GOOGLE: What Are You Searching For?
Page 4: IM Solutions
For Most American’s the internet has become a Way of Life. Whether its for finding information or services they need, communicating with friends or clients, or just socializing, getting online is as natural today as going to the Mall or Library was 30 years ago.
How many of you IM? Use Yahoo, MSN, or AOL? Around the office – ICQ?
How many here have NO IDEA What I’m talking about?
Well for those of you that have ever PEEKED over the shoulder of your Teenage as they are “CHATTING” or IMing their friends, you’ve probably wondered – “What language are they speaking?” Like a new form of Short Hand to increase speed.
With the help of a family @ PCC and their 14 yr old daughter – demo a short IM example:
[IM Message Challenge: This was done as an audience participation. We put IM’s on the screen and had parents try to interpret them.]
IM Message from a typical teenager:
hay im bac I wuz just idk confused 2 day because imo guys act rily weird around grls they act lyk they lyk you then they are lyk jk and they lol and its lyk wth and im lyk plz dnt talk to me again and their lyk l8er and im lyk s^
idk – “I don’t know” / imo – “in my opinion” / jk – “just kidding” / l8er – later / s^ - shut up / lol – [RANT]
14 year old Transliteration:
hey im back I was just I don’t know confused today because in my opinion guys act really weird they act like they like you then they are like just kidding and laugh and its like what they heck and I will be like please don’t talk to me and they are like see you later and im like shut up
The translation is below but doesn’t make too much sense either!! What this means in english:
I find it confusing when guys pretend to be interested in me, but then say they were just kidding. So, I just tell them not to communicate with me at all.
Original text message #2:
mi rents r strict I dnt do nethang and they tell me im guhrounded wth it makes me so errrrrrrrr I jst wana tell them to lma and I rily hope I neva have to culater
Teenager Translation:
My parents are strict I don’t even do anything and they tell me I’m grounded what the heck it makes me so mad I just want to tell them to leave me alone and I really hope I never have to see culater
What this means in English - to a parent:
Even though my parents are warm, wonderful, caring people, I have lost the power to think rationally on a consistent basis because something weird is going on with hormones in my body. This causes me to occasionally forget the most basic of rules, resulting in punishment. Though the punishment is fair, my parents are merciful, and loss of privileges is what I richly deserve for my misdeeds. My anger is often misplaced and I fail to realize that I am the sole reason for my troubles. This results in me not wanting to talk to my parents and lose the ability even to think, speak and write coherently as evidenced by the nonsensical ending to the message.
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Welcome to part 4 of our Series GOOGLE: What are You searching For?
Series we’ve design to help us Answer some of Life’s Most Basic Questions: Who Supports Me? Where – find Answers to Life? Significance? Focus?
Today – IM Solutions!
All of our Lives communicate SOMETHING!! What does YOURS? We all Communicate by the way we Live – what’s Important / Value / Love!
NOT just Word - but what we DO! Say “I love you”, BUt how can they Know – unless they SEE it?
YET, so MUCH Communication is happening over INTERNET - people DON’T SEE Each Other
SO - IS OUR COMMUNICATION CLEAR? Personally, I’ve found Email & IM – WORST way to communicate because it doesn’t convey my heart or emotions!
New study - University of Chicago confirms / When reading e-mails only 56%people understood the intent VS 75% listening to a voice recording of the same message.
Both cases readers & listeners THOUGHT - understood the message 90% of time. Oops.
OBVIOUS that much of Our Communication isn’t CLEAR – Bcuz not PERSONAL!
CHURCH HAS THE SAME PROPLEM!! We have - Greatest Message in the WORLD, But It’s NOT CLEAR!! OR WE’RE NOT TELLING IT!!
If you are a CHRIST FOLLOWER – Think of This: Where would you be without GOD?
Isn’t Christ – coming into Your Life the Most Incredible Thing that’s Ever Happened to You?
WHO ARE YOU TELLING THAT TOO?
How many have Ever Recommended a Great Restaurant or an Awesome Movie?
Standing Around after a Bucs “WIN” – “How About them Bucs?” [RARE recently]
Yet when was the Last Time – Shared the Greatest News that’s Ever happened to You?
If You BEAT CANCER – Would You Share that GOOD NEWS? SURE YOU WOULD!
WHY the Reluctance to Share the Good News About What God has Done in our Lives?
