Authentic Christian Living in Aviation (Essay Sample)

Authentic Christian Living in Aviation
Name:
Institution:
Introduction
Christianity is a faith that is based on religious practices where the follower is considered as Christ adherent. The core aspect that attribute existence of Christianity is the Bible, faith in Jesus Christ, believers and Christian ethics. These characteristics have been involved in the formulation of Christianity and continues to provide validated answers to the persistent questions about the reason we exist which also highlights Christianity as an authentic living belief
(Dorn, 2014). An analysis of these attributes will help us understand the dynamics of practical Christian living in the professional aviation environment.
The significance of the Bible is its ability to timelessly connect authentic sacred texts and writings from different authors written in different time periods to compile an authentic consistent Holy Book. The Bible has been able to connect the adherent to the divinity of Jesus Christ. The Bible is the central point of reference for any authentic Christian and acts as the guide to model their lives on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the perfect example of a practical and authentic standard of living that the adherent should follow. Practical Christian living for a person working in an aviation environment can therefore be achieved by first following the example of Jesus Christ as represented in the sacred teachings, the Bible.
Mathew 22: 36-39, states "Thou shall love the Lord your God with all thy heart, and with all your soul and mind….and thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself (NIV)." This is the golden commandment taught by Christ which should be our standard of measure to reach out to the non-Christians as well as when interacting with fellow Christians, because without love we are nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2). This paper will discuss how we can reach out to others effectively in Love but confine its focus to an aviation environment which is the scope of this paper.
Discussion
Working in an aviation has many dynamics. A person working in aviation voluntarily applies to enter and get involved in flight and/or ground transportation activities with an airline. The individual acknowledges that flight and/or ground activities includes services and activities done while in an aircraft during flight or in ground transportation while observing the General Operating and Flight Rules (FAA Regulations Part 91) (FAA, 2014). It is important to note that working in aviation can be intrinsically hazardous and is comprised with both anticipated and unanticipated risks. The inherent risks associated with aviation are difficult to eliminate but eliminating them by a Christian believer is still possible without compromising the basic Christian qualities of that individual (FAA, 2014).
Having skills and understanding first aid and rescue operation procedures is good but not all there is in case of emotional or physical injury in the line of duty. Such remedial procedures may result in increased or compounded injuries or damages. The Bible in 1 Timothy 2:4 says that the will of God is for all men to be saved and to come into the knowledge of truth. This means that God’s will is for all men to be saved from all avenues of life but not only in aviation. However, the risks and working conditions in aviation places a great need for those working there to put their trust in God. Notwithstanding there are thousands of people working in aviation who are unbelievers. It is the duty of those who are believers to reach to them with the good news of Jesus Christ (Jarvis, 2007).
Working for a Christian missionary aviation organization provides a favorable working environment for a Christian who wishes to interact and propagate his or her Christian values to the people around them (Peoples, 2012). This is because it is expected that in such an organization, most of the colleagues would be fellow believers whom you share the same faith. However, in case of a commercial aviation environment, it is more challenging to reach out to those who are not yet Christians (Peoples, 2012). One of the core goals of any Christian working not only in aviation but in any other industry is to strive to engage the unsaved in order to lead them to Christ because this is our calling and the great commission that Christ left us as recorded in Mathew 28:19 (NIV).
Our careers should be a channel to fulfill this noble calling because we are not just aviation professionals but saved aviation professionals. We are aviation professionals plus salvation. However, impacting our environment is not easy as those whom we are reaching are people who have heard the gospel since their childhood and may not necessarily agree with what you tell them. This calls for using effective ways to reach out to them with the gospel of Jesus. Globalization comes with growth of technology and aviation is one of such advancement
(FAA, 2014). In terms of Christian culture, globalization combines modernity and post-modernity. Post-modernity refers to a 20th century concept that represents a shift from modernity that is significant for its distract to ideologies and grand theories.
Postmodernity states that everything is relative; Christianity, Islam, abortion etc. It asks the question ‘what does it mean?’ and states that everything depends with what you mean by whatever you are advocating for. In addition it states that you cannot trust everything. With postmodernity and in a global culture that we are living in, it is expected that our Christianity would be surveyed in a post-modern society. The fundamental question that arises for a Christian working in an aviation environment is how would I present myself effectively to those I aim to reach? (Waters, 2006).
Some of the challenges and pressure that Christians working in aviation environment would encounter while seeking to propagate their faith includes the following;
* Diversity-In aviation you will definitely interact with extremely diverse people in terms of their nationality, ethnicity, religion and culture among others.
* Nominalism-the people you are reaching out to may not be willing or may not have time to listen to you (Jarvis, 2007).
* Secularism- Secularism refers to the absence of Christian life in a day to day life. People working in aviation may be extremely secular because of the prestigious aspect of their career which comes with a handsome monetary rewards. Secularism leads to three idols namely;
* Hedonism-This refers to addiction to pleasure especially senses.
* Materialism-This refers to the access and putting a great regard for worldly things such as money, security of your job etc.
* Pluralism-This is closely related to diversity and refers to numerous distinct ethnic religions in the society (Waters, 2006).
With this in mind, it is important to say that we cannot wish the global culture away because it has many benefits and makes the world a better place to live. However, the Christian in a postmodern environment should do things in moderation. Effective ways are vital in responding to the call of presenting the authentic message of Jesus Christ to a post-modern aviation environment. The rest part of this paper will focus on how a Christian working in an aviation environment can fulfill their mandate of evangelizing to unbelievers in this environment effectively.
First, the assumption is that the person who wishes to reach out meets the qualifications of an authentic Christian. The first and greatest qualification is that an authentic Christian is one who confesses Jesus as their Lord and savior as 1 John 4: 15 teaches. They not only believe but confesses Jesus Christ because the Bible teaches that even the demons believe and tremble.
They should then be deeply indebted to the calling of God for their lives to reach out to many of their colleagues who are not yet Christians. This is because by the grace of God are we saved and the commitment of someone to the Lord made us know about this truth.
An authentic Christian also refers to a transparent Christian who is willing to admit failure and forgiveness from the Lord (1 John 1:7-9) rather than living a pretense and being hypocrite. They are sincere through deliberate acknowledgement of their weaknesses and seek help and strength from the Lord. They seek to be empowered through making sincere prayers, reading the Word of God and striving every day to live under the boundaries of God’s word. This reflects humility and showcases a true character of Christ because we serve a God that can’t lie and is forever truthful (authentic).
The authentic Christian understands that this life is not all there is, and that this life is here to prepare us for eternity in heaven with God and with Jesus. The Christian is therefore indebted to make sure that he/she does their best to make this truth known to them that are not yet Christians. An authentic Christian in an aviation environment is a person leading a practical Christian lifestyle in their day to day lives. They confine their conduct, actions and words to the boundaries of the Word of God. They strive to lead an upright kind of lifestyle, shunning evil and hold unto that which is good (Roman 12:9 NIV). Their desire is to live a life that is pleasing to their lord and through this they portray a good example to others. This is how they salt the tasteless aviation environment because their saltiness has not lost flavor. We are called to spice our salt less environment and to illuminate the world as the light bearers.
Our mission as the salt and light of the world (Math 5:13-16 NIV) is to engage our environment that has gone flat with the zest and light that Jesus brings into our lives by believing in Him and following Him daily. Relationships with our fellow believers would also ...