Part of the nature of being a Christian and living a life in accord to God's will is to serve others and help them in their times of need; others being defined as everyone in our daily lives and the world around us that we have the ability and resources to serve. Before one can effectively set about helping others, one must understand the nature of helping some one so as to fulfill our duty as Christians.
It is essential to have a good working definition of the concept of help, the word help as used in the situation, and to have a uniform agreement within our Christian fellowship of the defining concept of help and how we understand the word. The reason it's so vital to our ability to serve is because without a uniform and guiding definition the Christian fellowship and people are vulnerable to attack in their lives. The vulnerability lies in an attacker (someone causing harm in order to gain something of value, i.e. fraud, robbery, etc.) using our eagerness, our drive to help as a way to entice us into a situation where we will be harmed. With a strong working definition of the concept of help and how we can apply it to discern whether or not a person needs our help can go a long way in keeping us out of harms way and make it more difficult for others to manipulate us using our desire to serve as a weapon agaisnt us.
Let's start with the concept of help and it's applications to our duties to others. The word help is defined as follows : "help:
–verb (used with object)
1.to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively with; aid; assist: He planned to help me with my work. Let me help you with those packages.
2.to save; rescue; succor: Help me, I'm falling!
3.to make easier or less difficult; contribute to; facilitate: The exercise of restraint is certain to help the achievement of peace.
4.to be useful or profitable to: Her quick mind helped her career.
5.to refrain from; avoid (usually prec. by can or cannot): He can't help doing it.
6.to relieve or break the uniformity of: Small patches of bright color can help an otherwise dull interior.
7.to relieve (someone) in need, sickness, pain, or distress.
8.to remedy, stop, or prevent: Nothing will help my headache.
9.to serve food to at table (usually fol. by to): Help her to salad.
10.to serve or wait on (a customer), as in a store.
–verb (used without object)
11.to give aid; be of service or advantage: Every little bit helps.
–noun
12.the act of helping; aid or assistance; relief or succor.
13.a person or thing that helps: She certainly is a help in an emergency.
14.a hired helper; employee.
15.a body of such helpers.
16.a domestic servant or a farm laborer.
17.means of remedying, stopping, or preventing: The thing is done, and there is no help for it now.
18.Older Use. helping (def. 2).
–interjection
19.(used as an exclamation to call for assistance or to attract attention.)
—Verb phrase
20.help out, to assist in an effort; be of aid to: Her relatives helped out when she became ill.
—Idioms
21.cannot/can'thelp but, to be unable to refrain from or avoid; be obliged to: Still, you can't help but admire her.
22.help oneself to,
a.to serve oneself; take a portion of: Help yourself to the cake.
b.to take or use without asking permission; appropriate: They helped themselves to the farmer's apples. Help yourself to any of the books we're giving away.
23.so help me, (used as a mild form of the oath “so help me God”) I am speaking the truth; on my honor: That's exactly what happened, so help me. Use help in a Sentence
See images of help
Search help on the Web
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Origin:
bef. 900; ME helpen, OE helpan; c. G helfen
—Related forms
help·a·ble, adjective
un·der·help, noun
un·help·a·ble, adjective
un·helped, adjective
well-helped, adjective
—Synonyms
1. encourage, befriend; support, second, uphold, back, abet. Help, aid, assist, succor agree in the idea of furnishing another with something needed, esp. when the need comes at a particular time. Help implies furnishing anything that furthers one's efforts or relieves one's wants or necessities. Aid and assist, somewhat more formal, imply esp. a furthering or seconding of another's efforts. Aid implies a more active helping; assist implies less need and less help. To succor, still more formal and literary, is to give timely help and relief in difficulty or distress: Succor him in his hour of need. 3. further, promote, foster. 6. ameliorate. 7. alleviate, cure, heal. 12. support, backing.
—Antonyms
3, 11. hinder. 7. afflict. 13. hindrance.
—Usage note
21. Help but, in sentences like She's so clever you can't help but admire her, has been condemned by some as the ungrammatical version of cannot help admiring her, but the idiom is common in all kinds of speech and writing and can only be characterized as standard." (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/help -- retrieved 6/6/2010)
When a person needs help and askso for our help, we, and they, are using the word help as a noun. How a person is asking for help and using the word is solely determined by their attitude and perception of the meaning of the word help. How we respond is determined by our own attitude and perception of the meaning of the word help, and very often one doesn't stop to consider what the asker means when they ask for help but function on our own understanding of the word.
