Welcome to Gaia! ::

*long exhale*

I liked the article (read the transcript), and I think it was dead-on with the need for people to hear exactly how they've transgressed against the LORD and what position they find themselves in as a result. That said, I found the article to be rather focused on accepting Christ based on a desire to escape judgment (even comparing Him to a parachute), which I believe is a wrong motive.

I'll use the example in the article, but I'll expand on it. Let's say George has earned himself a $25,000 ticket that he has no means to pay. Joshua is nice enough to pay it off for him, and asks Bob to explain the good news to George. Bob says, "George, buddy, you were going 125 in a school zone. You're lucky you didn't get the chair for that. You should go thank Joshua, man." George: "Omigosh! Josh, dude. Thanks a bunch for paying off that fine for me. I could never have done it myself." George might even cry a bit, he's so very grateful. Joshua says, "No problem. I did it to show you God's love and grace, so you might worship Him. What say we get together for lunch?" George knows exactly how huge his crime was, and he was genuinely sorry about it, but now this Joshua guy wants to be his friend. Not that George isn't still grateful, but Josh needs to back off. He's kind of a dorky, church type, and George worries it might rub off on him. In fact, his friends are teasing him for hanging out with Joshua so much. So, he hangs out with Joshua a little less, and a little less.

What happens the next time George is late for work? Well, there's that school zone again, and this time he knows that it's wrong. But hey, he doesn't see any kids, and the law is just in his way to keep him from getting to his destination, right? He speeds again. Except now, he remembers Joshua. Every time he gets in a little pickle, he assumes Joshua is there as a parachute, simply to save him from trouble. Before you know it, George gets upset that Joshua didn't put more quarters in the parking meter downtown. He sees Joshua as fire insurance, and when Joshua doesn't deliver (he is, after all, a person, not just a free ticket to paradise), George looks for friendship elsewhere.

Therein lies one of the problems with Christianity today, as far as my personal experience tells me. I always knew what I sinner I was. I looked at the law, and was grateful Jesus was there to save me when I screwed up. I paid Jesus lip service to keep my "Get Out of Hell Free" card, but I kept trying to find happiness elsewhere. I failed to see that Jesus not only offered me eternal life, he offered me joy and happiness as well!

Jesus Christ saved us from our sins, yes, but he asks for our loyalty. Romans 10:9 says to confess that Jesus is LORD. This isn't just about using Him to escape hellfire. It's about devoting your life to Him, because it's what He deserves.

Also, there is much to be said for having joy in the LORD. He's much more than a hindrance, like an unwieldy parachute that can only be appreciated in light of the alternative. He deserves our praise, even when we're not thinking about what a close call we just had.

Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Romans 5
v.2
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
v.11
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 63:1
O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

There is real joy to be found in Jesus Christ, and it's a shame to hear the gospel message that belittles that fact, because face it: all any of us wants is to be happy. That's not wrong. It's normal. But we seek happiness from everything but God. We don't turn our desires over to Him, because we see Him as a big rulemaker who might zap you if you don't go to church. That's how I saw Him for years, anyway. I wish someone had told me the truth sooner.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.


I'm going to transcribe a hugh chunk from C.S. Lewis' work, because the man puts things in a way I never could:

If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our LORD finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

If there is one thing missing from evangelism today, I would proffer that it is accountability (new believers need to be connected with strong Christians to be accountable to the new life in Christ and to seek the Scriptures together. If not, people lose interest or use Christ), not fear. But this isn't my dissertation on modern outreach, it's simply my response to the message, so here it is, *she finished lamely*

~Gilwen

I read it! 3nodding Well spoken.

Yeah, although I think that is different from evangelism. That is discipleship which comes after a person accepts Christ. Accountability would do well to help reduce the amount of backsliding Christians; however, it isn't really a part of the evangelism process.

I do agree with the preacher that there is an increasing problem of people "accepting Christ" falsely. This can stem from both ends of the spectrum. As you said, it could be a problem if they simply wanted fire insurance, with no commitment. Also, it could be a problem if they simply wanted peace and joy, with no commitment. There needs to be a balance, in which the sinner is brought to realize his sin, then taught the promises of Scripture, and then discipled to keep the fire ablaze in his heart.

Yeah, there are surely several factors to this backsliding problem. Improper evangelism and lacking discipleship are part of the problem, and there are probably more factors that we haven't even realized...

domokun [This spot is for Sarah's overly long view,
after watching and going through every detail
of the site like a lonely only child with nothing
to do but sit in front of the screen...crap...heh thats me. ^-^;;;]
mrgreen ninja

6.32am to 6.35am*ish- Ok, I just watched about 3-4 minutes of the video, and it seems like something I would watch from church. The intro was pretty cool, and when I heard about the desision making and how many fully accepted desisions are actually made, I was suprised. I have to go to school, so I'm going to stop here. I'll start writing it out like journal enteries. As I watch, i'll start where I left off and then continue to watch, pause the video, and write down my thoughts on a sertain part, or just time it all and put in reviews.
Anyone know how long this thing is? I can't seem to find the timeing. ninja

Which is why I read the transcript, lol. No way I could focus on a speaker for that long while sitting at my computer. eek

Ray Comfort is awesome.

"I lived in a place that's off the coast of a little island called Australia..." xd

I think we had a discussion about him a while ago... but anyhow...

I think he's got some great points - and for a good number of them, they're Biblically based. I like that. biggrin