Tomorrow we are hosting a conference for pastors and lay leaders called Spring Training for the Heart. I think it will be a pretty interesting conference. Reggie McNeal, who is the main speaker, has written three books. In one book, The Present Future, he writes that "Church people still think that secularism holds sway and that people outside the church have trouble connecting to God. The problem is that when people come to church, expecting to find God, they often encounter a religious club holding a meeting where God is conspicuously absent" (59).
I believe one of the main problems people have with God today is that they don't see Him at work in the "average" Christian. What do you think?
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2 comments:
Jon,
This is a good question--however, what do you consider an "average Christian"? Is there such a thing?
That was an interesting quote in the post---some stats for thought:
*The divorce rate is the same among "churched" couples as "non-churched".
*Pornography is just as prevalent and insidious in the Church as it is outside the church.
*A recent statistic concluded that if "Christians" were honest on their yearly taxes it would make up a 90 billion dollar difference.
I am afraid that our evangelistic efforts are in vain if our purpose is to be like the world. Jesus first came to this world b/c it was the will of his Father. Jesus was obedient to his Father and let his ministry be an outworking of that power. What a beautiful model for Christians today--to not only evangelize, but to offer the message of hope beyond the mundane, beyond pain, beyond pleasure (Chesterton says that the world isn't weary from pain, but from pleasure).
I recently recall watching a sporting event where the crowd exceeded 60,000 people. I remember thinking that there are so many differences among those people, but if someone walked out on a microphone and said, "Life is difficult", then there would be mutual agreement and understanding among all 60,000+ people. G. K. Chesterton also remarked, "When frustrations of this world encounter us, the tendency is to turn away from God--but in heaven's name to what?" (Paraphrase)
Why am I saying this? Because there is a profound need for Jesus, and people don't need to see that we are like them, they need to see that we are like God!
I love the testimony of Josh McDowell, a Mecca of apologetic data, philosophical insight, and Christian zeal. However, in his testimony he states that he came to Christ by seeing that his alcoholic father, who had drank his entire life, was able to put away alcohol forever and truly transform his actions, his demeanor, and his thinking. Many in his small town were saved because of the work of God that was evident in his life. Josh McDowell has the capacity to argue any anti-theistic sentiment with profound expertise...but ultimately, his life was changed because he saw that God could change a heart--what a miracle. What a witness.
Jon, love ya bro, enjoy reading your blogs as well as Jason’s.
KB
Personal testimony and experience can't be argued. The greatest witness someone will ever see is a transformed life. What percentage of Christians actually have one?
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