I was starting to get my head around last weeks teaching, and more than ready to go to India, adventure, being back on the road again, being active and outward looking, not being sat on my arse and looking at my belly button.
The weeks teacher was different from the rest he made Jon look timid, he was simply a bulldozer for Christ, in many ways how you imagine Paul to have been. He had an arrogant streak and something about him made you want to be a smart arse but you could help but respect him, he spoke the truth, the bottom line and challenged you on a point blank about your faith and what you were doing for Christ.
90% of evangelicals will never bring anyone to Christ in their lifetime, why do we call ourselves evangelicals then? if you claim to live in him you must walk as jesus did. If your favourite shop had a 90% sale on would you not phone everyone in your mobile address list? if you knew there was a bomb in a buliding would you not go and tell everyone? When you receive good news do you not go and tell everyone you know? if you love someone don't you want them to have the best things you discover? why can we evangelise about an amazing restaurant or new flavor of ice-cream but we are scared of being thought wierd and rejected over jesus, your saviour, your relationship with god, the peace of the holy spirit!?
Before you run off to to evangelise, what is a christian? and what are the top world view questions? who am I? What does it mean to be human? why does god allow suffering, evil etc? What am I here for? what is the nature of the world - Cause and effect, what happened to it? what can be done about it? how to cope - issue of salvation? And what do we say back....god loves you and has a plan for you...and man is sinful and separated from god, you can receive him and experience god. It may be true but it doesn't answer a single one of their questions, its simply an 'agree to this and say the prayer and your 'in'' mentality.
Easy believism: 'jesus is here to make your life better' coming from a humanistic attitude. jesus is not a self improvement seminar. Its not all about you its about God! Why dont we talk about creation, the fall or what living in a fallen world means, we dont ever explain that sin gives authority to Satan, (are we simply scared of sounding like a nutter by mentioning the devil?) The cross was gods price, in giving free will to man, he knew that could mean giving his son and why? because the wages of sin are death. An what is our price? Giving your life to Jesus to be in relationship with god. you were created to be in relation with him and bring others to know him.
We all know the verse 'for god so loved the world he gave his only son so that all who believed in him may not die but have eternal life'. Well eternal life is not about living forever, its knowing the only true god and Jesus Christ and when it talks about the 'lost' it refers to those who dont know god. Sin is broken relationship with god, living separated from the original purpose that god has for you.
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Rom 1v16)
