Yoga Witnessing
3/6/19
This title should grab some attention I suppose, but in all honesty, it will have the same effect on those who should be reading this article in the first place for it is a concept that many people practice during their witnessing procedures. When we follow the commands of Jesus and His Father out of love we cannot help but organize the perfect example of witnessing to those who need God. However, when it comes time to witness how many of us are actually completing this command, and more importantly are we witnessing the Gospel of Christ or are we witnessing a selfish platform of worldly goods that mean absolutely nothing to their eternity. God wants all to know Him and His Ways, for it is in this state that all answers are proven and life exists with continual fulfillment. But when the Church does not fulfill the creed that Jesus taught how can we expect others to come to Christ? It is our mission to seek out the lost according to the Word of God and then to witness to them on a level that is worthy of Jesus’ life so that they may have the Life He offers.
I know that some may have their feathers in an uproar concerning the title of this article, but it is a title that God dropped into my heart one day at work and it has a very specific message that we need to hear. There will be no attacks on the practice of Yoga or on Tai Chi, but instead, their presence and some of the issues they deal with will be addressed and it needs to be related to how we witness to those in need of God. However, there may come a time in the future when God wants these practices addressed specifically and if so, we must be ready to receive the Truth about such services that we may deem non-noteworthy. The organization that I work for offers both Tai Chi and Yoga classes for those who are subject to some of the brutal treatments that are given due to the illnesses that they have been diagnosed and therefore many people who walk the halls of this hospital come in contact with these classes. There is a direct measurement on how these classes are obtained and the conditions in which they are conducted and sadly they are reflective of how we are taught to witness as well; it is this aspect that God wants us to understand AND change for it is a pattern of defeat and one that can never represent God or His message.
I have never really been too interested in either one of these activities that have been mentioned so far. I took a single karate class when I was young and realized then that it was not for me, mainly because I figured out that other people were going to be coming at me wanting to hit or kick me and the thought of being thrown to the grown without any padding on did not appease me too much either. I enjoyed the single class and respectfully walked out never to return to another one again. I have no qualms with people who take these classes for balance and defense and I encourage people to seek ways of defending themselves when the need arises, I found this method of defense during my military career. But there is one large difference in the method that the military trained us to defend and balance ourselves versus the way that other methods and techniques do and that occurs in the settings by which these methods are taught which is what God wants us to know and then put into practice His Ways of witnessing not so much the ways we have been taught to witness.
Three times a week I walk by the large room that contains about 75 people who are learning Tai Chi. This is an art form that teaches people how to have balance and to maintain that balance when their footing is not so sure. It is a wonderful class and it gives people the confidence to go out and do things instead of just sitting around and wasting away because they are afraid that some type of injury will be incurred while they are out and about. As each season passes these classes continue and when it comes times for a new class to begin many people are anxious for the resumed practices. I have been walking by these classes for about two years now and have watched them learn many times, some people I know and others I do not and up until the other day I did not think about the conditions that these people were learning in and it was God who brought this to my heart along with the unusual tie to witnessing. But after we finish this article it will become clear that both instances are related in teaching methods and we will then be challenged to change our witnessing practices a bit.
It is a fact that the majority of the people who attend the Tai Chi classes are on the elderly side of life but that is not wholly intact either for there are those of the younger persuasion who attend and fit in quite well; a wide age range if one wants to put it this way. The hospital grounds are enormous with a copious amount of grassed areas for people to stand, walk on, or to sit and have lunch. These areas would be a perfect setting for the Tai Chi class or even the Yoga class. I know that many people would not be too happy to have one of these types of classes outside but let us stop for a moment and think about where we need the capability to put into practice the lessons learned in this area. Inside the building and in the room the Tai Chi classes are given represents a certain atmosphere and conditions. The floor is always the same, the temperature in the room is almost equally given each time, the lighting is the same, and the place where people stand or sit for the class is basically the same. Every aspect of the class is, for the most part, unchanged and represents a perfectly controlled environment. We must take into account that while this place of training is almost perfect, it truly cannot prepare the participants of the class for the uncontrollable circumstances out in nature or in public.
Now, I understand that seasons change and that temperature conditions often follow, for it is a common thing in Colorado to hear people say that at certain times of the year we can see all four seasons appear in a single day. If we only know how to keep our balance in perfect conditions how can we properly respond to the changing conditions outside that can cause us harm? I agree that perfect and identical training conditions are ideal but they are truly 100% effective either for it does not prepare those in training with exact physical measurements of what will occur at some point. Wet slopes, snowy roads, hilly terrain, steep and windy stairs are some of the examples that many of us face when we enter into the outdoors or other buildings. How can a perfect training session be applied to an inaccurate real condition? It cannot and while the basic principles are present, the adjustments that need to be made may come at a slowed enough pace that they may not work in time. I cannot and will not state that all Tai Chi classes are performed inside enclosed rooms, but I do know that the majority that I have run across and see is held in such controlled environments and I have a hard time believing that this type of training environment can prepare people for harsh and unexpected changes in their surroundings.
For those of you who know a bit about military history, June 6th, 1944 is a day that not many people will forget. It is commonly known as D-Day and the day that the Allied armies and air forces joined together to invade France and begin the loosening of the grip that Nazi Germany had over a great majority of the world. While the seasonal setting should have been summer-like conditions they were not more like mid-winter with an unpredictable short term future weather-wise. On all previously allied landings, the weather conditions were perfect and the weather had no part in the proceedings of those days but this time was different and the troops had to obey orders and proceed in a setting that was most unfavorable. If the soldiers had not trained in adverse conditions for an extended period of time, things could have turned out quite differently when it came time to begin invasion operations. But because the upper echelon commanders had seen the need for such training, they were confident in their men when the exact date arrived. It is this type of example that God wants us to be prepared for when it comes time for witnessing for when we come against the world and its leader it shall be a rocky and rough storm and if we do not know what to expect we shall wither away and never step foot out again to witness.
