Preparing to Teach

I need a little help, especially if you are a Bible teacher or preacher, or for that matter, a learner. First, for those of you who don’t know, I teach a young adults Sunday School class at Northcrest Baptist Church. I’ve been doing it for about seven years. We began with six people, grew to about 50, split into two classes, and now have about 30-35 people. It’s a great class, and is a lot of fun. This week, we will finish up a year-long study of the book of John that has been incredibly challenging and satisfying. We’re about to begin a shorter, three month survey of some Old Testament history books. So I think this transition time is a good time for me to start thinking about some changes in my preparation and presentation style. I think I’ve fallen into a bit of a rut in my preparation, and I might not be using my time the best possible way I can, and I’m looking for some ways to improve that. So I’m just going to share with you my weekly preparation schedule and goals, and see if any of you have some hints that might help me improve.

I usually work all week on my lesson for the coming week; a little bit every day. I start on Sunday, and wrap up that next Saturday. I put a lot of work into it, but I wonder if I could be better using that time by changing up some of my study and preparation habits.

Sunday
I look over the passage I’ll be teaching for the coming week, and try to get a feel for it. I begin thinking that day about what the major themes of the passage are, and start brainstorming how I can present them.

Monday
I really begin studying. I have a couple of commentaries I use, an ESV and HCSB Study Bible, several other books of theology to consult as needed, and some online resources, as I really try to unravel what the passage is all about. I’m looking for the Biblical and  historical context, along with difficult to understand phrases, words and sentences. By this time, I hope I have a feel for the main thrust of the passage, and a general idea of what the application of the passage will be. On Monday morning, I try to write out a brief introduction.

Tuesday-Friday
I spend the next four days working on an outline. And I think this is where I often get bogged down. My outline used to be 3-4 pages long. Now it is 7-8 pages long. In many ways, the outline is just a way to help me think through the passage. I use it when I teach, but only to kind of help me keep my place, and to help me remember the 3-4 main themes I want to talk about. It also helps me to remember if there is something specific from an application standpoint I want to use, or if there is some specific phrasing I want to use at a particular point. During this time, I try to work through the particulars of the main themes. I try to develop those main themes into more specific ideas, and show how it all fits together coherently. I will regularly re-consult the my commentaries, books and online resources as I’m doing this. I usually about 45 minutes per day doing this. It’s amazing how pretty much every week this ends with an outline that is 7 pages, plus one paragraph long. It’s uncanny.

Saturday
I spend just a few minutes reviewing my notes, remembering my main points, trying to clarify in my mind anything that doesn’t seem to make sense. I’ll usually go to sleep Saturday night thinking about what I’ll say Sunday morning.

Let me also say that I spend a good deal of time during the week thinking about what I’ll be teaching. Many of the ideas that I’ll sketch out in my mind during my morning study come to me as I’m thinking through them at some other point in the week. Here’s where I think my real weakness lies. I think I’ve become to attached to my outline. It feels sometimes like as long as I have my 7 pages plus 1 paragraph, then I’ve done what I need to do. I’m not sure that’s always the case.

Let me say something about my general presentation also. I usually take our class through a 3-step process: tell the story, interpret the story, apply the story. Now, not every passage we study is a story, but it still works the same way. If it’s not an actual story, we simply discuss the context of the passage, then interpret it, and finally apply it to our lives. I try to mix in a fair amount of questions and discussion time as I lead the class through the passage. Some weeks I do better than others. Some weeks I talk too much. But that is my general process, and certainly my goal each week. I think I often fall short in the application phase. There’s a real danger here, I think. Sometimes you can under-apply something, and other times you can over-apply it. In other words, you can be so short on application that nobody understands what the passage is supposed to mean for their lives tomorrow. But you can also be so specific on application that you rule out other ways it can be applied, and people miss out on applying it themselves. So I lean toward under-application I think. I don’t want the pendulum to swing too far in the other direction, but I would like to do a little better on that end.

