Sunday again in Paradise. The day for Christian things. Palagi or Samoan, Christian or not you can't escape the church thing here. My motivation for relocating to Samoa is in essence also religious.
But as a Christian everything we do has a religious motivation . . . or should be. [Pic: A lovely South Coast church with panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean]
Many have the idea that Christians are out to change the world, and want to convert them. Well, it's true.
Personally I don't see this desire to replicate as a problem as any decent religion does the same or it won't survive, but somehow while Jihad and forced conversions, or Moonies on the street just get passed off with a shrug as nutters when Christians get into the conversion thing or changing the world thing, it seems to wind up many people quite badly.
And when people make a big point about dissing me or Christianity and they insist on pointing out the errors of my ways I chuckle inwardly at how they want to change me and my thinking to their value system! The very same thing that they despise in me!
The real question of course not so much the message of Christians, it is more HOW this change and conversion is attempted. I think the "We're holier than thou" attitude that many Christians have is actually the real problem - not so much the message or motivation in Christianity itself. After all when a Christian is really nice, or generous or loving, towards us it is much easier to accept their faith. Hence the Sally Armies widespread respect and acceptance for generations.
So let's face it. I'm a Christian and of course like any caring person (Christian or not) I would love to be able to change the world for good. It would be great in my book if everyone around me shared the same faith and we all got on like a house on fire. No crime. No fights. No anger. No wars. No pain.
So enter reality. The real world is not like that.
I think that it is actually God's business if He wants to zap someone around me and get close and personal with them - not mine. My job as I read it, is just to be and do who I am and respond appropriately in a case by case situation if there are special needs or a special situation. Sometimes that means loving people I don't want to love but it doesn't mean that I can't let loose with a sermon or two!
So here I am in a foreign country with a people that absolutely DO NOT want to change anything about their culture, lifestyle or faith; who are the most church going country in the world but in many ways are the least genuine about it and me, a Christian that doesn't even go to church!
On one hand it's a hilarious situation but it could also be a deadly serious quandry.
So I decided a while back to forget all about the traditional stereotypical Christian missionary zeal trying to change the world and convert the heathen sort of stuff.
The idea that some things are religious (such as praying, tithing or going to church) and others (such as housework or business) aren't, is clearly unbiblical. It's hedonism; Greek thinking and contrary to biblical understanding of the way things are. I have a lot of respect for cultures that integrate their faith into all aspects of their life. The Christian church would do well to learn from Islamic people in this regard.
Since the moment of my conversion I have always considered my life the Lord's to do as He will. From day one I sought His will for me. It's just a natural thing to do when you are effectively 'zapped' like I was. Sure the implementation has been a lifetime challenge but the idea that what I do has something to do with pleasing God is central to this post.
The thoughts frequently expressed around me along the lines that "There is no God" are quite funny when you've had an encounter with Him. It's like me telling my wife that I'm actually a girl, and she's a boy!
But being outside the mainstream church, while it clearly raises some issues within the churchy community is actually a real freedom. If I upset some pastor somewhere, I'm not ruining his church. If I preach to those also outside the church, I'm not stealing some Pastor's flock. When I left the mainstream church in Auckland, the only request the new pastor had was that I wouldn't take people with me. I agreed to the request but inwardly wondered whether there was maybe some fear of losing control of his church and parishioners.
Building a church, or building upon the efforts of previous church builders is usually all about control - power and money through people. Sure many times this may be well meaning but it is not always the best of Christian motivations.
So outside the church where there is no building, no Pastor, no "religious" income streams it's not possible to get caught up in the usual churchy corruption things. And in Samoa this is a hot topic. Others have written extensively about the Samoan situation - the church, corruption, power and money games and so on. I've pinged my new country of choice enough to avoid getting into that one, suffice to say that even though I was given all the right names of the people in the know, who have influence; and even though my background is years within the traditional mainstream church, in Samoa I am right outside of it all.
It's almost like in being called out of the church a few years ago I was being prepared for a life without church. For that I am grateful.
