Developing personal based relationships is quite easy for people. But beginning a heart based connecting relationship is very hard. Why is it so hard to connect with people? It’s because the only way to have access to another person’s inner circle (deep feelings, and failures) is to first open your inner circle to them. And that is a very painful thing to do.
It is a strange feeling to be in a church surrounded by more than two hundred people, and at the same time feel totally alone. That was the way I used to feel every Sunday morning. I had many personal based relationships, but very few that were heart based. That was my fault completely because I refused to let many people into my inner circle.
I don’t believe any of us have an inner circle of feelings when we are children. All of our fears, worries, and other emotions are openly shared. But as we grow older feelings like failure, embarrassment, and pain inflicted by others become quite common. And each of those painful situations becomes a brick in the emotional wall that goes around our inner circle.
In a way that wall in our heart is a good thing. It keeps us from experiencing emotional pain. It also allows us to keep some things private. It is not a wise thing to share very personal information with everyone we know. But the wall can result in what can referred to as “emotional isolation”. This is when we refuse to share the emotional contents of our inner circle with anyone. The emotionally isolated many times have lots of friends. But there is no true friend who he has connected with on a heart based level.
“Ironically, sometimes when we feel there is no place for us in the world, we choose to live a life of isolation and disconnectedness.”1 Emotional isolation results in frustration, pain, and depression. Interestingly our attempt to escape all emotional pain (by building a wall) results in excruciating emotional pain. But more importantly it can lead us to living a very selfish life that focuses on our needs instead of others. “We may feel safe alone, but when we live without any semblance of community, it is easier to justify violence, or at least indifference to the welfare of others.”2
I know that God desires for me to begin teaching CTT classes in local Baptist churches. But I have decided not to put on a show or make promises in order to bring in students. Instead I have asked God to show me students that could be interested in taking classes. The next step is to connect with them, and develop a close friendship. A relationship where they are comfortable sharing with me the feelings in their inner circle. But that can only come as I share my inner circle with them first.
Tearing down the emotional wall around the inner circle is a very frightening thing. It can not, and should not be done quickly. So my plan is to begin sharing small pieces of my inner circle whenever possible. And slowly but surely the wall will come down one emotional brick at a time.
1 Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings, Intimacy, Entry 5
2 Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings, Intimacy, Entry 6
Friday, August 24, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Quality Not Quantity
Recently I have been thinking a lot about how to get new students for the Bible college where I work. In an attempt to find the best way to bring students I looked at two popular church growth methods. The first is what I called the entertainment method of growth. This philosophy puts on an entertaining show every Sunday that is meant to make people feel good about themselves. The second method uses attraction to bring people in. It involves finding out what the unsaved want, and giving it to them. While these methods result in large crowds, neither will work in the long run. The entertainment method is short lived because it is hard to keep entertaining the same people every week. And the attractional method will work until another church begins doing more to “meet needs”.
I don’t want students who will take CTT classes for a month or so and then quit when it gets hard. So how can I develop students who are committed to class for the long haul? The first answer to that question is very slowly. Many times churches want to bring in huge amounts of people right away. That is why the entertainment and attractional methods are so popular. A large quantity of people can easily be gained in a short amount of time with these methods. But strong ministries are not built upon people of quantity. Instead they are built on people of quality. And gathering in people of great quality is very hard work.
One of the most important ways to bring in quality people is through connection. This word has been used a lot lately so I will try to define it. Connection is the development of an intimate (close) relationship with others. The reason I use the word intimate is because this relationship goes much deeper than a normal friendship. It is bringing people together on a personal and heart based level.1 A normal friendship helps us to know others on a personal level. But connecting with others on a heart based level means we minister to what I refer to as, “their inner circle”.
Shortly after coming to Australia I put a post on my blog called “ministering to the inner circle”. It was based upon a fascinating discussion I had with an Australian believer one Sunday afternoon. He explained to me that the Australian people (and all people for that matter) have two kinds of relationships. Most people had access to what he called the outer circle. This was the information they would feel comfortable sharing with anybody. Things like how their favorite sports team is doing, their family, their job, and things of that nature. But a few select people are able to be part of the inner circle. This part of them included their fears, failures, frustrations, and deep needs. After talking to him I am convinced that this is not only true of Australians, but all of us as well.