So that’s me. How about you? If you are a teacher or preacher, what does your preparation and presentation look like? Do you see any ways I can improve? Is there anything specific you do that you think might help me do a better job? Any questions about the way I do it that might be a help to you? If you are a member of a Bible study class, is there anything in particular you hope to hear or experience during your group study that you think I’m leaving out? I want to know!

Bible Versions

I've had a couple of conversations with people lately on the subject of Bible translations, so I thought it might be profitable to share some of my thoughts on the different translations, and which I think are the best ones. I know this is a sticky subject, and I'm going to try to be as charitable to all sides as I possibly can. In my Sunday School class and church, we have probably a half dozen translations on an average Sunday. I don't see anything wrong at all with this; in fact, in some cases, I think it can be very good to help understand a passage better. So I'm going to lay out some of the issues I see with Bible translations, and some of the things that might be good for you to think about if you're considering buying another Bible.

There are two major issues to think about when you get ready to buy a new Bible: accuracy and readability. The best Bible translations are a combination of highly readable and highly accurate, and I think there are several translations that fit that bill.

There are several things to think about when you're looking for the most accurate translation of the Bible. One is how the Bible was translated, and the other is from which texts the Bible was translated. The King James Version and the New King James Versions of the Bible, along with most of the versions that are more than a couple of hundred years old, were translated mainly from the Latin Vulgate Bible. At the time of their translation, these were the best texts of the Bible we had, and they are still very good. But since that time, older versions of particular texts have been discovered. These newly discovered, older texts, are remarkably similar to the ones we had before, but here and there, you will find some textual differences. Most of them can be accounted for through transcription errors (we didn't have copying machines back then), but some of them appear to be things that might have actually been added later, after the apostles wrote them. In most of those cases, they appear to have been added to help add to the understanding of a particular passage.  Nevertheless, in some of the newer versions of the Bible, you will find verses or parts of verses missing that were in older versions like the KJV. That's because they just can't be found in the older manuscripts.

Now, before we go any further, understand that very few of these "missing verses," actually change the meaning of the particular texts. And none of them take away any major doctrines from the Bible itself. If they've been taken from one place, don't worry. You can find them somewhere else. Whether you read a King James or an NIV, all of the doctrines of the faith are in there.

So the first thing you need to decide when you're looking for a Bible is whether or not you would prefer something translated from the Vulgate Bible, or something that was translated from the more newly-discovered, older texts. I believe that is a question that is up to each particular person to answer, based on your comfort level. If you grew up on the King James, and feel comfortable with that, and are uncomfortable with some of those parts of the KJV being missing from newer translations, you probably want to stick with the KJV, or if you want something more readable, the New King James Version.

If however, you believe that the older texts probably provide the most accurate rendering of what the apostles originally wrote, then you can begin looking at some of the newer translations. But there are several things to think about when you begin to do that. Specifically, how were these newer versions actually translated? There are two ways to do it:

1 - Word for Word - in this situation, the translators did their very best to capture what the original Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew texts were saying, by being as literal as possible with their translations. The upside to this it is more likely to be an accurate rendering of what the originals actually said. The downside is that sometimes things get lost in the translation, because languages don't always translate perfectly word for word. Here's a non-biblical example. In French, the phrase "com ci, com ca," literally means "like this, like that." But if you took French, you know that it doesn't mean that at all. If you ask me how I am, and I say "com ci, com ca," I don't mean, "like this, like that." I mean, "I'm doing ok."
Word for word translations include the King James, New King James, New American Standard, English Standard Version, and Holman Christian Standard Bible.

2 - Thought for thought - in this situation, the translators do their best to capture exactly what the originals meant, even if it doesn't perfectly capture what they said. The upside is, generally speaking, these translations are much more readable. The downside is, depending on how far you go with this process, it can become highly interpretive, and instead of saying what the originals say, the translators say what they think the originals were trying to say. Thought for thought translations include the NIV and TNIV, the New Living Translation and Living Translation, and the Message. Now, the NIV is much more literal than is the Message, so there is some variation on just how "thought for thought" a translation can be. The NIV is true "thought for thought." The Message is basically a paraphrase, based on what the author thinks.

