Why Win, If You Can Dance?

The old saying goes, “Win a soul for Jesus.” Paul used that type of language several times in the writing of scripture but I’m not sure it means the quite the same thing people do today. I think it feels a lot different now than it did then. Someone said, “If you win me for Jesus that feels like I lose.”

We know that is not the truth at all but it’s interesting that someone would feel that way. What is it about someone’s evangelistic approach that would make someone feel like they lose if they agree? Maybe it’s what they say, but I have a feeling it’s about more of how they say it.

Brian McLaren described a different way we might approach sharing the message of Jesus. He said that the “Gospel” (the good news) of Jesus is like beautiful music to those that know it. It picks up our spirit and carries us along in the dance of life. Why not invite others to dance with us, to hear and understand the music for their lives. Sure, some toes might occasionally be stepped on in the process but who needs to win and lose when instead we can learn to dance together.

Don’t look at your “non-church-going” friends as projects, look at them as dance partners.

Griff

Intellectual Christianity

What do we have to know to be a genuine Christ follower? What must we do or what must we experience? How do we know if we are or not?

There are many people who know about Jesus, about Christianity, about the bible. Does that mean they are Christ followers? It’s interesting that some of the most knowledgeable people in Jesus day, some of the most righteous by the standards of the law (the spiritual rule book) seemed to be the furthest from what Jesus was trying to promote and teach. They didn’t like him and he was quite critical of their brand of spirituality.

Here’s the irony. Jesus seemed to have no problem connecting with the “less-than-righteous.” There seemed to be a quick connect with what he was teaching and the brand of spirituality that he was selling. How was it that people who had devoted their whole lives to God could get it so wrong and those who lived opposed to God could get it so quickly.

I like what author John Ortberg said, “The righteous were more damaged by their righteousness than the sinners were by their sin.”

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Griff

Quitting Religion

We started a series last week that could be considered controversial. What do we mean by “Quitting Church?” We have always said Christianity is more than just going to church. That’s not controversial. So what do we mean my quitting church? We mean to quit playing church, to realize it’s about a lot more than wearing a name and attending a service. At the heart of it all, Christianity has nothing to do with “religion.” Check out a quote by John Fischer from an article called Bowing to the coffee god.

“Religion is ritual, habit, doing certain things to get certain results, and pleasing the acceptable god by bowing, scraping and doing all the necessary penance required by that god to please Him/Her/it. I have been known to bow and scrape to the coffee god, but thankfully, not the real God, because the real God does not require this.”

Do you catch his drift? What you do think?

Griff