Gifts Of The Spirit In The Church: And Diagnostics Of The Lost

I can't help but notice certain patterns in the people and groups around me. Of course people are more complex than stereotypes, but there are certain observable patterns that do emerge, and tend to be at least somewhat accurate in describing people groups.

What do people think about Jesus? There are a lot of words said. Sometimes devout people say wonderful things about Jesus. Sometimes depraved people make sharp contrasts between Jesus and his followers. Sometimes great men make sharp claims regarding religion. But what's really going on beneath the surface? I thought describing what I notice in those who attend and don't attend church might be interesting, and fun. So these are some "people groups" I notice emerging as I attend church, and simply talk with people about Jesus. I'm not trying to be mean, just reporting what I notice.

Twenty broad general people groups, 10 doing the right things, 10 doing the wrong things, enjoy!

The Not Interested Crowd - This is by far the large majority in the United States. They don't have anything to say about Christianity. It's all about entertainment for the people in this crowd. Television, videogames, sports, raunchy humor, cars, anime, movies, big trucks, clubs, bars, alcohol, and sex. During the week it's about working to survive and on weekends it's about drinking and getting laid. The tavern is really the worship event for this group. They go to the tavern and worship women, men, relationships, or sexual activity. If asked, they have no interest, and not really any opinion on it either. Christianity seems to have nothing to do with their lives.

Sleeper Professionals - This is the middle class and upper class crowd. They're well educated, and their life is a balance of appearances, classy entertainment, and self importance. This is the crowd that wears nice clothes, and does trendy things like "go to a local coffee shop" or "have a glass wine after a meal" or "have a dinner party with colleagues." These men and women have clear pictures in their mind of what it means to be happy and satisfied. They strive very hard for the perfect home, the perfect mate, the perfect job, and all the right opinions about them in the community. Sometimes they achieve all of those balances only to find, there is still something missing. Some in this crowd may also be cultural Christians, who recognize they need a belief in a higher power, but don't want it interfering in their picturesque lifestyle too much.. Sometimes these are the people driving the nice jet black cars with tinted windows with the "darwin" fish plate on the back. These are the people who love to be thought of as "tolerant." They also love the idea of all religions leading to the same place, and think spirituality is great, but religion is bad.

Dead Walking - These kinds of people you see around, and they tend to look like zombies. They've lived as sleepers or not interested so long, eventually their souls have died internally. But they still shamble about, working at the gas station, or shopping for groceries, maybe occasionally in a stressful fit, the rest of the time, jaw dropped, kind of shambling about in old age, dead on the inside, still walking on the outside. You'll notice them staring at their phone, texting, or walking along with a blank look on their face. Sometimes they'll be in a rush, upset. Other times they'll be waiting in line with that blank frown on their face. We've all seen them about I'm sure!

The Addict - This is the one I used to be. The addict (alcoholic) was always in search of something that could fill the hole in their chest, that missing something in their lives. That missing something was God all along, but they thought they had found it in a particular drug, like alcohol, adderall, prozac, painkillers, xanax, dextromethorphan or even harder stuff like cocaine, meth, or heroin, and before they knew it the drug had sucked them into a seemingly unbreakable addiction. Most people who reach the addiction stage will eventually die in some complication related to that addiction, but some may be found, perhaps through a church, counseling, or a 12 step group where they realizing that missing piece is God. But few have that chance, since the addiction changes the personality so drastically over years. Change is tough.

The Passive Rebel - These are the people who are agnostic or atheist, but don't think about it a lot. They generally look for satisfaction in other parts of life, like work, and mainly, in relationships and sexuality. They don't necessarily have a vendetta against God, but they do actively evade and flee from any mention of God or any suggestion of accountability. When cornered and asked about God, they may lash out, or simply sarcastically say something about "unicorns" or "leprechauns" and laugh in your face, or simply politely say that they don't believe in any sort of God.