I’ve separated these Bibles into two categories, but it’s probably better to put them on a continuum, from most literal to least literal. Here’s a graphic from Zondervan that does just that! (click to enlarge)

So now you have to decide which of these ways of translating the Bible the best way is. I can see arguments for both sides, but at the end of the day, I choose what I believe is the accuracy of word-for-word translation over the readability of thought-for-though translations. But that doesn't mean I think you need to throw out your NIV Bibles. There is plenty of room for weighing all of the factors here and coming to a conclusion that one of any number of translations might be best for you. For example, based on all of the factors listed above, here are my favorites.

Group A - English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, and Holman Christian Standard Bible

I personally use the ESV. I’ve been using it for several years now, and really like it. I find it to be the best combination of accuracy and readability that I’ve found. But I also really like the HCSB. If I hadn’t been using the ESV for several years, and was looking for a new Bible translation, I would seriously consider it. The NASB is also a very good, literal translation, that might be slightly more difficult than the ESV or the HCSB. The ESV and HCSB also have excellent study Bibles, the two best I’ve seen.

Group B - King James Version, New King James Version
I will go as far as saying that the King James might be the greatest Bible translation of all time. It’s stood the test of 400 years of time, and has been used greatly by God during that time. The text of the KJV is highly accurate, using the texts that it uses. I find it to be a very difficult read though, because it was written in the language of its time and place, which of course is 17^th century England. The New King James is much easier, but is still retains some of the clunkier King James sentence structure. I also believe there are some places where newly discovered, older manuscripts improve upon the KJV manuscripts. If you are looking for a new Bible, I wouldn’t recommend the King James, for those reasons. If you already own a King James, and like it, I also wouldn’t recommend changing, especially since that is what you will hear from the pulpit in our church. I know it helps some people to be able to keep up with the pastor that way.

Group C - NIV and New Living Translation

Both of these translations are very readable translations, but I have some concerns about the thought for thought translation process. Nevertheless, I think both can be highly profitable for study. I used the NIV for years, and it was very helpful to me. Reed's first Bible was a New Living Transation, and I found it to be very readable. Let me also note that the NIV was revised last year, and the translators used more “gender inclusive” language. Here’s an example: where the original texts say “brothers,” the NIV now says “brothers and sisters.” When “brothers” was referred to in this way during the time of the Bible, it included women too, so the purpose of this is to help people understand that. But there are a lot of concerns, which I share, about the idea of adding things to the original word. If you are looking for a new Bible, I might not recommend the NIV, but if you already have one, I don’t think it’s worth changing over, either.

Group D - The Message

You will find people who absolutely love The Message, because it is very readable and engaging, and in many places, brings out the meaning of passages very well. However, there are places where you have to understand that the translator, Eugene Peterson, is really giving his thoughts on what he believes the passage means. It's much more subjective than any of the other translations you would find. I would use it only as a supplemental Bible, as a help when you come upon more difficult passages in other versions.

In an average week, I will probably study out of 6 or 7 of these translations, comparing them to one another to try to get a better idea of what the passage is saying, and which of the translations gets it most right. I use the more literal translation for my primary study, and use the more thought for thought translations when I need to understand a passage better. A great place to do this is www.biblegateway.com.

This was not an attempt to cover every issue of Bible translation, so I'm sure there are something I left out. If you'd like to ask questions, feel free. Otherwise, take what you need from this, and discard the rest. I hope this helps you the next time you go to buy a Bible.

Jesus and Tim Tebow, Recap

I couldn't have anticipated just how much interest there would be in my Tim Tebow series. Thanks to everyone who read and commented on it! The final part yesterday was especially popular. It was the busiest day in the history of my little blog.  If you didn't get to read all of them, but would like to, links are below.