A gentleman by the name of Sam Metcalf mentioned thoughts along the lines of what the Lord may be up to with people like me who are on the edges:
What God is undoubtedly doing is raising up, on the cultural fringes, a new generation of people who are faithfully and wholeheartedly followers of Jesus and true to the bible, but they are committed to living that faith out in an increasingly secular, postmodern world. From my experience, what I believe is most unsettling to the traditional Christian establishment is not primarily the theological nuances and questions that emanate from emerging churches, but forms and ecclesiological expressions that are outside the acceptable box . . . Sam MetcalfThanks too that indefatigable Tall Skinny Kiwi (not me, the other indefatigable world-travelling Kiwi) for his words too that may apply to my situation:
In my experience, the most successful church plants could all point to a moment in time when something beyond the church planter's control happened - a miracle of sorts - and that gave them the confidence that God was at work, that what they were building was part of a Holy Spirit movement, and more than just a great idea. TSKHe was talking about church planting but the principle certainly remains applicable to me. It's a big call to say that one is part of a Holy Spirit movement but really it's just another way of talking about one's Christian motivation. I certainly encountered a miracle over here in October 2009, so I'm sure the Lord is up to something with me here. Best to ask Him rather than me as I'm partly in the dark myself at the moment!
Whatever your take on Christian things, it's simple logic that if there is a God, if one wants to do His business and/or be in His good books then your life will have some form of faith and Christian thinking in it.
That's me!
I don't preach like Paul did - he's way way smarter than me. I'm not on a soapbox in the middle of the Apia markets - it's too hot. I don't attend church - I can't understand Samoan and a service lasting many hours with people wandering in and out as they please is not an enjoyable thing for me.
So I teach my staff integrity. I fire thieves and have them arrested when they burgle us. I then send them to do voluntary work to people I know who need it and will appreciate it. Social Justice and personal accountability are Christian principles.
I mentor my senior staff on how to get them to build up others, rather than take the glory for themselves. This biblical value to earn one's keep through hard work is contrary to the Samoan culture that consciously develops men to a position of power so that they can sit back, do nothing and instruct others on the work that they want done.
I counter comments along the lines of "It's up to you!" when intelligent capable staff are conditioned to do nothing until the boss says, and then not question the instruction when told what to do. Christian values counter slavery and a poverty mentality with motivation, encouraging independence of thought and engendering a hope for the future.
I say no to the aging High Chief who just wants some money for using his meeting house but explain that if he simply exercises faith, and helps us that good things will happen to and for the village as business will increase and our new ideas will help all his people. It happens and in due course the Chief will no doubt grow his own business too. Reward for faith and hard work are Christian values.
I teach that a fair price is a doorway to long-term business and that this works both ways - buying and selling. When a vendor sells a product too high I ask the chief to instruct them to reconsider in their own long-term interests. If they are greedy today then I will never buy from them again. On the reverse side, when a vendor offers an item too low, then I must offer more because it cuts both ways, this fairness in business thing. Increasing the price of an item in front of the whole village meeting is a mark of integrity that opened the eyes of a whole village recently. Integrity is a Christian value.
Working together, such as a cooperative or co-branding is a core tenet of mine. Getting smarter and building value with a brand is a skill badly missing in Samoa. Is there any reason why a whole village could not work together, even if it has never happened before? Uafato, a tiny little village known for its bowl carvers for generations is just starting out on this very course. Using ideas I developed in Fusi Safata last year, I've been meeting with the village to promote their products internationally.
After the second village meeting and more than half of the village bringing the carved bowls, platters and wooden weapons to the meeting the comment was made that this was the first time that all the carvers were together and seen each others' work! For generations these families had lived in their own little piece of paradise looking after their own families, carving only what they knew from being passed down from their parents and they had never thought to meet and share ideas and see the various quality standards, creativity and designs with each other!
Marketing the village products under the 9th Heaven brand will increase the value of the products; has already increased the return to the villagers and increased sales, and while I can't quote you scripture and verse on this, it sounds very like a good and godly thing to do. Work hard. Be creative. Be smart. Work together for the common good. Ooooooh there's goose bumps all over me when I think of how happy the villagers are to have new hope; to want to better themselves; to be proud of their whole village, and to want to work together and not just worry about their own family.
Christian motivation is a simple outworking of a real faith. It's not a nasty, "I'm going to use you and I'm better than you and going to rub it in your face living" way of life. It is just the same sort of thing that all decent people the world over do - except it's done with faith - that there is a God, that the Bible is more than just a good book, and that the Christ* in Christian is alive and the source of our daily motivation.
So yes. I believe that the Lord brought me here to Paradise. It would have been very easy to back out in the early days after I got my fingers burnt but the thought that I live here out of Christian motivation keeps me here.
Hopefully I will be able to continue the "work" for while and maybe bring a little glory to the Motivator!
* Christ? Jesus?
Those are words that I hardly hear any more. They're all over you with "What Religion are you? and "What church do you go to?" and Christian-based jingles plastered all over buses, taxis and cars and lots of things relating to Sunday and the Pastor but I never hear the name of Jesus spoken here. Certainly not in the context of a deep personal love relationship.
It's sad, really.
Tagwords: christianity, motivation