It is important to know the attitude and subjective perception of the persons we, as Christians, are attempting to help in order to decide if we are able to provide what they need/want within the context of our own beliefs. If a person using their petition for help as a way to get free labor to achieve their goals, then it is vital we understand this before we commit to helping since it is entirely possible that such a persons goals can be against the principles and values we hold to be good and true in our service to others. If a person needs help feeding their family, we may rush to relieve their distress and once their immediate need is met we then move on to other areas in our lives. But, if we do not take time to consider the goals and circumstances of the individual in need, then we cannot form a complete understanding of how to best serve them in their time of need.
Take, for example, if in the above situation the person cannot feed their family because they have lost their job and cannot find another to support themlseves and their family. We must endevour to understand the entire context of their need. Why can they not find another job, is it because of lack of necessary skills and education? Is there any source of income to this family, and if so is it sufficient to meet their basic needs of food, water, shelter, and security? If so, then why is this person unable to meet their needs? Is it because of lack of skills in managing finances and a household or some other reason? I'm not suggesting we delay in meeting the immediate need for aid and succor to feed the hungry family, but to follow up with additional ways to serve if the root of the problem can be addressed and remedied to prevent that family from ever going hungry again.
Sadly, it is possible in the realm of experience, that in such a case the person can then divorce themselves from a relationship with the Church once their immediate needs are addressed and not want any further assistance. Whether that attitude stems from any rational reasoning is irrelevant because our ability to help is entirely dependent on the person being helped's willingness to accept our help. At that point it is up to the special ministers within the Church to try and develop a relationship with that family and seek to encourage them to see the value of a relationship with the church that can provide education and services to better their lives.
It may be the case a person is using the Church's willingness and call to help others as a resource to accomplish things in their lives that would otherwise be more difficult or expensive to accomplish on their own. Their motive may be profit or convenience, rather than need. It is often the case that the Church rejects such a petition for help out of hand because the need is not outside of the reach of the person asking for help if they work towards their goal on their own. However, I feel this is short sighted in the scope of the Church's mission. In this case, it takes much more effort and discernment on the part of the Church to investigate the situation and ensure the nature of the request doesn't contradict the Church mission, doesn't take limited resources away from others who need help based on distress, and has the potential for an equitable exchange of value in the relationship of those we will help. If providing free labor establishes a good working relationship with an organization or individual who shares our values and doesn't act in such a way to hinder the mission and goals of the church, then there is a definite exchange of value in the relationship. It is through our work and relationship we may reach those we help with our gospel of Christ and if such persons have been willing to accept something of value from the Church they will be more open to other things of value the Church has to offer, which includes the gospel.
On the negative aspect of these situations, there is a possible time where the Church refuses the appeal for help from a person. If such a person is using the willingness of the Church to serve as a means to an end that causes harm to themselves or others (harm to Christians is defined as going against the will of God) there can be significant backlash in anger, slanderous accusations, and negative spin on the story told within the community regarding the interaction between the church and the persons involved. There could even be negative impact from helping a person who contradicts the values and mission of the Church.
It is important to understand the impact of public opinion to the ability to function within the community in serving the church mission. To ignore the reality of perception and subjective opinion in the persons we are trying to reach is to ignore a potential barrier and obstacle in communication and establishing relationships. We can do no good work outside of the church if no one wants to work with us because of their negative perceptions of the church formed by hearsay and gossip that was allowed to go unadressed and unchecked.
The reason I find this topic important to share is because even during times where I was deeply involved as laity in the church, and participating in fellowship, I would hear stories of people in need going unhelped by the church but never heard an official reason from the church leadership regarding why the church decided to deny help or not get involved in the situation. In the congregation there was speculation and people formed their own opinions on the matter, whether those opinions were positive or negative they still formed them and it effected their participation within the fellowship.
It is important to understand the nature of the word help, how the concept of help is applied from a Christian perspective, how to discern the attitude and needs of persons that we help, and how to effectively communicate our reasons for the actions we take in providing help and service.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
How to Live a Christian Life When Faced With Difficulty.
How to Live a Christian Life.
** Rough Draft, no revisions **
Whether you're newly baptised into the church or have been in the church since birth there is bound to be times in which you wonder to yourself if you are living a Christian life or can you do better. Sometimes a person can feel overwhelmed by all the things in their life they feel can be better in relation to living the way Christ calls us to live. Trying to react to each problem that arises related to conflicts between what the Bible says to do and what we are doing can be spiritually, mentally, and physically exhausting. At some point in time each person trying to follow the teachings of Christ will be faced with difficulty in their spiritual journey. This essay will cover some things I feel will be useful to most, if not all, Christians in their quest to live a Christian life.