Jesus and Tim Tebow, Part 1 - "Tebowing" vs. Private Prayer 

Jesus and Tim Tebow, Part 2 - What Did You Expect?

Jesus and Tim Tebow, Part 3 - Quarterbacking and Vocation

Jesus and Tim Tebow, Part 4 - God is For Tebow!

If you haven't already read them, take a look. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Jesus and Tim Tebow Part 4

This is the last in my series of posts on Tim Tebow, faith, and football. I’ve been trying to answer some questions that I think have been coming up as the Tebow phenomenon has steamed through the NFL season.

This final post, I think, could be the most important one in terms of understanding how God relates to us as Christians.

Another week, another miracle win for Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. By now, the extraordinary seems to have become routine. This Sunday, during a playoff game against the heavily favored Pittsburg Steelers, Tebow threw an 80 yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime to win the game for the Broncos. It was the longest game winning overtime touchdown pass in NFL history. Tebow set several other records in the game, while passing for 316 yards in the win. Get it? 316 yards? 3:16? Like John 3:16? Yep, seems like another miracle in a series of them for the well known Christian quarterback. Again and again this season, there have been so many coincidences and so many “miracles" for Tebow that a lot of people, including non-Christians, are beginning to wonder if God really is on Tim Tebow’s side, if there is some kind of “Angels in the Outfield” thing going on here.

This case presents us with several really important questions. Does God really care who wins football games? Is that something he really gets involved in? If he does, how do we explain all the times believers lose? What if there are the same amount of believers on both teams? Do good things happen to good people? Is that how it works? Is Tebow’s performance a reward for his exemplary Christian life?

I think all of these questions have a single over-arching theme to them. If there is a God, and that God is to be found in Christianity, and Christianity is about good behavior, then shouldn’t good behavior be rewarded? Either God is involved, and he is helping everything to turn out well in the world for Christians, or he’s not involved, and he’s leaving them to fend for themselves in certain times and places. So either football is a place where God involved, and he’s helping the best Christians to win, or he is not involved, and he’s just letting the people decide the outcomes. I think this theme is based on a lot of false assumptions.

First, let me say this very clearly. God cares about the outcome of football games. God is ultimately paying attention to who wins every single game that is played, from pee-wee all the way up to the NFL. And he cares about the outcome of baseball games and hockey games and golf tournaments and boxing matches and curling contests. I’m not as sure about soccer. (Just kidding) How can I say such a thing? Does this sound possible? Is God really a fan of all these sports? Here is what I mean. God cares about the outcome of games, because he cares about everything. Listen to what Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke.

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7 ESV)

What is the point of Jesus here? There’s a specific point about the fact that Christians need not fear anyone, because God is ultimately in control of their destinies. But there is a more general point here too, I think, and that’s that God has his eye on every detail of what is happening in the world. If he cares about how many hairs I have on my head, then he cares about whether or not Tim Tebow’s team wins football games. Let me push this point a little bit further. Not only does God care about the outcome of football games, but he is using their outcome for his ultimate purposes. How do I know this? Because “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 ESV) All things, Paul says. Every single thing that happens in the universe, from the flapping of a butterfly's wings to the business between you and your boss at work, to that stomach ache you had last night, to the outcome of this Sunday’s Broncos/Patriots game, is being worked together for good to accomplish God’s purposes. I simply take “all things,” to mean all things.

Let me even go one step further. Not only is God working all things together for good, he is ultimately sovereign over all things, the final arbiter of what happens and what does not happen. “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:33) In other words, even things that seem to be mere chance are not. There is nothing in the world that happens that is not either ordained or allowed by God. He can cause anything to happen, and he can prevent anything from happening. If it happens, it is because God has allowed it to happen. This includes the outcome of football games.

