Vagabonds
Overall, I thought this was a fairly good chapter. I'm just gonna skip around here with my thoughts.
I wholeheartedly agree with James' assessment on page 110. "Jesus approached evangelism quite differently than most churches today. Too many 21st century churches treat sharing Jesus' story like a marketing campaign. They try to make Christianity seem as appealing, plausible, relevant and easy to digest as possible by emphasizing the benefits of belief." Amen to that. It's called, 'let's appeal to the felt needs of the masses.' We need to make people 'feel good' about themselves and about God. That is, if there is even any talk about God. And certainly, we can't mention sin or the depraved condition of the heart, or conviction, or repentance. Wouldn't want to crush anyone's self-esteem.
Unfortunately, on page 108 the same old tired argument is posited once again - "Jesus is in the business of pursuing the lost but not of dragging them kicking and screaming into the kingdom. He never forced Himself on anyone. He simply invites and lets us decided if we'll hang back or follow Him." Seriously, does anyone know even one Christian who is one begrudgingly? Are they PO'd about being saved? Complaining? Kicking? Screaming? I don't know where James, and so many others, get such a ridiculous idea. It's completely unbiblical. And please, someone show me where in Scripture it even hints of Jesus simply iniviting someone and then waiting for them to "decide." Didn't happen with Abraham or Moses or Jeremiah or Paul, or any number of others. God sets His affections upon whomever He wishes, He calls them, reveals Himself - His wonder, His beauty, His glory - and people follow Him. God changes peoples' hearts and enables them to see Him. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26
Now this - this is good stuff - Page 112, "...I discovered that following Jesus will cost me my pride, my ego, my rationalizations, my illusions, my demands, and my rights." He nailed that one. It was a revelation (to me, anyway) that none of this is about ME. It simply is not. When God began to show me, two years ago, who He was, it changed my core beliefs. HE changed my core beliefs. He opened my (spiritual) eyes to exactly who He was and who I was in relation to Him.
And finally, James' question, "Am I really a follower of Jesus, or am I just an admirer?" is a very valid question upon which to ponder. Paul admonishes us in 2 Cor 13:5 to "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!" If I am truly a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ, then I should be constantly examining myself - my heart, my motives, my faith, my thoughts, my relationship with Him. I must view this world and the things in it in light of Scripture. I must apply godly wisdom (Jas 1:5) and discernment when filtering any teachings I encounter - which explains why I'm not overly enamored with this book. While there are insights that are rooted in Scripture, there are still a number of things that are not.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. Col 2:8
I wholeheartedly agree with James' assessment on page 110. "Jesus approached evangelism quite differently than most churches today. Too many 21st century churches treat sharing Jesus' story like a marketing campaign. They try to make Christianity seem as appealing, plausible, relevant and easy to digest as possible by emphasizing the benefits of belief." Amen to that. It's called, 'let's appeal to the felt needs of the masses.' We need to make people 'feel good' about themselves and about God. That is, if there is even any talk about God. And certainly, we can't mention sin or the depraved condition of the heart, or conviction, or repentance. Wouldn't want to crush anyone's self-esteem.
Unfortunately, on page 108 the same old tired argument is posited once again - "Jesus is in the business of pursuing the lost but not of dragging them kicking and screaming into the kingdom. He never forced Himself on anyone. He simply invites and lets us decided if we'll hang back or follow Him." Seriously, does anyone know even one Christian who is one begrudgingly? Are they PO'd about being saved? Complaining? Kicking? Screaming? I don't know where James, and so many others, get such a ridiculous idea. It's completely unbiblical. And please, someone show me where in Scripture it even hints of Jesus simply iniviting someone and then waiting for them to "decide." Didn't happen with Abraham or Moses or Jeremiah or Paul, or any number of others. God sets His affections upon whomever He wishes, He calls them, reveals Himself - His wonder, His beauty, His glory - and people follow Him. God changes peoples' hearts and enables them to see Him. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26
Now this - this is good stuff - Page 112, "...I discovered that following Jesus will cost me my pride, my ego, my rationalizations, my illusions, my demands, and my rights." He nailed that one. It was a revelation (to me, anyway) that none of this is about ME. It simply is not. When God began to show me, two years ago, who He was, it changed my core beliefs. HE changed my core beliefs. He opened my (spiritual) eyes to exactly who He was and who I was in relation to Him.
And finally, James' question, "Am I really a follower of Jesus, or am I just an admirer?" is a very valid question upon which to ponder. Paul admonishes us in 2 Cor 13:5 to "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!" If I am truly a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ, then I should be constantly examining myself - my heart, my motives, my faith, my thoughts, my relationship with Him. I must view this world and the things in it in light of Scripture. I must apply godly wisdom (Jas 1:5) and discernment when filtering any teachings I encounter - which explains why I'm not overly enamored with this book. While there are insights that are rooted in Scripture, there are still a number of things that are not.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. Col 2:8
posted by Anonymous at
11:00 AM
3 Comments:
An excellent post, Gayla.
There is a HUGE difference in how Christ is presented today from "yesterday". We have gotten away from showing people their need to be convicted of their sin. Very little is preached anymore on peoples sin issue and their need for a Savior. I believe that is one reason so many people get "saved" but then turn and walk away. They were really never saved (a whole different discussion). It's our sin which needs to be addressed so we can enter in the presence of our Almighty and HOLY God!
By
Pilot Mom, at 11:27 AM
Right on the button again Pilot Mom.
Nobody talks about sin anymore - it seems to be the taboo subject and yet we need to be convicted of our sinful ways every day - conviction yes; condemnation no!
And Gayla, I just love your use of Col 2:8 - far too often we deceive ourselves because we allow ourselves to be misled by man's philosophy and we don't share Christ with a world that has been drawn away from the Truth.
By
Dave., at 4:57 PM
I loved that part about what it cost to follow Jesus. Man, did that sum up MY life, too!
I also thought of that same part of scripture when he talked about whether we were followers or admirers. It popped right up in my head. Well, what do you know. It's starting to sink in!
By
HeyJules, at 7:58 PM
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