Why is it important to connect with prospective students on a heart based level? Because close relationships will bring in more students than the worlds greatest power point presentation. Not only will students be more comfortable becoming involved in CTT if I have connected with them. They will also be more likely to complete the classes if they have a close relationship with the teacher. Becoming part of their inner circle will take a huge amount of time. But that student will be far more likely to continue in the program than one who is only there because he feels good, or his needs are met.
1 Dr. Henry Cloud/Dr. John Townsend, Making Small Groups Work, pg.71, ln.1
I don’t want students who will take CTT classes for a month or so and then quit when it gets hard. So how can I develop students who are committed to class for the long haul? The first answer to that question is very slowly. Many times churches want to bring in huge amounts of people right away. That is why the entertainment and attractional methods are so popular. A large quantity of people can easily be gained in a short amount of time with these methods. But strong ministries are not built upon people of quantity. Instead they are built on people of quality. And gathering in people of great quality is very hard work.
One of the most important ways to bring in quality people is through connection. This word has been used a lot lately so I will try to define it. Connection is the development of an intimate (close) relationship with others. The reason I use the word intimate is because this relationship goes much deeper than a normal friendship. It is bringing people together on a personal and heart based level.1 A normal friendship helps us to know others on a personal level. But connecting with others on a heart based level means we minister to what I refer to as, “their inner circle”.
Shortly after coming to Australia I put a post on my blog called “ministering to the inner circle”. It was based upon a fascinating discussion I had with an Australian believer one Sunday afternoon. He explained to me that the Australian people (and all people for that matter) have two kinds of relationships. Most people had access to what he called the outer circle. This was the information they would feel comfortable sharing with anybody. Things like how their favorite sports team is doing, their family, their job, and things of that nature. But a few select people are able to be part of the inner circle. This part of them included their fears, failures, frustrations, and deep needs. After talking to him I am convinced that this is not only true of Australians, but all of us as well.
Why is it important to connect with prospective students on a heart based level? Because close relationships will bring in more students than the worlds greatest power point presentation. Not only will students be more comfortable becoming involved in CTT if I have connected with them. They will also be more likely to complete the classes if they have a close relationship with the teacher. Becoming part of their inner circle will take a huge amount of time. But that student will be far more likely to continue in the program than one who is only there because he feels good, or his needs are met.
1 Dr. Henry Cloud/Dr. John Townsend, Making Small Groups Work, pg.71, ln.1
Monday, August 20, 2007
Attract Them To Jesus
One of the most popular church growth movements in this day involves what is called seeker sensitive services. These services are based upon what has become known as the attractional focused ministry. Those who use this attractional outreach claim that the most important job of the church is to find the needs of the unsaved and then meet those needs. Basically this means, “The church serves as a purveyor of religious goods and services.”1 The job of the church then becomes “bringing people from their culture into the church to partake of the programing that targets their felt needs.”2
Churches who use this outreach claim that it comes from the public ministry of Christ. He met the spiritual needs of great multitudes through preaching. But he also met their physical need of hunger by feeding 5,000 with a few loaves and fish.3 According to them this proves that Christ, “appears to be modeling attractional church growth strategies of doing what was needed to gather many people to hear the preaching of the Gospel.”4
This attractional outreach is much like the entertainment method I have written about in an earlier post. The entertainment type ministry is totally focused on creating an emotional response and make the people feel better. That attractional type finds what the unsaved want, and gives it to them.
The problem with this outreach method is quite clear. Scripture no longer is the final authority for what is done in the church. Instead the unsaved people the church tries to reach are it's authority. The end result of this method is not very different from that of the entertainment one. The people will come only as long as their needs are met. They don't attend the church because of love for God or other members. They only come to consume religious goods.
The attractional method is used in many ministries other than church growth. The difference in using the attractional outreach for other church ministries is that the saved are consumers instead of the unsaved. Just choose the kind of people you want to involve in the ministry (youth, young adults, singles). Then you find what they want in a ministry, and give it to them. Large ministries can definitely be developed using the attractional philosophy. But that does not change the fact that the needs of people decide which decisions to make instead of God's word.
