Please Don't Try Jesus
- Why does the church lose so many "converts?"
- Why do some many "believers" never mature in their faith?
- Why all the terrible statistics about students walking away from their faith after high school?
- Why do missionaries see "conversions," yet don't the society change accordingly?
Could it be that our evangelism has become so consumer driven that we market Jesus? We encourage people to give Jesus a shot, try Him on for a while. We use things like Pascal's Gambit to present Jesus in a "what do you have to lose" fashion. Jesus become better than all options instead of the Only Option.
Can a person be a convert if they think Jesus can fit into their previous ways? Don't individual desires, passions, theories and ambitions need to die so that He may live within?
Perhaps a more Biblical presentation of the gospel includes this.
posted by danny2 @ 12:04 PM
10 Comments:
At 2:43 PM,
Charity said…
The really sad thing is: this phrase, which puts Jesus on the level with, say, a new snack food or skin care product, reveals a total lack of understanding as to who Jesus is. I guess this goes right along with the modern trend of Jesus the Therapist. (Why oh why can I never use that word without thinking of Sean Connery saying "I'll have 'The rapists' for 200, Alex"??)
At 3:08 PM,
danny2 said…
that may be the most diverse comment i've ever seen in my life:
beautiful theology
veiled smack on marketing
exposure of therapeutic trends in Christianity
all mixed with
saturday night live reference to sexual assault.
you are a complex and wonderful woman!
At 3:34 PM,
Gary McDuda said…
LOL!
I don't know if I want to meet you guys in real life or not.
You might be crazier than me!
At 4:38 PM,
Anonymous said…
BTW, Danny2 is in the Dayton area. Maybe we can work something out during your next visit.
However, I do have this fear of setting off some sort of spontaneous combustion. You guys may consist of two things that should never be mixed.
At 7:51 PM,
Gary McDuda said…
Yeah, I had already found it on the map. It's near Troy, where we almost always get to.
When you put it that way (spontaneous combustion) it kinda makes me want to try it...just to see what happens.
You wouldn't happen to be some sort of accelerant, would you?
:)
At 10:52 PM,
Gary Underwood said…
I see where you're coming from. I just hope you're not swinging the pendulum too far the other way.
Discipleship is a process that has a begining. That beginning is called "conversion." There's a fine line between talking about discipleship or talking about "Lordship salvation." Where are you at on that line?
At 10:53 PM,
Anonymous said…
Yup, I'm back. I just had a few thoughts about tonight's lesson. First off, I have a lot to work on. My friend always lectures me about how I need people and God to help me through my rough times, but I always tell him that I can do it myself if people would just mind their own business. That's not the attitude to have. I need God's help, but not so sure about the other people part. I haven't been reading my Bible lately, which as you pointed out tonight, that's not a very good plan. The Bible has everything I need to know, and even though I feel really stupid sometimes because I have no idea where anything is in it, I'm sure I'll stumble across it one way or another. Which is how I found most of my information on falling from your faith, and if you can think you are saved but may not be. Everything has it's time, and what you taught tonight, well, you said a lot of things tonight that I need to apply to my life. Thank you!
And some questions....1.)Where I can look to find things about the Pharasees? I completely spelled that wrong, but I don't even know who those people are. 2.)If we are not supposed to be angry at people, why can God be angry at us? and How are we supposed to let people know that they have hurt us if we can't be angry? 3.)I know that I'm trying too hard to have a relationship with Christ, so how can I not try so hard? I don't want to miss out on what everyone is talking about. I don't want my time to come and miss out on this great feeling that He is with them all the time.This great knowledge that he will never leave you and cares a lot, and will always listen. The great forgiveness he gives,and it seems like everyone has it but me!
At 7:13 AM,
danny2 said…
repentance does not mean perfection. as the piper article stated, repentance is actually a work that starts within the person that has visible effects on their living.
however, how does one even convert without repentance. "lordship salvation" (which i don't know anyone who uses that term, rather others apply that to third parties) seems to suggest that salvation is dependant upon changes of actions. i don't know anyone who loves grace that preaches that.
yet, if i do not become undone; if i still hold to believing i am good; if like gary mcduda stated a person once told him, "sure i'm a sinner, but i'm not THAT bad. i don't deserve to die;" have we even seen conversion? it appears to me that the Bible clearly states we must repent of our sin-filled life and trust Jesus Christ as our means of forgiveness alone.
my Savior is my Lord, and i don't know how it can work any other way. (though my life does not always reflect that.)
At 9:02 AM,
~~anna~~ said…
*Try Jesus* ~~When we were still living in the States, I remember seeing that sign posted on several lawns. While I appreciate the owners' attempts to get people to think about Jesus, there has to be a better way.
*Try Jesus*--if He doesn't fit, return Him? If you don't like the taste, spit Him out? If he doesn't mesh with your other thinking, dump Him? If He's not 'in' next month, give up and go to the next 'fad'?
That way one can say, "well I tried church, religion, Jesus, etc, but it just didn't make a big difference in my life. Oh well, I tried"
*Try Jesus*???? ...I don't think so.... Accept Jesus as your Saviour and let Him really work in your heart...definitely!
At 10:20 AM,
danny2 said…
anna,
good points. i would even go so far as to say "accept Jesus", while i understand what is meant by the term, may even be misleading.
accepting Jesus just seems to make Jesus a little too passive for my taste. as if He is in heaven, just waiting for my approval. i like "trust Jesus" much better because it seems to convey He has done the work, you need to rest your life on Him.
i'm probably being too picky at this point, but yes, "try Jesus" is definitely a poor alternative.
(i googled for the lawn signs that said "try Jesus" for the article and couldn't find any. maybe whoever put those together realized it wasn't the best idea after all.)
Post a Comment
<< Home