Gospel kaizen

“Kaizen is like a hotbed that nurtures small and ongoing changes.” ~ Masaaki Imai, (Japanese change and quality management guru)

“Alteration is not always improvement, as the pigeon said when she got out of the net and into the pie.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

When people ask me what my day job is, my reply tends to create more questions than answers. It is kind of a running joke with many of my friends and family that even though I have explained it to them, they still don’t know. I sometimes think it would be far easier to just make something up like Martin Blank, the character John Cusack played in the movie Grosse Point Blank. He goes back to his ten year high school reunion and rather than tell his classmates he is a free lance hitman, he dreams up various responses; “I work for Kentucky Fried Chicken…I sell biscuits and gravy all over the Southland.” Rest assured I am not an international man of mystery or a contract killer.

In simplified terms I work for a contract manufacturing company that builds a myriad of electronics products for both large and small corporations. Still confused? Okay, I work in off shoring and we make products in low cost regions all over the globe. See what I mean? Fine, I am really the body double for Bruce Willis…Admittedly I never envisioned working in this industry and like most teens I day dreamed about being the next Dr. J or as a fall back option replacing Walter Cronkite on the evening news. But I realize that I am where the Lord wants me to be, and my job has allowed me the opportunity to travel the world and experience other cultures. It is fascinating interacting with people from varied world-views and belief systems. This blends well with my interest in Christian Apologetics and my desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

My employer has multiple manufacturing facilities in 30 countries and on four continents, and I often visit these sites to either host a customer or for internal meetings. When visiting these facilities we are typically obliged to take a factory tour and listen to the local staff beamingly share what services and processes their site provides. In the manufacturing industry companies are constantly looking for ways to lower their costs and improve output and profitability which is known as Lean manufacturing. Part of Lean is an initiative developed by Japanese car maker Toyota: a continuous improvement process known as Kaizen, which translated means “improvement” or “change for the better.” This has been applied to government, health-care, banking and many other industries. Wikipedia states; “When used in the business sense and applied to the workplace, kaizen refers to activities that continually improve all functions, and involves all employees from the CEO to the assembly line workers. By improving standardized activities and processes, kaizen aims to eliminate waste.”

Part of kaizen is focusing on what is known as 5S; sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. In our factories we typically have posters and signs that focus on these areas and encourage the employees to make suggestions on how we can improve in these functions. I was on a tour this week and while absent-mindedly looking at a 5S poster it dawned on me that in the life of a believer we need to focus on a Gospel Kaizen of continuous improvement through God’s Word. So if I haven’t lost you yet, stick with me and see if you can apply this to your desire to walk in the Gospel.

The first area is Sort (Seiri); distinguish what is needed and not needed. God’s Word is pretty clear that this is something we need to strive for and this can be seen in verses like Hebrews 12:1. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Distinguishing what is needed and not needed is also seen in 2 Corinthians 5:17; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

The second principle is Set in Order/Stabilize (Seiton); a place for everything and everything has its place. What comes to mind is I Corinthians 10:31; “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” When I think about being stabilized Colossians 2:7 also would apply. “Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Third, Shine or Cleanliness (Seiso); cleaning and inspecting the work place, which needs to be a Gospel focus for us all. Paul exhorts us in Philippians 4:8; “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Many more verses apply to this principle but another could be Romans 12:2; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

The fourth process is Standardize (Seiketsu); share established standards and make standards obvious. The emphasis of being ready to give an answer found in 1 Peter 3:15 points not only to knowing the Gospel but also making it obvious by sharing it with others. Matthew 5:16 commands us to let our light shine before men so God can be glorified and also underscores the need to know the truth and make it obvious. Without a doubt Paul’s letter to the Galatians points this out in chapter 1 when he tells them that the Gospel is not a man-made message and that we need to get it right and proclaim nothing else or the consequences are dire indeed.

The final process is Sustain the discipline or self-discipline (Shitsuke) which is what we are all called to do. The Pauline epistles are filled with imagery of pressing toward the mark, walking worthy, disciplining ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit to live spirit-filled and spirit-controlled lives. Paul talks about at length in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 when he writes; “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

Long before any efficiency experts or continuous improvement guru “developed” these ideas, God had the perfect solution in mind to change for the better the human condition. This improvement and perfection of our condition is found in none other than the person of Jesus Christ. Have you let the Gospel kaizen your life and are you continuing day by day to let it do so? Are you and I as committed to our spiritual continuous improvement (sanctification) as God is? Fortunately our lack of commitment does not change God’s commitment to us and that is what Philippians 1:6 is reminding us. He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it in spite of our unfaithfulness. He fully committed Himself to us on the cross, can we dare give less?

The truth of the Gospel can be seen anywhere we look, even on a mundane plant tour.

“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:13