It would be easy to find out what Believers in local churches want the CTT ministry to become, and then give it to them. But that ministry philosophy would create religious consumers who take classes as long as their needs are met. That does not mean I don't think that the needs of others should be ministered to. But the true motivation for taking a CTT class should go much deeper than just getting what you want.
1 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.25, par.4, ln.2
2 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.25, par.4, ln.4
3 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.27, par.1
4 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.27, par.1, ln.2
Churches who use this outreach claim that it comes from the public ministry of Christ. He met the spiritual needs of great multitudes through preaching. But he also met their physical need of hunger by feeding 5,000 with a few loaves and fish.3 According to them this proves that Christ, “appears to be modeling attractional church growth strategies of doing what was needed to gather many people to hear the preaching of the Gospel.”4
This attractional outreach is much like the entertainment method I have written about in an earlier post. The entertainment type ministry is totally focused on creating an emotional response and make the people feel better. That attractional type finds what the unsaved want, and gives it to them.
The problem with this outreach method is quite clear. Scripture no longer is the final authority for what is done in the church. Instead the unsaved people the church tries to reach are it's authority. The end result of this method is not very different from that of the entertainment one. The people will come only as long as their needs are met. They don't attend the church because of love for God or other members. They only come to consume religious goods.
The attractional method is used in many ministries other than church growth. The difference in using the attractional outreach for other church ministries is that the saved are consumers instead of the unsaved. Just choose the kind of people you want to involve in the ministry (youth, young adults, singles). Then you find what they want in a ministry, and give it to them. Large ministries can definitely be developed using the attractional philosophy. But that does not change the fact that the needs of people decide which decisions to make instead of God's word.
It would be easy to find out what Believers in local churches want the CTT ministry to become, and then give it to them. But that ministry philosophy would create religious consumers who take classes as long as their needs are met. That does not mean I don't think that the needs of others should be ministered to. But the true motivation for taking a CTT class should go much deeper than just getting what you want.
1 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.25, par.4, ln.2
2 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.25, par.4, ln.4
3 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.27, par.1
4 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.27, par.1, ln.2
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Entertain Them Into Jesus
In late August I will begin approaching pastors concerning the possibility of teaching bible college material in their churches. I am convinced that it is God’s will for me to begin planting CTT (Church Based Theological Training) classes in Melbourne. The problem I am facing is how to promote those classes.
It is very unlikely that a pastor will allow me to immediately begin a class in their church. This is not because they don’t want me to teach a class there. It is because at this time there are very few individuals interested in taking classes. So a lot of my ministry for the first few months will involve promoting the CTT program.
I know that God desires for me to plant classes local Baptist churches. The question in my mind is, “how do I get the people to come?” This same question is asked by pastors around the world on a daily basis. Unfortunately there is not an easy answer to that question. So I began researching different methods used by churches to bring people to services. I hoped that one of these strategies would help me reach out to prospective bible college students.
A popular method used by churches to gain members is entertainment. The church that uses this method will put on a show every Sunday. The goal of each service is to gain some kind of an emotional response. They will make you laugh, cry, and shout for joy in the same service. Many people will continue to attend that church because they “felt good.”
It is easy to see the problem with this method. Everything is geared to get an emotional response. The focus is not on actual transformation of the heart or life. They just want the people to feel good. This kind of promotion will bring in members by the truckload. But a few months later they will either be burned out, or have left the church. The problem with basing your ministry on entertainment is that it gets harder to entertain people every single week. After a while they get bored and leave for the next church that makes them feel good.
I must admit that this method is the one that I am most comfortable using. God has given me a talent for making people laugh. He has also allowed me to have an outgoing entertaining type personality. Most people are frightened about getting in front of large crowds. My greatest passion in life other than preaching God’s word is acting. I just love entertaining large audiences of people, the larger the better. This is not really because I am a great actor. It is more due to the fact that I am totally relaxed in front of large crowds.