Now, before we go any further, we need to slow down a bit. Before I can get to my ultimate point, my most important point, I want to make this point. Just because God is ordaining everything that comes to pass, that does not mean that God is miraculously intervening to make Tim Tebow win football games, despite his circumstance and ability. God’s normal way of doing things is not through the miraculous. It is through the ordinary. The means by which God has ordained that the Broncos win their games is by giving Tim Tebow and his teammates particular athletic abilities, that they have honed over the years, by giving them coaches who have taught them the game, by giving them minds to understand what they need to do, and by giving them personalities that can work together in a particular way. This is the same way for you. It is God’s providential hand that gets you back and forth from work every day. But that doesn’t make it miraculous. God is using ordinary means to accomplish his ultimate purposes. This doesn’t deny that he doesn’t sometimes use extraordinary, miraculous means. It’s just not how he normally does it.

So that brings us to our final question. Is Tim Tebow winning football games because of his faith in God? And I think the answer is yes and no. What do I mean? God is working everything together for Tim Tebow’s good. That means all the wins that have happened this year have been part of that plan. But if Tim Tebow never leads a team to another victory, it doesn’t mean that God has abandoned him. The Christians on all the losing teams this year have not been abandoned by God. In the same way, if you are a Christian going through a difficult season in life, God has not abandoned you. But God’s plans are higher than the simple, “If I’m good, God will be good to me.” We make a mistake when we say that we will be guaranteed health and wealth and prosperity if we just have enough faith. We have not been promised that. We have actually been promised just the opposite. Jesus told us that in this world we would have trouble, and that if we follow him, we would have difficulty. So a loss in a football game, or the loss of a loved one, or the loss of money or home or status, is not sign of God’s disfavor. It could be a sign of just the opposite actually.

Here’s the bottom line: if you are a Christian, if you have followed Jesus, if you are trusting Jesus as your only hope for right relationship with God, then God is 100% for you, no matter what your circumstance might be. No matter what happens in your life, whether you “win” or “lose,” God is on your side. God’s favor toward you is not earned by anything you do, nor is it demonstrated by anything that happens to you. God demonstrated how much he loved you, and how much he is for you, when he sent his Son to die in your place. You deserved eternal death, but you get eternal life. If you believe that, then you can also believe that is all you need! Whether or not your team wins or loses, or whether or not your family turns out ok, or whether or not you get to keep your job in this recession, or whether or not you have friends or riches or comfort is not the ultimate sign that God’s favor rests with you. The ultimate sign is the fact that Jesus died for you!

So is God on Tim Tebow’s side? You betcha! And if you are a believer, he’s on your side too! He is for you. And if he is for you, nothing can be against you. He is working through all of Tim Tebow’s circumstances, win and losses; and he’s working through all of your circumstances, the wins and the losses, to see your ultimate good and his ultimate glory brought about. Embrace this and live in this and let it change you.

A Christmas Meditation from John

I love the Gospel of John. I’ve been immersed in it for about 6 months now, leading my Sunday School class through a year long study of this book. It’s full of theological and practical truth, and gives us a unique look at Jesus. There’s lots of stuff in John that is not in any of the other Gospels. It’s been well worth the time spent studying it.

The book begins with what I think is a powerful passage on the promise of Christmas, well worth looking at as we come up on the big day this weekend. It’s not the traditional Christmas story. It’s not about how Jesus was born, and has nothing to do with angels or wise men. There is no manger scene, no cattle lowing, and no swaddling clothes. But we do learn something important about Christmas, about the coming of Emmanuel. What does it mean that God became a man? That’s what the first chapter of John is all about.

Notice how it begins:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:1-5

We learn essential truth about the Word in these first five verses. He was from the beginning. He was with God. He was God, from the beginning. He created everything, which means he himself was not created. He holds in his hands life, which shines like a light into the darkness, giving that life to men. As we read these verses, we ought to be able to feel the weight of what is being said here. If you were reading this for the first time, you might be thinking at this point, “Whatever this Word is, John believes it to be the most powerful, most incredible, most unbelievable, being in the entire universe.” Eternal? Creator? Life? Light? None of these are small things, and John says he’s all of them.

