the above picture was taken a few minutes ago (say 9:50am Tuesday). the picture is of sarah and dan's coffee mugs, can you guess which one is which? the black and white one (nightmare before christmas) is a new mug the wife and i picked up yesterday at the disney store (it was 33% off).
maybe i am beginning to stretch but the above picture seems to show how so many people view the emergent and evangelical labels. people say that the emergent movement focuses too much on love and that it, historically, is not deep enough. while some people may say that evangelical movement is deep it is not appealing to people in todays world. there are obviously exceptions. some people are able to look past the apparent "all about love" title that emergents are given and see that it can still hold a great cup of coffee (truth). also, other people are able to get past the first face of the evangelical movement because they understand the movie it is coming from (the past) and see that there is beauty there.
like i said, maybe i am beginning to stretch.
one thing i do have against the evangelicals is that too often they are so focused on winning the lost that they forget the fact that maybe people are not ready for the gospel message. paul had a great truth when he said that some plant the seed and others water. too often people believe that everyone is ready to be watered and forget that some people don't even have the seed planted yet. i just wish that more churches would do activities without the motive to get people into their church. maybe sometimes it is just as good to put the seed of Christ's love in someones life and allow another church to water it. sometimes loving someone is enough, loving without an agenda.
5 comments:
Where are Christians commissioned to "win the lost"?
This increasingly bothers me, since I've grown up immersed with this as a strong value.
Yet we have the prioritized "Greats":
1) Great Command (love the Lord ... and neighbor), and
2) the Great Commission (make disciples - which encompasses every human, converted or not). Which we readily ignore.
(and there are some other subsidiary New Testament commands of Jesus)
And I think I've never heard a sermon on Jesus words: "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to Me". Which clearly says the drawing is His "job" - making sense in the light of the above "Greats" ... and is consistent with other scripture.
Hence, "winning the lost" now seems to me to possibly be yet another deviation from our Master's clear & explicit words.
I perceive we're on the same page.
gene --
Love the mugs :) So fitting for you guys!
If you plant the seed and leave it up to someone else to water it, are you just being naive and neglectful? At what point do you know that you done your part?
@parker - it isn't an issue of "being done" but of giving proper time to plant the seed, see if the seed is growing, and help the seed along. if there is a point where you are no longer in the picture do not say "I did not water it!" because that may not have been your job. i say keep a soft heart for those around you and a clear eye for God's working. if you do these things then your part will never be done and you, hopefully, will not worry about which part you are supposed to be doing for which person.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3px0viXLYQ&feature=related
Again I agree with ...it's wrong when your motive is only to get that person to Christ. It is my aim to love'em and be friends regardless. Eventually part of that love is telling them about Christ....and again still loving them either way.
My problem with the emergent church is that it fails to preach the truth on so many aspects that its not the gospel. So how do seeds get planted? Ultimately God's word will be its own witness.
Good points you make. I have been in many types of churches. I kind of feel lost in that sense. Recently we have started attending John Piper's church. I can't tell you what a difference it has made. But, before that I was in evangelical churches for about 9 years. Before that, non denominational. And before that, as a kid, I grew up in a "prosperity gospel" teaching church. Whew! Exhausting. So needless to say, my viewpoints are often really mixed up. But I am learning, hopefull for the better now, that we can't earn our way to heaven. And being fanatical like some non-denominational churches are will drive folks away or attract the weirdos, as the evangelical folks seem to attract the people who are non-comittal or people who want to earn their way into heaven. From being under this type of teaching most my life, I have to say the guilt and shame factor is pretty high. It wasn't until hearing John Piper preach about God being the one that chooses us and how we can't earn our way in, we have no merits...then I was able to grasp God's true plan for me. I agree with Krutches. These churches that teach this stuff are so worried about getting people in the church, they fail to see the true message of the gospel. Christ will still use those people to further His plan, but its unfortunate. People like myself have had to overcome so much just to hear the truth. I know God had a plan in it, but I still am battling false teaching...and probably will for awhile. God will renew my heart and mind, but I think this teaching is harming Christians and turning them away from the gospel and to themselves. It's really a sad thing.
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