If my personality had its way my presentation of CTT would turn into an entertaining combination of stories and jokes. And there is a pretty good chance that I would gain students because of a funny joke or tear jerking story. But those students would come because I made them feel good, or cry. A few months later they will no longer be taking CTT classes. Yes I can still make people laugh during my presentation. But I must make very sure that they are coming as a result of God’s conviction or call instead of an emotional response.
It is very unlikely that a pastor will allow me to immediately begin a class in their church. This is not because they don’t want me to teach a class there. It is because at this time there are very few individuals interested in taking classes. So a lot of my ministry for the first few months will involve promoting the CTT program.
I know that God desires for me to plant classes local Baptist churches. The question in my mind is, “how do I get the people to come?” This same question is asked by pastors around the world on a daily basis. Unfortunately there is not an easy answer to that question. So I began researching different methods used by churches to bring people to services. I hoped that one of these strategies would help me reach out to prospective bible college students.
A popular method used by churches to gain members is entertainment. The church that uses this method will put on a show every Sunday. The goal of each service is to gain some kind of an emotional response. They will make you laugh, cry, and shout for joy in the same service. Many people will continue to attend that church because they “felt good.”
It is easy to see the problem with this method. Everything is geared to get an emotional response. The focus is not on actual transformation of the heart or life. They just want the people to feel good. This kind of promotion will bring in members by the truckload. But a few months later they will either be burned out, or have left the church. The problem with basing your ministry on entertainment is that it gets harder to entertain people every single week. After a while they get bored and leave for the next church that makes them feel good.
I must admit that this method is the one that I am most comfortable using. God has given me a talent for making people laugh. He has also allowed me to have an outgoing entertaining type personality. Most people are frightened about getting in front of large crowds. My greatest passion in life other than preaching God’s word is acting. I just love entertaining large audiences of people, the larger the better. This is not really because I am a great actor. It is more due to the fact that I am totally relaxed in front of large crowds.
If my personality had its way my presentation of CTT would turn into an entertaining combination of stories and jokes. And there is a pretty good chance that I would gain students because of a funny joke or tear jerking story. But those students would come because I made them feel good, or cry. A few months later they will no longer be taking CTT classes. Yes I can still make people laugh during my presentation. But I must make very sure that they are coming as a result of God’s conviction or call instead of an emotional response.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A Balanced Holiness
We see the God of love in our freedom and free will. But how does that fit in with his holiness? In my view the holiness of God is his strongest characteristic. Most believers in traditional churches would agree that, “holiness occupies the foremost rank among the attributes of God.”1 This truth is proven by the fact that God creates divisions between himself and what is sinful. The Jews were not allowed near Mount Sinai when God came to down to give the ten commandments.2 There was also a division in the tabernacle between the most holy of holies where God dwelled and the holy places.3 Clearly God is perfectly holy and can not allow sin.
It is true that God can not allow sin to go unpunished. But at the same time he is merciful and gracious towards us. Mercy is, “God’s goodness manifested towards those who are in misery or distress.”4 In other words mercy is God showing kindness to those who are in need. Scripture contains many passages that refer to the mercy of God (Ephesians 2:4, James 5:11, I Peter 1:3, Psalms 102:13, Romans 11:30).5 The Bible contains countless stories of sinners who received God’s merciful kindness instead of judgment.
And then of course there is the Grace of God. This refers to giving someone a free gift that they could never earn on their own. The greatest illustration of God’s grace is obviously the death of Christ on the cross. None of us could have ever deserved what Jesus did for us. But he still bore our sins upon the cross and paid the price for those sins with his blood.
What does this all mean? The answer is that there is a balance to God. He is at the same time both holy, and loving. Mercy and grace are two very strong characteristics of God’s love.6 Does this mean that we should continue sinning so that God has to forgive us? Of course not!7 For the mercy and grace of God are not as strong as his holiness. In fact the showing of mercy or grace toward a guilty sinner is, “optional with God”8 Grace and mercy will always be offered, but not always be given. At some point a sinner will face the condemnation of God for his continued sin.
