The four elements of "likeability": It seems you can fake the first 3, but being genuine is the glue that holds it together. Without being real, especially in a post-modern era, we will not earn the right to be heard.
- Friendliness
- Relevance: ie sharing common interests
- Empathy
- Genuineness
Interesting that Tim says this. Especially interesting is his claim that the major world faiths, which he has studied, are based around this tenet. I rather like Piper's take on our mission. First, we are to enjoy God, through worship. Second, we partake in mission so that everyone else might also enjoy God through worship. And by worship I don't mean singing, but rather an entire life transformed by the Spirit of God (Rom 12:1-2). Now, this transformation results in our restoration to God, which indeed results in reduced suffering. Yes, Jesus clearly calls us to care for the destitute, ie, relieve their suffering, but the purpose is forward facing, not backward. The overarching purpose is to restore humanity to relationship with their creator. As Christians we often work toward this purpose through actively combating suffering. But if the body is saved, but the mind and the soul are still in bondage, what is gained?
And so I argue that our ultimate mission is rather to bring shalom with God. Shalom is often translated as "peace". this is mis-leading as we often think of peace as the absence of conflict. Shalom on the other hand is not an absence, but a fullness. Really, conflict would be the absence of shalom. The subtle difference is important. Our mission is not so much away from suffering as it is toward restoring shalom with the Creator.
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