Ryan
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The following exercise is from the synchroblog at http://frankviola.org/2012/07/09/gospelforthemiddle
Fielding Melish and his wife Felicia have two children, ages 10 and 6. They live in a very remote part of Maine, USA. They are surrounded by extended family, none of whom are Christians. The nearest churches are one hour away, and by all evangelical standards, none of them are good. These churches are either highly legalistic, highly libertine, or just flat-out flaky.
One of Fielding’s cousins is a practicing Christian. They see each other once a year. Fielding’s cousin has shared Christ with Fielding many times over the years. Whenever they’ve talked about spiritual things, Fielding shows interest.
Felicia grew up in a Christian home. She’s received Christ, but she isn’t evangelistic and is overwhelmed with working long hours and raising two small children. She would love to find a church nearby for the spiritual support and instruction, but none exist.
Fielding has no college education. While he is capable of reading, he is not a reader. He doesn’t use the Web either. He’s a man who works with his hands, both for his career and for recreation. He’s an “outdoorsman.” He hunts, he builds, he does manual labor, etc. In his spare time, he helps his elderly parents with various building projects.
Fielding is not an atheist. Neither is he an agnostic. He believes in God. He believes Jesus is the Savior of the world who died for our sins and rose again from the dead. He hasn’t fully surrendered his life to Christ, but he is not sure what that looks like exactly. His children know a little about the Lord, mostly because of what their mother has taught them.
Recently Fielding asked this question:
When I’m with my cousin once a year, I want
to learn more about God. But when I come back home, and I’m around
everyone else, my mind is off of God, and I am back to working, raising
my kids, and helping my parents. Someone needs to come up with a
solution for people like me . . . people who are in the middle. (By
“in the middle,” Fielding means someone who believes in Jesus, but who
isn’t fully absorbed in the faith yet either. They simply don’t know
enough nor do they have any spiritual support system around them.)
Relocating is not an option for Fielding and his wife. Even if they
wanted to relocate, they don’t see a way they could do it financially.Remember: Fielding and his wife don’t personally know any Christians. None of their extended family or coworkers are believers either. And the nearest churches (which are an hour away) aren’t recommended.
Question: If you were Fielding’s cousin, how would you instruct him and his wife the next time you saw them?
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My response:
Fielding…..’Cuz,
So you don’t have anyone around to talk with you about
God. That’s a hard place to be! But I have good news. God
Himself is close to you, and He wants you to know Him even more than you do! He
doesn’t just live in a church building, He’s everywhere. He’s there when you
work, when you’re home with your wife and kids, and when you’re helping your
parents. And if you want to know Him better and learn more about Him, all you
have to do is ask.
In the morning when you first wake up, just tell God that
you want to get to know Him better that day. If you don’t think of it then,
just tell Him whenever you do. God is a person, and we can get to know Him. He
WANTS us to know Him, and He’ll listen to you. You don’t need to go to a church
to meet Him, He will meet you right where you are.
Here’s another thing: I want you to know God better, too.
I wish we could get together more than once a year. Since we can’t, how about
talking on the phone a little more? I love to talk about Jesus. He is
incredible, He’s the God of the universe, He loves us and saves us, and He can
live in us! How amazing! The two of us talking on the phone can take the place
of having other Christians around you, at least for now. Maybe Felicia would join
us, too.
Speaking of Felicia, how much do you talk with her about
God? I know she’s a Christian, and I’m sure she would want to know what you’re
thinking as well. And how about your kids? These are important things for them,
too. Don’t keep your interest in God to yourself, tell them about Him too.
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So in summary, I would respond with five things:
1.
Tell Fielding that even though there aren’t
other Christians around him, God Himself is near
2.
Encourage Fielding to ask God to show Himself in
the course of everyday life
3.
Try to talk on the phone more and serve as a
temporary substitute for other believers
4.
Preach Christ! I speak more of God in my letter because
that’s how Fielding refers to Him. But God has a name—it’s Jesus Christ!
5.
Encourage Fielding to include His wife and
children in all of this
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