By looking at God’s holiness, mercy, and love at the same time we have a complete view of him. He is not the God of love who allows us to do everything we want. Neither is he the God of judgment who is always looking for someone to punish. He is a God who does not desire to punish us for sin, and because of that will usually reach out with mercy and grace. But at the same time if we reject his mercy and grace we will be judged. Having a clear understanding of God is very important for us today. It helps us to understand it is not his will for us to be legalists. But it is not his will for us to love everyone into Jesus either.
1 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.84, par.2, ln.1
2 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.84, par.2, ln.4
3 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.84, par.2, ln.5
4 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.86, par.5, ln.1
5 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.86, par.5, ln.7
6 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pgs.86-87
7 Romans 6:1-2
8 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.87, par.3, ln.1
It is true that God can not allow sin to go unpunished. But at the same time he is merciful and gracious towards us. Mercy is, “God’s goodness manifested towards those who are in misery or distress.”4 In other words mercy is God showing kindness to those who are in need. Scripture contains many passages that refer to the mercy of God (Ephesians 2:4, James 5:11, I Peter 1:3, Psalms 102:13, Romans 11:30).5 The Bible contains countless stories of sinners who received God’s merciful kindness instead of judgment.
And then of course there is the Grace of God. This refers to giving someone a free gift that they could never earn on their own. The greatest illustration of God’s grace is obviously the death of Christ on the cross. None of us could have ever deserved what Jesus did for us. But he still bore our sins upon the cross and paid the price for those sins with his blood.
What does this all mean? The answer is that there is a balance to God. He is at the same time both holy, and loving. Mercy and grace are two very strong characteristics of God’s love.6 Does this mean that we should continue sinning so that God has to forgive us? Of course not!7 For the mercy and grace of God are not as strong as his holiness. In fact the showing of mercy or grace toward a guilty sinner is, “optional with God”8 Grace and mercy will always be offered, but not always be given. At some point a sinner will face the condemnation of God for his continued sin.
By looking at God’s holiness, mercy, and love at the same time we have a complete view of him. He is not the God of love who allows us to do everything we want. Neither is he the God of judgment who is always looking for someone to punish. He is a God who does not desire to punish us for sin, and because of that will usually reach out with mercy and grace. But at the same time if we reject his mercy and grace we will be judged. Having a clear understanding of God is very important for us today. It helps us to understand it is not his will for us to be legalists. But it is not his will for us to love everyone into Jesus either.
1 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.84, par.2, ln.1
2 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.84, par.2, ln.4
3 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.84, par.2, ln.5
4 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.86, par.5, ln.1
5 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.86, par.5, ln.7
6 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pgs.86-87
7 Romans 6:1-2
8 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.87, par.3, ln.1
Thursday, August 09, 2007
A Balanced Love
Over the last two weeks I have looked at the two main views of God that are held today. Although both views have strong points neither one is totally correct. Those who believe in the loving God view feel that his unconditional love keeps him from judging sin. This foundational truth leads them to see condemnation of sin or rules as something terrible in the eyes of God. The problem comes when they try to motivate Christians to do good works for God. Most times those who hold this view end up contradicting themselves by stating that God has unconditional love, and then later showing his demand that we be missionaries to the world.
Those who believe in a judging God are little better. They focus totally on the things that God does not want us to do. There is a serious danger of focusing so much on the outer person (following the rules) that the inner person (personal relationship with Christ) is ignored. This view also opens the door for legalism, and putting personal views on the level of Scripture.
So which God is the correct one? The actual answer is both. This “balanced view of God” does not go to either extreme. Instead it states that God is at the same time both holy and loving. I will illustrate what this looks like in later posts. But first it would be helpful to have a basic understanding of what I mean by “a balanced God”. I personally believe that God's holiness and love are two of his strongest characteristics. He expresses his love to us in various ways. God's love is first seen in the fact that he does not force us to do anything. Mankind has been given freedom to choose whatever way seems best for him. This has been true ever since Adam and Eve were placed in the garden of Eden.
This does not mean God will not convict our hearts through the Holy Spirit when we disobey him. Neither does it mean that we will not suffer consequences for our actions. But it does clearly show that God will allow us to choose the path of sin. A God of judgment would never let this happen.
