Connecting for Change - Ultimate Connections, Ultimate Change
By Jerry Wiles, President Emeritus, Living Water International, Special to ASSIST News Service
HOUSTON, TX (ANS – Jan. 15, 2016)
– One of the benefits of traveling and being exposed to different
cultures around the world, and even the many different cultures right
around us, is that it helps us understand how differently people think.
It’s often said that perception is reality. The way someone perceives
something or someone is reality to them. If we have a goal to be change
agents (and every follower of Jesus should be) it would be important to
think about the ways that other people see and perceive life. Worldview
is an important term, because everyone has a worldview.
It
is not always easy to understand how other people think. However, if we
are willing to listen and ask the right questions, we can become more
aware of their views, likes and dislikes -- in other words, their
worldview. Conversations are often all it takes to bring significant
changes in people’s lives. I can think back on my own life and remember
conversations, even a brief statement that someone made, that changed
the direction in my life. One of the taglines we in Living Water
International have used for many years is, “Saving Lives and Changing Destinies.” We may think of that goal as a big grandiose task., but really, little things can make big changes.
In
the realm of God’s Kingdom work, it’s important to see ourselves as
instruments of righteousness. We, as followers of Jesus, are containers
of deity. One of my mentors’ years ago, used to say, “God never intended
for you to become something, but to contain someone.” Of course, that
someone is Christ Himself, by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is
liberating to realize that we do not and cannot change others, but the
Holy Spirit can and will use us as we make ourselves available to Him.
The
ultimate connection any of us can experience is when we come to God on
the basis of what Christ has done on the cross, and in repentance and
faith, trust Him. That, of course, results in the ultimate change. Being
born of the Spirit restores us to true humanity and brings us into a
spiritual union with our Creator. Connections, conversations and
community are all a part of God’s plan. Community could be explained in
terms of common-unity. Union with Christ enables us, as followers of
Jesus, to have genuine communion and oneness with other members of the
Body of Christ.
In
our Orality journey and the learning community around the world, we are
discovering the power of connectivity. It’s not just the transfer of
information, but the sharing of life. Orality involves many aspects of
communication, connectivity and community. The power of touch is another
means of connection and communication. One of the stories that we often
use in our Orality Training sessions is the story of The Little Children and Jesus, found in Mark 10:13-16.
After telling that story, here are a few of the questions we can ask:
*
What do we observe or learn about the attitudes of the disciples toward
the little children? Did they see them as people of worth and value?
*
What could have influenced their attitudes? What about the culture of
that time? Children were not seen on the same level as adults.
* Roman law even made if legal to kill little babies at that time, before or after birth.
* Is it a problem today that people are often influenced more by the culture they live in, than the Word of God?
* What did the disciples learn from Jesus about who He has time for? Who has value to Him?
*
What is our worth or value based on? It’s not based on our ability, our
possessions or our position in life. Our true value, or worth, is based
on the price paid for us.
* What was Jesus seeking to communicate about what is takes to enter the Kingdom of God?
*
What is the significance of Jesus taking the children into His arms,
one at a time, laying His hands on them and blessing them?
Many
lessons can be discovered in this short story. People can take hours
retelling and discussing it. One of the important lessons in the story
is the power of touch. There is even scientific research that
demonstrates the healing power of touch. It is important to discover
some of the cultural issues in relation to touching. In Scripture, we
have many examples of Jesus touching people. Of course, we need to be
aware of what is appropriate and inappropriate ways of touching.
In
that story, one of the things Jesus said was, “I tell you the truth,
anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will
never enter it.”
In our Orality Training Workshops,
when asked the right questions, people will discuss many attributes of
little children. Some of those would be dependence, trust, innocence,
transparency, forgiveness, children tend to believe what you tell them,
they like to be close their parents, they respond to proper touch, and
many others. Touching can be a powerful aspect of communication and
connectivity.
That
story is only four verses long, and can be told in 40 seconds. However,
with the right questions, many lessons can be discussed and applied to
our lives.
For more information on Living Water International, the Orality Movement, or Orality Training opportunities, visit – www.water.cc - orality
Photo
captions: 1) Children carry water, and can carry stories of Jesus to
their villages. 2) The least and last need Water and the Word. 3) Small,
simple, reproducible systems and structures enhance strategic
movements. 4) Jerry Wiles.
About
the writer: Jerry Wiles is president emeritus of Living Water
International and serves on the advisory council and leadership team of
the International Orality Network. He can be reached at: jerrywiles@water.cc .
** You may reproduce this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
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