about it, everything is fine.  As long as I remain my children's prime deterrent to sin, what will keep my children following God into adulthood and after they have moved away from my home?  We must teach our children to honour God proactively, not instruct them through our negative reactions to cleverly mask their pains and hide their sins.  A life of holiness goes far beyond the outward conduct, but is a matter of the heart.  If we make the Christian lifestyle of one preoccupied with externals, the inner man has not been affected.  Therefore we must labour to deal with the source of sin by gently shepherding our children's hearts as we are led by the Holy Spirit.  It is for us to maintain our walk with God, so we will be able to demonstrate for our children the relationship God intends man to have with Him.

We may have all the wisdom in the world but unless we walk in love, we are nothing.  It is the love of God that pursued and captured our hearts, and God's love through us will have the greatest and most profound impact on our kids as we encourage them to receive of His love and walk therein.