God gives us much more than just freedom through his love. We also receive acceptance. He does demand that we confess our sins, and accept Christ as our savior in order to be saved. This is a part of his holiness that can not be compromised. But God will accept anyone who is willing to repent of their sins. Some people can get the idea that God will not accept us until we have made ourselves good people. But that is not true at all. The Bible is very clear about the fact that any sinner who comes to God can be saved. A God of judgment would give a long list of rules or requirements to meet before becoming saved.
All of us who are saved have also received grace from God. Actually this grace is offered to all believers and unbelievers. Just because an unbeliever rejects God's grace doesn't mean he could not have been saved. Grace is viewed as receiving something that we did not deserve. And salvation definitely fits within that definition. None of us could ever claim to deserve salvation. But because of God's grace it is given to us as a free gift that could never be earned on our own. This as well goes against the God of judgment view.
If I stopped explaining the balanced view of God here it would be incomplete. But that doesn't change the fact that God does give us liberty, acceptance, and grace. It is encouraging to remember that we do not serve a God who enjoys judging sin. Instead we serve one who is, “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”1
1 II Peter 3:9
Those who believe in a judging God are little better. They focus totally on the things that God does not want us to do. There is a serious danger of focusing so much on the outer person (following the rules) that the inner person (personal relationship with Christ) is ignored. This view also opens the door for legalism, and putting personal views on the level of Scripture.
So which God is the correct one? The actual answer is both. This “balanced view of God” does not go to either extreme. Instead it states that God is at the same time both holy and loving. I will illustrate what this looks like in later posts. But first it would be helpful to have a basic understanding of what I mean by “a balanced God”. I personally believe that God's holiness and love are two of his strongest characteristics. He expresses his love to us in various ways. God's love is first seen in the fact that he does not force us to do anything. Mankind has been given freedom to choose whatever way seems best for him. This has been true ever since Adam and Eve were placed in the garden of Eden.
This does not mean God will not convict our hearts through the Holy Spirit when we disobey him. Neither does it mean that we will not suffer consequences for our actions. But it does clearly show that God will allow us to choose the path of sin. A God of judgment would never let this happen.
God gives us much more than just freedom through his love. We also receive acceptance. He does demand that we confess our sins, and accept Christ as our savior in order to be saved. This is a part of his holiness that can not be compromised. But God will accept anyone who is willing to repent of their sins. Some people can get the idea that God will not accept us until we have made ourselves good people. But that is not true at all. The Bible is very clear about the fact that any sinner who comes to God can be saved. A God of judgment would give a long list of rules or requirements to meet before becoming saved.
All of us who are saved have also received grace from God. Actually this grace is offered to all believers and unbelievers. Just because an unbeliever rejects God's grace doesn't mean he could not have been saved. Grace is viewed as receiving something that we did not deserve. And salvation definitely fits within that definition. None of us could ever claim to deserve salvation. But because of God's grace it is given to us as a free gift that could never be earned on our own. This as well goes against the God of judgment view.
If I stopped explaining the balanced view of God here it would be incomplete. But that doesn't change the fact that God does give us liberty, acceptance, and grace. It is encouraging to remember that we do not serve a God who enjoys judging sin. Instead we serve one who is, “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”1
1 II Peter 3:9
Saturday, August 04, 2007
A Militant God?
In an earlier post I began discussing the correct view of God. The two major ones being that God is totally loving, and that he is militantly against sin. I have already pointed out that the God of love view is incorrect because it gives no way of motivating people. It also leads to a culture where there are no real absolutes. But is the militant view (God of judgment) any better?
The God of judgment view focuses all of its attention on his holiness. Because of this those who hold to this view spend the majority of their time pointing out commands of God for our lives. Of course I don't believe that there is anything wrong with proclaiming how a Believer should live. But placing a huge amount attention on what we should not do many times does more harm than good.
The high school that I attended as a teenager definitely believed in the God of judgment view. That does not mean I didn't enjoy being there. During my years there I developed many close friendships, and learned a lot from my teachers. God used the experiences in that High School to make me a stronger person, and I was able to be part of the student government for two years. I still have many fond memories of my days there.
