I really did think we were through with “Truth” last week, but apparently God determined we needed to plant that stake just a little deeper.
To set the stage, let me suggest you take about five minutes and watch this clip from the U.S. television series “ER” (that stands for “Emergency Room”). It’s one of the most compelling illustrations of the inadequacy of the post-modern approach to truth that I have ever seen. (If you can’t access by just clicking the link, copy it into your browser) I’ll wait ….
Powerful … right? Not only the confrontation with someone seeking real truth – and a real God – but, if you watch the clip to the end, the chaplain lays out her spiritual experience and says, “’Certainty’ … I don’t think it’s real. Who knows anything with absolute certainty?” To which her doctor colleague then responds, “Not me, that’s for sure”. I don’t’ know about you, but I really want a doctor who knows some things with certainty! I want him/her to diagnose and treat me with certainty. I want her/him to know the biological, chemical, pharmaceutical and other certainties of medicine. Of course, I know he made his remark in the context of the huge questions a dying man has demanded answers to – what’s next?,.. Is there atonement? … What does God want from me? – but their conversation and his response are symptomatic of how 75% (according to George Barna’s research) of the men and women you and I deal with every day approach the issue of truth. Whether you label it relativism, post-modernism, or another kind of “ism” – including taking this issue clear back to its roots in the conflicting foundations of theism/creationism, naturalism, Darwinism … but we’ll save those roots for another discussion … this is a business forum, after all!
And because we are in business, let’s get to the practical ramifications of all of this. Over the past two weeks we have talked about the danger of partial or twisted truth, and then about the certainty available when we KNOW the Truth, know WHERE to FIND the foundational truths from which all other truth is derived (the Bible), know HOW to RECOGNIZE truth and HOW to APPLY truth to life. Let’s camp on that last part.
Listening to that ER conversation reminds me how powerful it can be for people to see you and me living lives that are based on the certainty of God’s truth. For example, on a recent Sunday Janet and I drove into the parking lot of a Chick-Fil-A restaurant, and were quickly reminded that the Cathy family, owners of the Chick-Fil-A company, believe that what God says about not working on His day in scripture is true … including the promises for obeying that truth. Based on that certainty, Chick-Fil-A restaurants anywhere in the world are closed on Sunday, yet Chick-Fil-A is one of the most successful and sought after franchise fast-food organizations in the world. How are you handling the truth that God said “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8 NASB) and of His promises in Isaiah 58:13-14 for focusing on Him on His day and not on what we want to do?
Then I received an email this week that challenged me in a different way to look at how closely my life and how I operate this organization correspond to the truth of God’s Word and the truth I say I believe (I’ve edited the email for language – this guy was really angry!):
“Your (FCCI) is an absolute joke. I work with a boss that belongs to (FCCI) and I have never met a more unethical person in my life. Just want to let you know that many people join these (organizations) for fiscal gain (I.E. Most people assume a business is ethical with this stamp on it). I got nothing against the Christian religion; my beef is with the Christian people. I guess this (organization) promotes greed, selfishness, and racism. Tell the director of (FCCI) to get their ___ together.”
Holy Socks! That’s pretty clear. Does this man work for you? Actually, he’s asking for the same kind of dependable certainty that our ER patient is seeking … just from a different perspective. They both want to see truth lived out … applied to life … made real … staked out with certainty.
How about stepping back for a moment and asking, “Yes, I am a follower of Christ, but do I really know all that the Bible says about running my business? Am I obeying what I DO know it says? Do I have a plan or a group to help me dig out and live out the truth that my employees and others watching me are looking to see? What is ONE thing I can do or begin to do this week that will provide evidence that I am choosing to stake out TRUTH as a priority in my life?”
I’ll be praying for you … for our angry emailer and his boss … and for me as we do that one thing, and tighten the Belt of Truth this week.
