Makers Magazine - Spring 2024 - Flipbook - Page 26
Some possible ideas and answers
come to mind as I dig deep into my
own experiences and conversations
I’ve had with those in the churches
I’ve served:
MY WORLDS WOULD
Collide!
Compartmentalization is a lot
cleaner, and inviting friends from
work, a team or your apartment
complex has the potential to blur
everything and bleed religion into
daily life. The folks who saw you in
the office Thursday or saw what you
were doing on Friday night might
wonder why you act and talk totally
different on Sunday morning.
In turn, your church friends might
judge you for hanging out with this
crowd. It’s easier, cleaner, and a
lot more accepted if you keep your
religious stuff in its own box and
not let it interfere with the rest of
your life or the other people in your
life.
The problem with this assumption
is that, actually, that’s what a
relationship with God is all about:
becoming more like Jesus in all
things and places, with all people in
life. After all, didn’t Jesus want us to
break the box of religion so that it
would bleed into all aspects of life?
24
I DON’T HAVE ALL THE
Answers!
What if you invite someone
to church and they ask you
about why you believe certain
stuff and you have no clue?
You might look stupid or, even
worse, you might make your
church look stupid.
But then again, the limits of
your own knowledge could
actually provide an open
door, an inviting element for
someone to see. It just might
let them know that you, too,
wrestle with questions about
the Bible, why bad things
happen, and the nature
of free will, but not fully
understanding it all doesn’t
prevent you from following
Jesus anyway.
IT COULD RISK OUR
Relationship!
You’re afraid that inviting
a friend to church might
communicate you think she’s
messed up or that you don’t
respect her beliefs as-is. Maybe
your friend even said before that
he’s a Christian but doesn’t go to
church. If you invite him and he
declines, that could make your
relationship kind of weird.