But my love for that high school could not change the fact that it preached a God of judgment. Many sermons preached in our chapel services were little more than men yelling at us about what we were doing wrong. And out of those sermons came rules concerning what we should or should not do. Those rules were shared and explained in almost every Bible class, most devotionals given during the week, and basically every sermon we heard. After a time it seemed as if following those rules was the most important thing in our walk with God.
The danger of this view concerning God appears in two ways. Number one is the fact that when following the rules becomes the most important thing in life, it is very easy to start preaching personal opinion. Looking back at the sermons I heard at my high school it appears that at least 80% of them were using Scripture to preach personal opinion. The real danger with this is that in time if personal opinion is preached from the pulpit it is viewed on the same level as doctrine.
Personal opinion issues were defended at this school as strongly as Salvation by grace through faith. This leads to what I feel is the true failure of the God is judgment view. It focuses on the outer person instead of the heart. Now I don't feel in any way that it is wrong to enforce rules in christian school or elsewhere. But making those rules the most important thing just creates a generation of Pharisees. Christ called those men white washed sepulchures because they looked good on the outside, but on the inside they were filled with dead mens bones.
I thank God that during my time at the high school there was a group of young people who truly wanted to give God control of their lives. But that is not the normal result of holding the God is judgment view.
There is a very well known story of a man who came forward following a service at a church to be saved. The pastor of this church held very strongly to the God of judgment view. He brought the man before the church and told them that the gentleman wanted to be saved and join the church. He then told them that would happen as soon as the man cut off his long hair. This was to be done by a barber who was kept at the church for just such an ocassion.
God desires much more than a person who follows the rules. He desires believers who will develop an intimate relationship with him. A relationship of dependence that involves giving him control of their lives every day. And that is what will lead a person to follow the rules in a correct way. Not because they are being watched all of the time, but because they want to.
The God of judgment view focuses all of its attention on his holiness. Because of this those who hold to this view spend the majority of their time pointing out commands of God for our lives. Of course I don't believe that there is anything wrong with proclaiming how a Believer should live. But placing a huge amount attention on what we should not do many times does more harm than good.
The high school that I attended as a teenager definitely believed in the God of judgment view. That does not mean I didn't enjoy being there. During my years there I developed many close friendships, and learned a lot from my teachers. God used the experiences in that High School to make me a stronger person, and I was able to be part of the student government for two years. I still have many fond memories of my days there.
But my love for that high school could not change the fact that it preached a God of judgment. Many sermons preached in our chapel services were little more than men yelling at us about what we were doing wrong. And out of those sermons came rules concerning what we should or should not do. Those rules were shared and explained in almost every Bible class, most devotionals given during the week, and basically every sermon we heard. After a time it seemed as if following those rules was the most important thing in our walk with God.
The danger of this view concerning God appears in two ways. Number one is the fact that when following the rules becomes the most important thing in life, it is very easy to start preaching personal opinion. Looking back at the sermons I heard at my high school it appears that at least 80% of them were using Scripture to preach personal opinion. The real danger with this is that in time if personal opinion is preached from the pulpit it is viewed on the same level as doctrine.
Personal opinion issues were defended at this school as strongly as Salvation by grace through faith. This leads to what I feel is the true failure of the God is judgment view. It focuses on the outer person instead of the heart. Now I don't feel in any way that it is wrong to enforce rules in christian school or elsewhere. But making those rules the most important thing just creates a generation of Pharisees. Christ called those men white washed sepulchures because they looked good on the outside, but on the inside they were filled with dead mens bones.
I thank God that during my time at the high school there was a group of young people who truly wanted to give God control of their lives. But that is not the normal result of holding the God is judgment view.
There is a very well known story of a man who came forward following a service at a church to be saved. The pastor of this church held very strongly to the God of judgment view. He brought the man before the church and told them that the gentleman wanted to be saved and join the church. He then told them that would happen as soon as the man cut off his long hair. This was to be done by a barber who was kept at the church for just such an ocassion.
God desires much more than a person who follows the rules. He desires believers who will develop an intimate relationship with him. A relationship of dependence that involves giving him control of their lives every day. And that is what will lead a person to follow the rules in a correct way. Not because they are being watched all of the time, but because they want to.
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