Standing With Certainty,
Doug Hunter
President and CEO
Fellowship of Companies for Christ International / http://www.fcci.org/
4201 North Peachtree Road
Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30341
Related: Answering the Call......with Truth (Part 2)
To set the stage, let me suggest you take about five minutes and watch this clip from the U.S. television series “ER” (that stands for “Emergency Room”). It’s one of the most compelling illustrations of the inadequacy of the post-modern approach to truth that I have ever seen. (If you can’t access by just clicking the link, copy it into your browser) I’ll wait ….
Powerful … right? Not only the confrontation with someone seeking real truth – and a real God – but, if you watch the clip to the end, the chaplain lays out her spiritual experience and says, “’Certainty’ … I don’t think it’s real. Who knows anything with absolute certainty?” To which her doctor colleague then responds, “Not me, that’s for sure”. I don’t’ know about you, but I really want a doctor who knows some things with certainty! I want him/her to diagnose and treat me with certainty. I want her/him to know the biological, chemical, pharmaceutical and other certainties of medicine. Of course, I know he made his remark in the context of the huge questions a dying man has demanded answers to – what’s next?,.. Is there atonement? … What does God want from me? – but their conversation and his response are symptomatic of how 75% (according to George Barna’s research) of the men and women you and I deal with every day approach the issue of truth. Whether you label it relativism, post-modernism, or another kind of “ism” – including taking this issue clear back to its roots in the conflicting foundations of theism/creationism, naturalism, Darwinism … but we’ll save those roots for another discussion … this is a business forum, after all!
And because we are in business, let’s get to the practical ramifications of all of this. Over the past two weeks we have talked about the danger of partial or twisted truth, and then about the certainty available when we KNOW the Truth, know WHERE to FIND the foundational truths from which all other truth is derived (the Bible), know HOW to RECOGNIZE truth and HOW to APPLY truth to life. Let’s camp on that last part.
Listening to that ER conversation reminds me how powerful it can be for people to see you and me living lives that are based on the certainty of God’s truth. For example, on a recent Sunday Janet and I drove into the parking lot of a Chick-Fil-A restaurant, and were quickly reminded that the Cathy family, owners of the Chick-Fil-A company, believe that what God says about not working on His day in scripture is true … including the promises for obeying that truth. Based on that certainty, Chick-Fil-A restaurants anywhere in the world are closed on Sunday, yet Chick-Fil-A is one of the most successful and sought after franchise fast-food organizations in the world. How are you handling the truth that God said “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8 NASB) and of His promises in Isaiah 58:13-14 for focusing on Him on His day and not on what we want to do?
Then I received an email this week that challenged me in a different way to look at how closely my life and how I operate this organization correspond to the truth of God’s Word and the truth I say I believe (I’ve edited the email for language – this guy was really angry!):
“Your (FCCI) is an absolute joke. I work with a boss that belongs to (FCCI) and I have never met a more unethical person in my life. Just want to let you know that many people join these (organizations) for fiscal gain (I.E. Most people assume a business is ethical with this stamp on it). I got nothing against the Christian religion; my beef is with the Christian people. I guess this (organization) promotes greed, selfishness, and racism. Tell the director of (FCCI) to get their ___ together.”
Holy Socks! That’s pretty clear. Does this man work for you? Actually, he’s asking for the same kind of dependable certainty that our ER patient is seeking … just from a different perspective. They both want to see truth lived out … applied to life … made real … staked out with certainty.
How about stepping back for a moment and asking, “Yes, I am a follower of Christ, but do I really know all that the Bible says about running my business? Am I obeying what I DO know it says? Do I have a plan or a group to help me dig out and live out the truth that my employees and others watching me are looking to see? What is ONE thing I can do or begin to do this week that will provide evidence that I am choosing to stake out TRUTH as a priority in my life?”
I’ll be praying for you … for our angry emailer and his boss … and for me as we do that one thing, and tighten the Belt of Truth this week.
Standing With Certainty,
Doug Hunter
President and CEO
Fellowship of Companies for Christ International / http://www.fcci.org/
4201 North Peachtree Road
Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30341
Related: Answering the Call......with Truth (Part 2)
No comments:
Post a Comment