Communicating With Our World: Part 1

A couple of weeks ago, we looked at “Communicating With Our Saviour”. Last week, we looked at “Communicating With Our Church”. And this week, we’ll explore “Communicating With Our World”.

As I began thinking about this concept of communicating with our world, I wondered, “What does the world think of us?”

After all, before we speak to someone, it’s always useful to know what pre-conceived thoughts or ideas they may have.

So I did what any tech-savvy pastor would do; I went to the Google. Unfortunately, my first couple of searches were not that encouraging.

Search #1: “Christians are…“

As I typed “Christians are…” Google’s only suggestion was “…annoying.” In 0.87 seconds, Google responded with 1,020,000 results. The top two responses, “The 9 Most Annoying Things About Christians” and “Top Ten Annoying Types of Christians.”

Search #2: “Why are Christians…“

For my next Google search I started with, “Why are Christians…” expecting it to fill in “annoying”, but no, it got worse. Google suggested that I check out why Christians are “…so mean.”

This time, in 0.67 seconds, I received 61,300,000 results with the top two being “Why are so many Christians so obnoxious and mean-spirited?” or “5 Reasons Why Christians Can Be So Mean To Each Other.”

I though to myself,

“Is Google sensing that I’m using a Mac and messing with me? Or is there some conspiracy that Google’s secretly against Christians?”

Search #3: “Why is Jesus…“

Then I tried another search. Instead of, “Why are Christians…” I tweaked it from who we are to whom we follow. I typed in, “Why is Jesus…” I wondered, “Would the world feel the same way?”

The results were a lot more encouraging. First of all, I received more than one suggestion. Second of all, they were all positive and informative suggestions:

• Why is Jesus important?
• Why is Jesus called the Word?
• Why is Jesus called the Son of David?
• Why is Jesus God?”

And to the first response, “Why is Jesus important?” I received 132,000,000 results in 0.52 seconds, with the top two suggestions being “Who is Jesus?” and “Why is Jesus Christ important in my life?”

Maybe the Google isn’t out to get me after all. This was an encouraging Google search.

Search #4: “Church is…“

But it still left me discouraged about how the world views Christians. I wondered,

“I’ve got an idea of what this world thinks of Christians, and an idea of what this world thinks of Jesus; I wonder what the world thinks of the church?”

So back to the Google I go! I started typing, “Church is…” and Google suggested the following:

• Church is community.
• Church is the Bride of Christ.
• Church is a team sport.
• Church is a hospital for the broken.

In 0.44 seconds, I received 486,000,000 results to “Church is community.” with the top two responses being “What is a Church?” and “What is a Community Church?” I’ll be honest; I was shocked!

I truly expected similar results as “Christians are…”

I was overjoyed!

Despite the struggles that every Christian has with interacting with the unbelieving world, Christ sustains His church. For some reason, most Christians as individuals communicate poorly with the unbelieving world but the church remains a beacon of community.

Or better yet, as that one search result stated, “a hospital for the broken.”

Our A-Game

When we’re physically in the church, we’re clearly on our A-game. And I think this also goes for when we’re active for the church, at a food bank or soup kitchen for example, or during an outreach event.

Clearly from these results, the church appears to be a place of community and a place for help in a time of need. To be sure, this should be celebrated.

However, let’s not ignore the first results; that as individuals outside of the church, Christians are communicating to the world something drastically different.

Join the Conversation, Leave Your Thoughts

In your opinion, how does the world view Christians and/or Christianity?

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