What does it mean to live a Christian life? It means a person who believes in Jesus Christ as savior and son of God, has professed their faith, and has entered into fellowship with the church is actively seeking to follow the will of God through the example set for us by, and the teachings of, Jesus as told in the Bible. The level of difficulty in living a Christian life varies by how a person tries to follow Christ. A person trying to learn and follow Christ in a manner independent from the fellowship of the church has a much harder time and more challenges than some one actively participating in the fellowship of the church.
What is the fellowship of the church and why is it important to living a Christian life? The fellowship of the church is when two or more Christians gather in order to worship, learn about, work for, or talk about God. "15"If your brother sins against you,[b] go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'[c] 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be[d]bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.
19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." -- Matthew 18:15-20 This passage describes how the fellowship is used to resolve problems among Christians, but more imporantly for this essay Jesus tells us that it only takes two or three of us to form a Christian fellowship.
Knowing what a constitutes a fellowship, why is one necessary for living a Christian life? Because, it is within the fellowship that Christians gather together to share their experiences, knowledge, faith, and guide one another in their journey to follow the will of God and the teachings of Christ. On your own it is far more difficult to assess your own progress in living the Christian life. It is within the fellowship of the Church that a person finds all the resources, support, and help they many need to live a Christian life.
Once in the fellowship of the church, a person begins to do many different things in order to learn how to live a Christian life. Without dedicating a good amount of time and energy within the fellowship it can become very confusing and overwhelming for an individual to study the Bible, understand the scriptures, try to follow the will of God as written in those scriptures, and to actively contribute to the fellowship of the church. Though many efforts are made to make navigating all the areas of the church fellowship easier and there are many church members who dedicate themselves in service to guiding christians to the areas of the fellowship that can serve their needs the best there are still many obstacles and barriers that can dismay a person in identifying what they need and where to find it within the fellowship.
The barriers and obstacles include (as just a few examples) lack of communication among the church members, difficulty in discerning areas within an individual that need work, an overstimulating number of choices in activities, and many other issues that will be discussed in other essays. While it's easy to get confused, feel lost and discouraged, and become disconnected from the fellowship there is still a desire to seek and follow God's will in the hearts of all Christians. For those who are finding their journey difficult, frustrating, and hard to direct there is a way to recenter and refocus in order to reconnect with the fellowship and find the resources needed to start making progress in one's spiritual journey.
Out of all the lessons in the Bible and all the commands relating to following God's will, there is one passage that will be the foundation to which all Christians may focus on and return to a place of equilibrium in which to rest and recover their bearings before attempting to again move forward in their spiritual growth. This passage is Matthew 22:34-40, "34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
In that passage, the Pharisee expert on the biblical Law of God found in the scriptures of the jews (mostly found in the Old Testament of the Bible) attempts to confound Jesus by making him commit to one Law as greater than another and then trap Jesus in some conflicting error of interpretation that the expert would be able to construct. Jesus quotes from the Judaic Law and then explains his two quotes are the entire essence of God's will for the people, for us. We can know these two Laws refer to fufilling the will of God because the Law is what God gave the Israelites to guide them in following his will and the Prophets were the comissioned speakers of God's will through direct communication from God Himself. Jesus's statement was true and there was no rebuttle or argument against it from the Pharisee.
How is this important to a Christian struggling with their efforts to live a Christian life? It's important because whenever a struggling Christian is overwhelmed, confused, discouraged, or facing difficulties in their progress they may pause and focus entirely on the lesson Jesus taught in this passage. They can focus on Loving God with all their heart, their soul and their mind through whatever media that best helps them do this whether it be worship, study, service, or any other activity. And they can focus on Loving their neighbors, serving others within the fellowship and the community. By doing both these things they can take time to recharge, recover, and still be actively pursuing a Christian life without trying to decide how to prioritize the areas of their lives that need attention or work for growth.
Worship of God and loving service to others within the fellowship will take the focus off your own difficulties, reduce the stress of being overwhelmed, and will reduce all the aspects of living the Christian life to the two most important scriptural concepts for a Christian in the entire Bible. During this time of rejuvination, avoid trying to learn new scriptures or starting new works. Just focus on prayer, fellowship, worship, and service. You will know when you are ready to go back to work on progress in your spiritual journey as long as you pray and meditate regarding what the next step should be and when you should take it.
It is okay to take a rest when walking in the Christian life as long as you start the next step when everything regains balance in your life and you can once again see the road ahead of you.
** Rough Draft, no revisions **
Whether you're newly baptised into the church or have been in the church since birth there is bound to be times in which you wonder to yourself if you are living a Christian life or can you do better. Sometimes a person can feel overwhelmed by all the things in their life they feel can be better in relation to living the way Christ calls us to live. Trying to react to each problem that arises related to conflicts between what the Bible says to do and what we are doing can be spiritually, mentally, and physically exhausting. At some point in time each person trying to follow the teachings of Christ will be faced with difficulty in their spiritual journey. This essay will cover some things I feel will be useful to most, if not all, Christians in their quest to live a Christian life.