"Be wise in the way you act with people who are not believers, making the most of every opportunity. [6] When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should." Colossians 4:5-6 (NCV)
Paul is saying Two Very Important things Here: First – Be WISE in your Actions!!
CARE about How you Act – MOST IMPORTANTLY – CARE!!
2nd – Make sure Your Life & Words are Clear & That Reflect A Message of Hope – Life
1. I must Be ONLINE for my Unchurched Friends and not AWAY.
If you Don’t like People, there’s a Setting on IM – That We Don’t Have in every day Life. Its called "AWAY" Or "DND" (Do Not Disturb).
We’re Often NOT away. WeJust Don’t want to be BOTHERED
Computer Communication allows Us to Do such Things we WOULDN’T normally do Personally!
But wouldn’t be great if you were at work and that anoying person came up and you could click "Away"?[I had a sign with "AWAY" on the front & "DND" on the back]
Or, at that family reunion. Wouldn’t it be great if your mother-in-law came up to nag you and you could click "DND"?
Do you EVER do this to People – EMOTIONALLY? Shut Them out?
Either we are Embarrassed that we’re a Christ Follower or we are Inwardly Focused , or Calloused to peoples Needs
Instead of being “ONLINE” – “DND” Sign out . . . or “INVISIBLE” to the Outside World
Paul says “Be wise in the way you act with people who are not believers”
And he says we are to “Make the Most out of our Opportunities” to ENGAGE our World
WHY? Because God Loves them!
“God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NCV)
Regardless of HOW you feel about someone – GOD LOVES THEM! Important to Him
And if People who Don’t Know God - Important to Him / They MUST be Important - Us
Christ Died for Them! Jesus “Walked across the Cosmos” to Reach YOU & Me – Friends
He Lived a Sinless Life / Died a Horrible Death! / Rose Again – To make us FREE!!
And His Gift of Salvation is Free!! But it doesn’t Mean We Don’t Do Anything With It!!
Bill Hybels, in his new book – Walk Across The Room - says, "It is often scary to step out of our natural patterns of relating to engage with those who are still far from God. Sometimes, we just don’t take the time to notice lost people. If we do stop to look, we may not see the need. Possibly, we’ve lost any deep feeling toward lost people and their plight—ignoring that those who look good on the outside still need redemption and healing on the inside. Many of us struggle to overcome fears of stepping into the “Zone of the Unknown” where spiritual conversations take unpredictable turns. Yet it is not an exaggeration to say this is our main mission as Christ-followers: to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the battle for the hearts and souls of people who do not know God. In Jesus’ day, some religious people preferred to stay aloof from those in spiritual need. Not so with Jesus. He talked with them, prayed with them, wept over them, and even partied with them in an attempt to reach them with the good news of his heavenly Father’s radical grace. But it required leaving circles of comfort—as it does for us now. Normal Christians can do this. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can become “walk across the room” kinds of people—God’s plan for redemption hinges upon it."
Paul says we have the “Ministry of RECONCILIATION”
If you are a Christ Follower - “Jesus Mission is MY MISSION” [OUTLOUD]
Why? God Wants You & I to Make A REAL DIFFERENCE
Why? Because Lost People Matter to God – THEY MUST MATTER TO US!!
I am Passionate About This – I WANT YOU TO BE TOO!!
If You’re Not / You’re a Seasoned Christ Follower , Need to Check - SPIRITUAL PULSE!!
In Eternity – WHAT ELSE WILL MATTER? If - ANYTHING else Worth Doing – Tell Me!!
But THERE’S NOT!! Doesn’t Mean Becoming Weird / JERK / Religious Fanatic
MEANS – Loving God & Being Appreciative Christ’s Sacrifice / SHARE w/ OTHERS
Apostle Paul – a passionate Soul Winner / Founder of Many Churches to Non-Jews
But He said this about His Own Jewish People . . .
"I am a follower of Christ . . .so I tell the truth and I am not lying when I say my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow. I would gladly be placed under God’s curse and be separated from Christ for the good of my own people." Romans 9:1-3 (CEV)
My Prayer is: “Lord – break my heart for my Neighbors (Family - cul-de-sac / older Single Lady)
. . . break my Heart – Bro-in-Law / . . .break my heart – people I do Business with Comm
. . . Break my heart – Parents that sit around me @ Football Games.
Break my heart – That I might SHARE the GOOD NEWS that Jesus Loves Them
Who does your heart need to be Broken For? You say, “HOW – I just don’t feel it?”