John talks about John the Baptist for a few verses, and how he was not the light, but only a witness to the light, before getting back to what this Word, who is light, has done. Look in what he says next:

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” – John 1:9-13

Whatever this light was, it came. The same light that made the world came into the world. Not everyone will receive him, but those who do will become children of God! What an amazing thing to imagine. They will become God’s children, not through anything they do, not by willing themselves to be better people, but through the power of the Word who was from the beginning, and was with God, and was God! The most powerful being in the universe came to shine his light into the world, and make men sons of God! He came to give them a brand new start, a brand new birth! What an amazing thing to consider!

But it gets even better! This passage is building to a crescendo. As you read this, and you consider it this Christmas, let your heart leap with the excitement of what is being said. The Word is eternal. He is creator. He is light. He is life. And he has come, to share that light with others. So the question is this: how does this happen? And John answers it in such a stunning way that it ought to stop us in our tracks. We ought to hear what John says as if we are hearing it for the first time, feel it like we could have never imagined such a thing. How has God come to accomplish this plan of his?

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

What? Became flesh? Dwelt among us? Could this possibly be true? Could this Word, who was from the beginning, and with God and was God; who was light and life, have actually become a man? Is it possible that the most powerful being in the universe walked this earth as a human being? His plan to give humanity life, to come on this mission, involved him actually becoming one of us? He has come for us, by becoming one of us! This means that (gulp) God has been seen by someone? He’s been spotted? John is saying that he has looked into the eyes of God himself? What was it like? It was full of glory, grace and truth. Oh what good news! In verse 16, John says we have received “grace upon grace.” If you’ll be honest with yourself, and you look at the world, you will realize that the story of Christmas, the story of God coming to the earth, could very easily not be a happy story. When you see what the world is like, you can easily imagine that God would come to earth, and bring with him a sword, and judge the world. But instead, he brought with him, not just grace, but grace upon grace. This is what we need, what we really need.

Now, the implications of this are simply enormous. Frankly, enormous is not a big enough word. There is no way to possibly describe the full length and breadth and width of the implications of God becoming one of us, coming to us with glory and grace and truth . . . and grace! But John gives us a major hint as to what it means as he wraps up this opening session of his Gospel. Notice what he says next:

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” - John 1:18

Get what’s being said here about what it means that the Word became flesh, that this Jesus, the Son of God, has come down from Heaven and become one of us. From the beginning of time, until the time Jesus came, no one had ever seen God. A few people, like Moses, caught tiny little glimpses. But that was it. From the beginning of time, until Christmas, 2,000 years ago, no one had been able to truly know or understand who God actually was. But when the Word – Jesus – put on flesh, and walked around on this earth for 33 years, and lived his life and died for our sins, and rose from the grave, he made known who God was. This is the story of Christmas. We know who God is, because he came in the flesh and showed himself to us. He shined his light into this world, by becoming one of us, so that we could become like him. How does that happen? How are we transformed from what we are now, into God has planned for us? By simply looking to this Jesus, looking upon this Jesus, we are changed into what he has planned for us. Paul put it this way: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”  (1 Corinthians 3:18) So we look upon this Jesus, who revealed who God is to us, and we are transformed by it. We are changed by it. We see his glory, we begin to understand his truth, we are given his grace, upon grace, and we are transformed by it.

The story is the baby boy in the manger. But the truth is that God became a man. The Word became flesh. Don’t forget it this Christmas.

Jesus and Tim Tebow, Part 3

This is the third part in a series on life and faith, that was triggered by a segment I recently did on Tim Tebow at WMOX radio. You can read parts 1 and 2 here and also here.

I am Tim Tebow. And you are Tim Tebow. We are all Tim Tebow. No, most of us will never set foot on an NFL football field for any reason; much less lead a game winning drive, (or a bunch of them, for that matter.) But there is one major thing that we all have in common with the budding star quarterback for the Denver Broncos. We have been given a vocation in which we are supposed to glorify God.