What does it mean to live a Christian life? It means a person who believes in Jesus Christ as savior and son of God, has professed their faith, and has entered into fellowship with the church is actively seeking to follow the will of God through the example set for us by, and the teachings of, Jesus as told in the Bible. The level of difficulty in living a Christian life varies by how a person tries to follow Christ. A person trying to learn and follow Christ in a manner independent from the fellowship of the church has a much harder time and more challenges than some one actively participating in the fellowship of the church.
What is the fellowship of the church and why is it important to living a Christian life? The fellowship of the church is when two or more Christians gather in order to worship, learn about, work for, or talk about God. "15"If your brother sins against you,[b] go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'[c] 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be[d]bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.
19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." -- Matthew 18:15-20 This passage describes how the fellowship is used to resolve problems among Christians, but more imporantly for this essay Jesus tells us that it only takes two or three of us to form a Christian fellowship.
Knowing what a constitutes a fellowship, why is one necessary for living a Christian life? Because, it is within the fellowship that Christians gather together to share their experiences, knowledge, faith, and guide one another in their journey to follow the will of God and the teachings of Christ. On your own it is far more difficult to assess your own progress in living the Christian life. It is within the fellowship of the Church that a person finds all the resources, support, and help they many need to live a Christian life.
Once in the fellowship of the church, a person begins to do many different things in order to learn how to live a Christian life. Without dedicating a good amount of time and energy within the fellowship it can become very confusing and overwhelming for an individual to study the Bible, understand the scriptures, try to follow the will of God as written in those scriptures, and to actively contribute to the fellowship of the church. Though many efforts are made to make navigating all the areas of the church fellowship easier and there are many church members who dedicate themselves in service to guiding christians to the areas of the fellowship that can serve their needs the best there are still many obstacles and barriers that can dismay a person in identifying what they need and where to find it within the fellowship.
The barriers and obstacles include (as just a few examples) lack of communication among the church members, difficulty in discerning areas within an individual that need work, an overstimulating number of choices in activities, and many other issues that will be discussed in other essays. While it's easy to get confused, feel lost and discouraged, and become disconnected from the fellowship there is still a desire to seek and follow God's will in the hearts of all Christians. For those who are finding their journey difficult, frustrating, and hard to direct there is a way to recenter and refocus in order to reconnect with the fellowship and find the resources needed to start making progress in one's spiritual journey.
Out of all the lessons in the Bible and all the commands relating to following God's will, there is one passage that will be the foundation to which all Christians may focus on and return to a place of equilibrium in which to rest and recover their bearings before attempting to again move forward in their spiritual growth. This passage is Matthew 22:34-40, "34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
In that passage, the Pharisee expert on the biblical Law of God found in the scriptures of the jews (mostly found in the Old Testament of the Bible) attempts to confound Jesus by making him commit to one Law as greater than another and then trap Jesus in some conflicting error of interpretation that the expert would be able to construct. Jesus quotes from the Judaic Law and then explains his two quotes are the entire essence of God's will for the people, for us. We can know these two Laws refer to fufilling the will of God because the Law is what God gave the Israelites to guide them in following his will and the Prophets were the comissioned speakers of God's will through direct communication from God Himself. Jesus's statement was true and there was no rebuttle or argument against it from the Pharisee.
How is this important to a Christian struggling with their efforts to live a Christian life? It's important because whenever a struggling Christian is overwhelmed, confused, discouraged, or facing difficulties in their progress they may pause and focus entirely on the lesson Jesus taught in this passage. They can focus on Loving God with all their heart, their soul and their mind through whatever media that best helps them do this whether it be worship, study, service, or any other activity. And they can focus on Loving their neighbors, serving others within the fellowship and the community. By doing both these things they can take time to recharge, recover, and still be actively pursuing a Christian life without trying to decide how to prioritize the areas of their lives that need attention or work for growth.
Worship of God and loving service to others within the fellowship will take the focus off your own difficulties, reduce the stress of being overwhelmed, and will reduce all the aspects of living the Christian life to the two most important scriptural concepts for a Christian in the entire Bible. During this time of rejuvination, avoid trying to learn new scriptures or starting new works. Just focus on prayer, fellowship, worship, and service. You will know when you are ready to go back to work on progress in your spiritual journey as long as you pray and meditate regarding what the next step should be and when you should take it.
It is okay to take a rest when walking in the Christian life as long as you start the next step when everything regains balance in your life and you can once again see the road ahead of you.
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