Most times – Neither Do I!! [Self-Centered Lives] PRAY FOR THEM FIRST!!
We ONLY CARE ABOUT WHAT WE INVEST OURSELVES IN [REPEAT]
“Don’t talk to your Friends about God until You Talk to God about your Friends”
Who’s On MY BUDDY LIST?
[PRAYER CARD – A card with three lines for friends was in the bulletin. They were encouraged to list their friends and Pray for them]
“You do not have – because you do not ask God.” James 4:2 PRAY & ASK & BELIEVE
Then Paul said - “making the most of every opportunity” Talk to them / Invite Over /
Mow their Lawn or Take them a Meal – Crisis Moment / Give them an Invite Card
Our Unchurched Friends Need us to Be ONLINE and not AWAY. Need Us to CARE ABOUT THEIR ETERNAL CONDITION
And When we Speak to our Friends . . .
2. I Must Have A Clear MESSAGE For My Unchurched Friends
To Most of You – Our Instant Message Demonstration wasn’t Understandable / FOREIGN!
Most of the People in this World – That’s the Way the Message of the Church Is- Foreign
CODED / Difficult to Understand / Speaks about Topics they Don’t relate to!!
The Problem is Not the MESSAGE / Once Interpreted – Made PERFECT SENSE
Problem Was in the Way the MESSAGE was being PRESENTED!! Didn’t make Sense!
"With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity." Mark 4:33 (Msg)
Most of our messages don’t sound "churchie". We call them MODERN DAY PARABLES
SIMPLE Missionary Principle: Message isn’t Clear Until Spoken in the Language – People
For Many of Us & For Many in the World – God’s Message seems HARSH / Condemning / MEAN
There’s NO GRACE / NO MERCY / No Sense of Forgiveness or ACCEPTANCE
Someone saw a bumper sticker - "Dear God, please save me from your followers"
Growing Up in the Mean Spirited Legalism of Judaism of His day, Maybe that’s why Paul Said “When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant”
Have you ever Listened to a SUPER SPIRITUAL PERSON talk? [EXPOUND – “oh Pastor”]
If you’ve been a Christian for a Long time – have you ever LISTENED – way you talk?
How do you Feel about People on the news or in our Community – Living “SINFUL” Lives? Compassion? . . . . . . Distain?
When was the last time you HAD a conversation w/ Someone – doesn’t Know Christ?
“I DON’T KNOW or Have any Contact with
UNBELIEVERS” Is that Good?
Message of Hope Shouldn’t Be Complicated / ALWAYS Spoken with Grace /
ALWAYS spoken with Respect – Peter says in the Verse on Your Outline [1 Peter 3:15-16]
And Should ALWAYS BE DEMONSTRATED IN LOVE!!
Paul indicates – that this type of Conversation opens up the opportunity - Share Christ
“When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant . . . so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should”
Are YOU Making the Most - Every Opportunity You Have? Sharing in the way we Should?
How many Neighbors or Co-workers or Acquaintances have I had that I haven’t made the most?
Just Recently – My Neighbors had to Sell their house because they got a DIVORCE. Lived next to them for 12 Years, and though I tried Several Times / Gave a few invites. . . I WONDER: Could I have done More?
Two Weeks: We have another Opportunity! New Series: Ready To Live (Harley Theme)
Also – Friend Day / Mass Mailer
Since September, our last Last Friend Day, We’ve been asking you to Pray for & Invite Your Friends, and many of You HAVE Been
Last 2 ½ months – 264 1st time guest! / Over 100 commitments to Christ / Baptized 60
God is Using Many of You to Impact Lives / One Day – You’ll see friend – Live Testimony!!It WILL BE YOUR EFFORT . . . Your Prayers . . .Your Invite – MADE THE DIFFERENCE
Just Before Paul wrote the passage of scripture we Looked at today, He wrote these words:
"Please pray that I will make the message as clear as possible." Col. 4:4 (CEV)
That is my Prayer for you today And I Hope that your prayer for me [PRAYER]
[Song: Can You Reach My Friend?]
What’s your Next Step to the Next Level?
Pray for 3 friends that I can invite to PCC
Invite a neighbor family to the Fall Festival
Invite 3 Friends on Nov. 5th to “Ready To Live” Series
Invite A Guest Quarterly
[The audio and graphic resources for this series are available at the website of Pinellas Community Church - www.PinellasChurch.org. Click the "PCC RESOURCES" link]