Now, I am neither a theologian, nor a son of a theologian, but I think that this idea of vocation is one of that has been greatly under-discussed in our churches today. How do I best glorify God in my work? Whether I am an NFL quarterback, or a TV news anchor, or an engineer, or a nurse, or a stay at home mom, I have been given a sphere of influence through my work, and I am to work in that sphere, to the best of my abilities, as an act of worship to Jesus.

 

Now, we need to be careful when we talk this way. Lots of people have encountered the “Jesus guy,” at their place of work. He or she is the person with the Bible verse screen saver, and the Bible on his desk, who is too “holy” to speak to his co-workers, except to call them out on their sin or decry the ills of society, or “witness” to them. Think Angela on “The Office.” The only thing her co-workers know about her faith there is that it seems to keep her in a constant state of “stick-up-her-behindedness.” The worst thing about these kinds of “Jesus people,” at work, is that they rarely, if ever, do any actual work. They make life harder on everyone else in more ways than one. So this is not who you want to be. But you do want to be someone who works to the glory of God. Paul made it very clear: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) That “whatever you do,” most certainly includes your job.

Here are a few things I try to keep in mind while I work, in an attempt to do it as an act of worship. Let me say from the beginning, that I do none of these perfectly. I fail often. I’m thankful for a forgiving Jesus.

1 – My main job as a Christian at work is to do the very best job I can do. This means showing up for work on time, working while I’m here, getting my work done in a prompt manner, being a team player, and producing quality, in whatever it is I’m doing. If I don’t do this, if other people at work see me as someone who’s trying to slack, then they’re not going to care about anything else. If I’m making work harder for my co-workers, because I’m not carrying my weight, then I have failed in my vocation. Now, there are times when it is possible that being the very best at work might come in conflict with my faith. I think these times are generally rarer than we think. But there may be times when being good at my job means spending too much time away from my family, or missing too much church. I’ve never worked in a place where I was asked to do something that I found morally questionable, but if it ever happened, I would be forced to choose doing the right thing over being the “good” employee.

2 – I must have a good attitude. This is easier some days than others. It’s quite natural for us to have days when we just don’t feel like coming to work. But this must be overcome. I’ve known, and have Christian co-workers who have terrible attitudes about their jobs and about life. If you complain all the time, you will probably draw a lot of people to you. Everyone loves to complain about their jobs. Misery loves company. People will come to you. But they will not respect you. And when there comes an appropriate time to share Christ with them, you will not have the credentials. But if you constantly work hard and don’t complain, people will notice. It might not happen quickly, but eventually it will be noticed. It’s amazing how easy it is to be considered a good worker, and become well-liked, if you keep your mouth shut and do your job.

3 – Look for appropriate times and places to share your faith. Now, this is going to be different for everyone. There is a time and place for this, and it is not when everyone is working. If you are a pastor, and you’ve never held a job in the real world, this may be hard to understand. But people don’t really want to hear about Jesus when they’re trying to do their jobs. They mainly want to get their work done and go home. The guy who is constantly talking about Jesus while others are trying to finish up the payroll project is not going to be very well liked. I work in a job with people from different parts of the country, and in some instances, the world. They are great people, and I have, for the most part, great relationships with them. And they know about my faith. It is no secret. But if I tried to share the Romans Road with some of these people, they would look at me like I just passed gas. I’m in it for the long haul with them, and trust God and his providence to provide the right opportunities. If you are paying attention, and looking for opportunities, they will arrive. But please don’t do this if you aren’t doing steps 1 and 2!

Different jobs provide different opportunities and ways to share your faith. Tim Tebow has different avenues and different ways he can share his faith than you do, or I do. It is not appropriate for me to pray as I begin my newscast, at least not live on the air. It is not appropriate for me to “sneak Jesus,” into my stories, as I once heard a Christian reporter say she tries to do. But with the Holy Spirit’s help, there are certainly ways to make my faith known, and share the Gospel with my co-workers.