We will be using a couple of reference passages in this article and both of them are very well known. One deals with God in the Garden of Eden and the other references Jesus and His command for us to go into the world and preach the Gospel. So, some of you have stopped reading and began to think about how in the world Tai Chi classes and witnessing are connected and the answer is simple in that it deals with the conditions that we are trained in which that action is directly related to how we received our training to do such. It is intriguing to have God show us things in such a way that confirms the Bible as Truth and His definition for it brings into light the reality and truth that Jesus is the Son of God and that His life here on earth fulfilled God’s actions all the way back in the Garden of Eden.
First off, we will visit God in the Garden of Eden and every reference we have of His presence in the Garden is with His beloved Creations. He is conversing with them and having conversations of instruction with them and from what little information we have about God and His presence in the Garden it is one of a constant appearance and thus out in the elements. It does not mention that God was just there on rare occasions or that no instructions were given as all parties talked with each other and it is this foundational tie of God being outside and continually meeting with Adam and Eve that sets the standard for the authority of Jesus to say that we should go into all the world. It did not matter which area of the Garden of Eden God met with Adam and Eve for when you think about it if they would have been keeping and dressing the Garden as God had commanded their meetings would have been all over the Garden and not in just one place.
Yes, the Garden of Eden was in a perfect place but it was outside and everyone was “exposed” to the elements that lived in the Garden, but it is the foundational act of God having direct access to humans that is the basis for this article’s topic. It was God’s responsibility to teach Adam and Eve the values of life and what it meant to fulfill a directive even if it came from the Director Himself. This is another standard that God put into motion that cannot be deviated from nor lowered to our level. Why would anyone want to follow a person that commands us to complete certain things without making an appearance to their subjects? Could a simple soldier follow the commands of a commanding general of a division without meeting that leader or had spent time with that leader first? I know that these non-meeting tactics are used but if one does not know who one is fighting a cause for it seems pointless to sacrifice a life for such asking.
Next, we have Mark 16:14-16 that states as follows: “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meal, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” These few verses directly state what Jesus expects His followers to do and there are some details that need to be echoed for our ears and hearts today. It is easy for us to point fingers at the disciples for their lack of belief in this passage, but in truth we must accept the fact that we act in the same manner today for we are usually hunched over in some comfortable house or meeting place conversing with those who are likeminded instead of going out and living what we have heard most of our lives.
This passage states that Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples, this means that all of His disciples were present together and that the words that Jesus said to them ALL of them heard. When God spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, all were present and understood what the job at hand was, Jesus demonstrates this same act to the future of the Church and the leaders thereof to carry out exactly what His life had meant while on the earth. Jesus left no one out of this command and expected everyone in that room to obey what He had stated. Also, this passage makes it very clear where His followers should go, into all the world. Not just to the parts of the world that would be or might be friendly to Jesus’ name and purpose, but to the parts of the world that have not heard about Him and did not have the opportunity to hear His voice. This means outside of your immediate area or the area you are familiar with or pass through on a regular basis. No one is missed and no one is excluded from the command that Jesus gives to His disciples.
How does this apply to the topic at hand? It relates to it because God and Jesus understood that in order for people to understand their presence and what their mission is about that they had to be with the people no matter what the surrounding conditions might be. Jesus never placed any restrictions on His disciples concerning what they were supposed to do, nor did He place any time tables on them either. In any case, He did expect them to fulfill the mission that He commanded them to do no matter what the circumstances may be. It did not matter if those conditions warranted a jungle ministry or an urban street corner ministry, the command was simple and straightforward, preach the gospel to all the world. When Jesus walked the earth He was frequently outside, on steps, on hills or near rivers. He was out amongst the people and talking with them about His Father wanted Him to do. Jesus experienced many different obstacles and hostile environments because from the beginning He understood that witnessing for His Father would not be easy and in comfortable settings.
Where are all of the street ministries today? Why is there more missionaries coming to THIS nation today than are being sent around the world? Why is it that almost every week we hear about another scandal that is coming to light in some denominational circle? Why are pastors and their spouses divorcing? Why are youth groups filled with non-repentant drug users and scores of pregnant teens who do not wish to control themselves? Why are the numbers of people in the pews of church buildings declining at a steady pace? Why is the Church do her best to recruit these losses by proclaiming the ways of the world as acceptable practices as enticement pieces? Because even the comfortable training sessions are no longer deemed important enough to become actively engaged in what Jesus claimed to be the most important mission anyone could fulfill. The above-listed type questions could be continued and continued but what good will it do if the Church is dead when it comes to the exact thing that gives her life, WITNESSING!
Church, time is running out on all of us. You are not out of the woods because you have been raised in a church setting. Jesus made the statement that brother would be against brother in the last days and if you cannot see His words being fulfilled each day where have you been? Our comfortableness is thankfully over and it is time we actually pull out the Word of God and the notes we took so long ago concerning how to witness to the dying world and put these resources together again in our hearts then go and do what Jesus commanded us to complete. Doom and gloom you say? Well, God understands what it means to be separated from His children and He does not want any more of His prized Creations to spend eternity without Him in it, so yes there cannot be any hesitation about what is to come unless we as the Church body, together and NOT divided, speak the truth to the dying world so that they may not fall into the lies of our enemy. It is our responsibility to take the message of witnessing out on a daily basis and to combat the ruler of the world so that people may make the choice to live for God. But the truth shall not be heard or understood unless we are properly trained to witness in all conditions not just from the pews.
DLB
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