Friday, May 15, 2009

Importance of relaying a message

I have started early on my quest to read the bible in 90 days. www.biblegateway.com is posting a reading plan on June 1st for people interested in doing this. Well, I didn't make it far before I had a major thought run through my noggin. As we can all remember the "gossip" game we played as kids in our class room's, where the teacher whispered a phrase in one kids ear. Now as the rules go, you were to whisper what you heard to the person beside of you. You could only say it once! We all know how the game ends. The poor kid at the end of the line ends up with a phrase that in no way shape or form sounds like what was originally told by the teacher.
My thought was this: I obviously live in the South, where everyone is a "Christian" if you ask them. Everyone, if asked, loves Jesus, guns and Nascar. Amen, now pass the biscuits! We all know people that are turned off by the Church because of how someone relayed the message of the Gospel to them. I was one of them. I thought, if that's how "religious" people are supposed to act, and treat people, well, I think I can do better on my own! Who needs religion, faith, etc... to be a good person?! It all goes back to how the message was "whispered" to me (or you), by someone. Unfortunately, I was the kid at the end of the line, and the message I received was nothing like what was originally told by the teacher.
Reading through Genesis we see this before we even have to take our first bathroom break. We all know how the story goes. Satan persuades Eve to eat from the Tree of Good and Evil. What is it that he asked her? Genesis 3:1-3 "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied. "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.' " Ok, here we go. God (the teacher) told this information directly to Adam. But now he told him that he could not eat from either the Tree of Knowledge, or the Tree of Good and Evil before Eve was ever created. So the thought hit me; "who told Eve?" I think it must have been Adam, relaying the message to Eve. Only he didn't quite recite it correctly. It was lost in translation. It was a short line, granted, but the message was not given correctly. Eve was at the "end of the line" if you will.
I believe that regardless what was told to Eve, thanks to a passive man standing by her side, we were destined to live a life of sin. But don't you see the importance of getting the message right when relaying it to others? If only we would share our faith with kindness and gentleness? How many more people would be charging hell with a water pistol?! I've met some incredible people volunteering for our church, and love hearing about how their life's changed because someone didn't relay the message they heard from the "end of the line", but rather heard it clearly from the teacher and relayed it them correctly.
So next time some one asks you why you believe what you believe, remember the importance of "relaying the message". When it comes to "hearing from the teacher", what end of the line are you on?

2 comments:

  1. Very True Derek!

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  2. Oh crap Derek, Tony and I have been "religious" people in your life for some time. I'm now going to go to my bedroom and cry under my pillow....

    BUT - to agree - I once heard someone say and will always remember, "churches today are the biggest fillers of Hell there is. They either turn people away from Christ in the way they act or lead people into Hell by deceiving them into thinking they are "fine".

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