Quote:
Originally Posted by shazeep
See how it can play into one's ego to assure them that all they have to do is repeat after you down front, and get baptized, to be "accepted." They then become qualified to, essentially, look down their nose at all the "lost" people, which is--by their own admission (or lack thereof--inability to admit suffices!)--everyone who does not believe like they do.
It draws psychopaths. Which i hesitate to put it that way; psychopaths are rarely like ax murderers or anything, so let's just say the narcissistic ego-bound. It provides them false cover. Not that this happens every time by any means, but it is prevalent. It is also a great way to turn many of the rest, who were seekers after God, into dead people, who think they have found all the truth that they need, and are now just waiting to die and go to heaven, proclaiming "Ha, Glory!" like Fred Sanford's SIL, and "evangelizing" all the way.
So i will repeat a secret, that everyone knows; if you stop looking for sinners to help--which is a reflection of an attitude, a mindset--and focus on the good in someone, and encourage that, sinners will come looking for you. You will literally have to get in a boat and go fishing to get a break. It has been argued to me that pastors have a different, special mandate, but i think that reflects a mindset also, and is most likely self serving yack.
|
Honestly Shazeep, I say this without any intent to debate or argue or make some accusation... in pure honesty, I don't understand your points.
The bible is very clear that t he saved have no right to see themselves as "special" or better. So saved folk, following the mandate to evangelize cannot be conflated with considering ones self to be better. Those are two utterly different things.
It blows my mind that anyone would think that narcissism is somehow prevalent in evangelical circles... or are you only suggesting in OP circles?
You suggest that we stop "looking for sinners" and "go fish" in the same breath.
don't go and go? all in one breath?
I fail to understand you.
Paul commands me to not "think too highly of myself as God has dealt to all men the measure of salvation." I teach this. Salvation is no indication that one can use to say they are good.
I TEACH often that we don't put our lives together then go to God and show him how good we are. He is the creator of all good. He has no need of our "stuff". Rather, we go to God in ackowlegement of our brokenness.... and I am speaking of the saved and the unsaved. ALL have fallen...
None of that has anything whatsoever to do with seeking to save those that are lost. none of that is an injunction to not identify those that are in need of salvation.
Peter clearly preached on the day of Pentecost with ACCUSATION when he said these he was speaking to were guilty of killing Christ. And he went on to say "save yourselves".
Likewise Paul was clear on many occasions pointing out hypocrisy in the church, and who was lost and who needed to hear the gospel.
Now any time you have the saved pointing to the lost and attempting to scoreboard, there you have an issue that in deed needs to be dealt with.
but we aren't talking about that. We really don't understand each other.
Hybrid Mode