Tim Tebow has a sphere of influence of millions. I am fortunate enough to have a sphere of thousands. You may only have a sphere of influence of dozens, or ones. That’s fine. God has given you an opportunity to glorify him through your work, in the same way he’s given Tebow that opportunity. Take it. Use it. Glorify him.

Jesus and Tim Tebow, Part 2

This is the second part of a series on life and faith, that was triggered by a recent segment I did on WMOX Radio about Tim Tebow. See part 1 here.

One of the questions that inevitably comes up in any discussion of public faith is this: why do people get offended when someone puts their faith on display? Why should it bother others that someone is unashamed about their faith? Why should others want him to shut up? Why do they care? He should be able to practice and express his faith in any way he wants! Why would someone get offended by that? Now, I think sometimes we misconstrue honest questions and legitimate concerns with offense. But I think there are times when non-believers in Jesus do get offended over how a person expresses their faith publicly. And if not offended, they often, at the very least, think it is over the top.

Before I go any further, I also think some non-believers might have legitimate concerns about the way they see people living out their faith in the public arena. Christians far too often don’t look very Christ-like, even when, and sometimes especially when, they’re professing to be with Jesus in the public eye. We are all too often prone to legalism and judgmentalism. And we must do better. But I don’t think that’s what’s happening with Tim Tebow. He’s in many ways been a role model for how to live for Jesus in the public eye. And for some, that is still offensive. So, what’s going on here? Why does this bother people so?

The answer to this question is actually pretty simple. And non-believers seem to get this much more than many believers do. I can’t believe we have missed this. But we need to get it. I’ve heard one too many people say, “I don’t see anything offensive at all about Christianity.” Let me make this clear. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Gospel of Jesus is incredibly offensive. The Apostle Paul talked about “the offense of the Cross.” (Galatians 5:11) He also says it is foolishness to unbelievers. Jesus told us that all men would hate us because we followed him. We need to understand that this is what we signed up for. If you became a Christian thinking that everyone would love you, and your friends would stay with you, and those who don’t believe would embrace you, and that you could say whatever you wanted to, and that people would smile and think, “That’s nice,” you were misled, or you misunderstood. That is not what this is about.

Christianity makes a radical claim that cannot be avoided. We tell the world that we have a corner on the truth of God. We say that God can only be found through the Jesus who was God from the beginning, and then put on flesh and walked the earth, before dying a bloody death for the sins of the world, and then raising himself from the grave. We tell people that Jesus demands their total allegiance, above home, above family, above friends, above country, above everything that they know and hold dear. We tell people that they are radically sinful, and have no chance except to allow God to fix them, without their help. It is offensive.. It is foolishness. It is obscene. It is radical. But it is also true, and it is also life. And far too often, because we’ve grown up in the Bible belt, and we’ve heard this story from the time we were in diapers, and we’ve lived lives of relative ease, we forget this. We forget how this message, time and again, has gotten people laughed at, and persecuted, and cast aside as idiots, and killed.

When Tim Tebow “Tebows,” when he takes his knee and bows his head, or when you pray, you are both doing more than a private act of worship. You are declaring your allegiance. You are telling the world that you hate the things it loves. You are telling the world that it is in rebellion against its creator, and you have joined the other side. Tim Tebow is making his allegiances clear, and those who are offended by it understand that. The question is whether or not we who are believers do. Do you realize what you have gotten yourself into? This is not a pizza party.

One other thing – what are we as believers to do when people are offended? Well, first of all, we should not return their offense with offense of our own. We should expect this. It should not offend us. We know that their only chance is what our only chance is – the ability of the Gospel to change our hearts. It’s likely that some of these people are our friends, or even our family. At the very worst, they are our enemies. And our Savior has given us only one command as to how we treat enemies. I hope you know what that is.