Words To Think About.
Hard words I’ve heard recently. I want to measure them against scripture, but they are sticking in my throat.
Ministry
- Faithfulness over success
- Christianity is not a set of rules to live by.
- The Gospel is more than “The Four Spiritual Laws“.
- The question “What must I do to be saved?” is asked several times in the New Testament. The question is answered differently in each case.
- We don’t have to understand complex theology to become a Christian. We must have a mysterious relational encounter. (There is complex theology involved, but we do not need to understand it all.)
Justice / Living
- Peace. Step in front of bullets. Stand up and fight. But as Christians, violence is not one of our options.
- Our enemy is NOT flesh and blood. We are to love. (This includes Iraqi insurgents, Muslims, the French, Liberals and evolutionists. All of them.)
- God is not going to judge us based on our response (or lack thereof) to the Africa AIDS situation. He already judged and punished Christ for our loving people poorly. This is our motivation for loving people. Not to earn God’s favor, but because we already have it.
- Are you following Jesus, or the American dream?
Politics
- America is not a Christian nation. The founding fathers had some Christian ideas in the founding of it, but we are not a theocracy, (and we should not be surprised when it doesn’t behave in a Christian way. What’s more, we should not take an American, patriotic ideal as equal to a Christian ideal. Americanism and Christianity are in conflict from time to time.)
- America is not the new Israel. We are not God’s chosen political nation on this earth, carrying out his will and judgement.
(reads politics header)
(claps loudly and cheers)
“We don’t have to understand complex theology to become a Christian. We must have a mysterious relational encounter. (There is complex theology involved, but we do not need to understand it all.)”
Is anyone else really blown down by this statement? I think I assume that “knowing about” means “encountering” Christ. I can know all I want to about Him, but am I living in communion with Him?
Thanks Matt.
I was hit by that statement too, the whole “knowing about” vs. “experiencing” one you just pointed out, Dustin.
I was going through Theophostic training today and the guy in the video said just that - basically that westerners kind of have a culture of learning alot about God, but not necessarily experience the fullness of fellowship with Him. The direction he took it was in explaining how we know the truth about alot of lies in our life, but that truth somehow doesn’t free us from the lies because we don’t experience it, we just know about it.
Definately something I struggle with. Alot.
“(This includes Iraqi insurgents, Muslims, the French, Liberals and evolutionists. All of them.) ”
hmmm i dont know about this does that include the french evolutionists?? :D
those liberal, french evolutionists…
Amen Matt… God could solve all this stuff for us in an instant, but it wouldn’t meet any of His purposes.
I’d say that you can simply sum up a Christian by saying they’re regular people who have seen real love (Agape/God) and then ceased to be the same (died, but lived).
much love bro,
Steve