Author: Dr. Michael Johnson

We are both faking it. We are pretending that our similar skin color, our kinship borne of similar ancestry and history, will automatically morph into an understanding of world view. Nothing, we have found, could be further from the truth. We only pretend to be familiar friends while in fact our world life experiences have moved us so far from one another that the single common denominator is Christ. The real challenge to beginning an urban ministry is overcoming the feigned, fake familiarity. I must be willing to admit that words like ‘poverty, need, desperation, hunger, crime, civil unrest and corruption’ translate differently. These words evoke a sense of desperation in me, quite disparate to the congregation, or Bible study and mission society meeting with whom I am sharing. I have feigned familiarity. ‘What do we eat today is not the same as do we eat today?’ Who is in the hospital is not the same question as how many days walk is the nearest hospital?’ And the real tie breaker is; ‘Do we bury him in the family plot, or do we leave him here for the animals to eat?’

We have to dig deeper, think outside of our frames of reference to remember that we are literally in a time and space warp. Starvation is not the problem in these homes, rather obesity, childhood diabetes, and lung disease not from charcoal fired ovens, but from cigarettes and kerosene heaters. We have to humble ourselves to the reality that we have only one a few things in common. History and skin color are the familiar things, however, worldview after 20 plus years has made us completely unprepared to meet the needs before us now. We have to feign familiarity. We must fake friendship, just to get into the door. We stumble over language, nuance, body movements (do we clap, do we cry, do we shout, do we stay silent?).

The ministry of Out of Nazareth has a face of Feigned Familiarity. We present ministries which we believe should speak to the hearts of the people in the throes of crisis of Biblical proportions. Young men imprisoned and dying, young women being prostituted, babies being aborted and the elderly being left without financial, spiritual, or material support. The response seems to be; ‘political agenda, social agencies and the ever familiar, God will provide’. There is a fine art to ask others to get out of their comfort zone, when I am sitting in a cushy seat myself.

The greatest challenge for us is to remain visionary and not divisive or vindictive. It is easy to become vindictive after comforting a mother holding a dying child, and now counseling parents restraining a child with a ‘boo-boo’ on the skin which will heal without the Band-Aid which will be peeled off within 1 minute.

Feigned Familiarity is our stumbling block to ministry in America. We don’t know who these people really are, or what they really want or need. But then again, we do. They need the love of Christ, no less and no more than those whom we served for 20 plus years in Africa. They need the non-judgmental, sacrificial, merciful love of Christ that restored us to a relationship with God by grace.

Feigned Familiarity must lead to Full Fellowship. It must lead to our hearts being broken for the things that break our Savior’s heart, whether the physical stomach is grumbling full or gassy empty, we are called to be servants.

Yeah, yeah, yeah! We’ve all got problems. See you next week, and please keep the door open so the next whiner and complainer can come in.

That is my Christ-like, professional approach to people in crisis. The problem is that I am in a personal crisis management mode, that I don’t have time to really listen to, let alone minister, medicate, or mentor those who have unfolding crises in their lives.

‘Go talk to someone who really cares’, is what I want to say. Obviously that response would not allow me to code my billing correctly so that I could charge the patient (also known as person) in the correct category. Their problems translate into profits, or at least a percentage of my costs of sitting here listening to them cry and moan about how bad life has been to them.

So I pretend to listen. I do my best to display affection, empathy and genuine concern, at least for 15-20 minutes. That is what the insurance company will allow, and about all my personal space can tolerate. After all, I have problems too!!!

I am not a good listener. Though my wife would deny such a claim (laugh here), I have yet to learn to listen without comment, criticism, solving or sarcasm. The only reason I listen is to wait for a chance to speak when someone is silent. Far be it from me to miss a chance to speak my mind about whatever is on someone else’s mind. I need to be able to say; ‘I told you so, just like I said, or why didn’t you listen to me’ somewhere in the middle of their delusional discourse.

I hope that I will not reveal too much of my self-absorption, so I chew a piece of gum to keep my eyes open.

‘What’s that you say? You feel ignored and insignificant? Well the truth is in the overall universe, you are insignificant. Please pay your co-pay on the way out, and I will see you next week.’

The reply is the same. ‘Thank you doctor Johnson for taking the time to listen. You are really wonderful and the only doctor who really understands where I am coming from.’

I am so glad they don’t see the time clock that restrains me, or the personal baggage that impairs me from really ministering to them as they need it. But at least the insurance company is happy. ‘Thanks for listening’ they tell me. That is ICD9 code number 202020.101010.6453.

Only God hears the cry of the lonely. I pray that He will intervene and I am assured that He alone hears that He hears the cry I ignore.

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. Psalm 34:6

Genesis 6:6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

Our heavenly Father experienced regret. Having spoken to many despondent earthly fathers in the flesh, I can admit, that even I, like they have regrets. Knowing that our Father in heaven had regrets, makes it a lot easier. It is more than just an odd coincidence that the all-knowing, self-sufficient Creator and Sustainer of all life…., had regrets. I take comfort in that.

Didn’t He see it coming? Didn’t He know they would give in to temptation? Was the great I AM THAT I AM (Exodus 3:14) unaware that He was creating potential imperfection? Was God forgetful, missing obvious clues of disobedience? Did He not instruct His children? Was there something wrong in His parenting style? Did God miss some classes in fatherhood? What caused the Perfect One to have imperfect results from seemingly perfect offspring?

God’s offspring gave rise to disobedience, murder, fornication, and the list goes on. The Father was sorry. He was so sorry that He apologized to Himself. There was no one else to whom He could apologize and nothing that could be offered in sacrifice worthy of Himself. So the Father gave Himself, to Himself, in order that He could please Himself. All I have to do now is tell Him, thank You God for saying You are sorry.

That apology comes in recognition of His own sacrifice to Himself, of Himself on the cross. That was the Messiah’s calling. He had to make the only sacrifice worthy of Himself. That sacrifice was Himself.

Your Father is sorry that He made you. But He recognized that His joy would only be returned completely by giving Himself to Himself for you. A sorry Father is pleased when I tell Him; ‘apology accepted’. We can be His pride and joy, if we are remade like Him in Christ. John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, You must be born again.

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: