Yes, the tittle is correct, The modern American Evangelic Culture MUST die a Fiery death... Only to be born again into what the apostles and early christians were.
Nowadays, the Evangelic Culture permates most of our churches, wether Baptist or Lutheran, Reformed or Not, Pentecostal or Methodist, we have a "Live and let live" approach to life. We have a "Believe as you wish" type of mentality, but is that what the Gospel wants us to do? Should we go to everyone and proclaim the gospel at all times?
Christians today dont want to make it unconfortable, dont want to be seen as pushy or against diversity, neither we want to be called intolerant, we Christians today worry too much about what the world will say, but at the end "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
May God bless y'all
Nowadays, the Evangelic Culture permates most of our churches, wether Baptist or Lutheran, Reformed or Not, Pentecostal or Methodist, we have a "Live and let live" approach to life. We have a "Believe as you wish" type of mentality, but is that what the Gospel wants us to do? Should we go to everyone and proclaim the gospel at all times?
Think of This, We believe in God, in 3 persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we believe in Christ's death and resurrection, we believe that he atoned for our sins, that through faith in Christ we are saved, not through works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Now, if someone were not belive this, What would it mean for us? Well, it would mean that they, unluckly, have rejected the gift of salvation... they have rejected eternal life. I wondered this week then, what should we do then, when we either know someone who rejects this gospel, and thus has gone after another (Galatians 1), or flat out rejected God altogher? well, my answer came into the form of scripture, like we should always seek to recieve knowledge and wisdom from God. The verse in question is 1 Peter 3:15
"But in your hearts honor Christ The Lord as Holy,
always being prepared to make a defense
to anyone who asks you a reason
for the hope that is in you;
yet do it with gentleness and respect."
When I read this passage i immediatly realized something: Us Christians are not living like this, we are living and believeing "Just because" and paying 0 attention to Matthew 28:19-20:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
And teaching them to observe all that i've commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of time."
What then? should we go around telling everyone they're going to hell, throwing bible verses and some biological facts that refute evolution according to Darwin's own criteria? BY NO MEANS! The first part of the verse is key, we are called to put the Lord first, that means remembering that we should do it "Loving God and loving our neighboor with all our heart, soul and strength" which are the 2 greatst commandments. It means talking to your Mormon, Atheist, or JW friends with kidness and genuine compassion and love, However, it DOES NOT mean "living and letting live" which is really "Knowing truth, and allowing other to be lost"
When a Christian bites into the belief that they should leave non believers alone, we are accepting that not offending them and not making it unconfortable is preferrable over saving their souls. Jesus calls EVERYONE to be a disciple maker, after all, that is the last thing he did before being raised into heaven. once it was the right time, once he knew that the disciples were up to the task, he layed unto them and left. YES, some are called to be apostles, some to be evangelists, and some to be teacher and pastors (Ephesians 4:11-16). This doesnt mean you can lay back, go to church and do nothing. It means that some will be involved in teaching full time, some will study to become great pastors, some will dedicate their careers to go and evangelize, but all of us can help a brother. All of us have our duty, to love God enough, and to love the lost sheep enough, as to go up to them and lovingly share with them the gospel.
Maybe you call is to go minister to Mormons outside the temple every time there's an event, sharing with them the Word of God and full on use the sword that is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17) going and making it your way of life, streaming the encounters and building a community of apologists and making that your life, however maybe it means for you to take the time to invite in those mormon missionaries who knocked your door and share with them Jeremiah 17:9, Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, 44:8, John 1:1-3 & 14, Colossians 1:16, and more. Maybe it means to stop for a moment and talk to that Jehova Witness who is giving out bookless down the street and share with him John 1:1-3 & 14 and John 8:48. Maybe being ready to give a case for Christ and go make disciples is go up to the atheist, and ask him how an uncaused universe can exist, when the laws of thermodynamics says that matter cant be created or destroyed, and that nothing can happen without a cause, or how do they explain evolutionary leaps like the bacterial flagellum, and so on and so forth. I guess you get the point now, fulfilling Matthew 28:19-20 and 1 Peter 3:15 does not require you to become a full time apologist/missionary.
This culture of "You do You" and not bothering, saying "well my belief is.... and yours is... so lets agree to disagree" and statements alike, ARE NOT what we are called to do as christian. Again, your case making can be super casual and just planting question in the atheist, or planting contradictions to a mormon, but we are called to do it.
When a Christian bites into the belief that they should leave non believers alone, we are accepting that not offending them and not making it unconfortable is preferrable over saving their souls. Jesus calls EVERYONE to be a disciple maker, after all, that is the last thing he did before being raised into heaven. once it was the right time, once he knew that the disciples were up to the task, he layed unto them and left. YES, some are called to be apostles, some to be evangelists, and some to be teacher and pastors (Ephesians 4:11-16). This doesnt mean you can lay back, go to church and do nothing. It means that some will be involved in teaching full time, some will study to become great pastors, some will dedicate their careers to go and evangelize, but all of us can help a brother. All of us have our duty, to love God enough, and to love the lost sheep enough, as to go up to them and lovingly share with them the gospel.
Maybe you call is to go minister to Mormons outside the temple every time there's an event, sharing with them the Word of God and full on use the sword that is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17) going and making it your way of life, streaming the encounters and building a community of apologists and making that your life, however maybe it means for you to take the time to invite in those mormon missionaries who knocked your door and share with them Jeremiah 17:9, Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, 44:8, John 1:1-3 & 14, Colossians 1:16, and more. Maybe it means to stop for a moment and talk to that Jehova Witness who is giving out bookless down the street and share with him John 1:1-3 & 14 and John 8:48. Maybe being ready to give a case for Christ and go make disciples is go up to the atheist, and ask him how an uncaused universe can exist, when the laws of thermodynamics says that matter cant be created or destroyed, and that nothing can happen without a cause, or how do they explain evolutionary leaps like the bacterial flagellum, and so on and so forth. I guess you get the point now, fulfilling Matthew 28:19-20 and 1 Peter 3:15 does not require you to become a full time apologist/missionary.
This culture of "You do You" and not bothering, saying "well my belief is.... and yours is... so lets agree to disagree" and statements alike, ARE NOT what we are called to do as christian. Again, your case making can be super casual and just planting question in the atheist, or planting contradictions to a mormon, but we are called to do it.
Lets learn from Jesus and Paul, shall we?
What did Jesus do when he got into the temple and saw the Jews buying and selling to offer animals at the altar? did he quietly told them that that had past? that it was not the point of the law? No, He called them (and rightly so) thiefs, robbers, flipped the tables but he did this with a purpose and backed by scripture.
IT IS OK TO ARGUE WITH THE NONBELIEVER if we do it from a point of respect, but it proves that if it comes to that to convience people, we should be up to it. (Matthew 12)
Second, we have the story of Paul, a recent convert to christianity, who boldly entered the synagogue during the service, and reasoned (argued) with the Jews there for 3 months... that means that Paul entered a place of worship for 12 saturdays in a row, and there he boldly, not quietly, not in a shy manner, hijacked the normal worship schedule, and preached that they were wrong, that Jesus was the messiah, that they beliefs were no longer correct, that they were missinterpreting the scriptures and that they needed to repent and follow him who died on a tree (a curse according to Jewish law). Paul did that so much, that some turned to Christ, but some started riots because of him and swore to kill him.
What did Jesus do when he got into the temple and saw the Jews buying and selling to offer animals at the altar? did he quietly told them that that had past? that it was not the point of the law? No, He called them (and rightly so) thiefs, robbers, flipped the tables but he did this with a purpose and backed by scripture.
IT IS OK TO ARGUE WITH THE NONBELIEVER if we do it from a point of respect, but it proves that if it comes to that to convience people, we should be up to it. (Matthew 12)
Second, we have the story of Paul, a recent convert to christianity, who boldly entered the synagogue during the service, and reasoned (argued) with the Jews there for 3 months... that means that Paul entered a place of worship for 12 saturdays in a row, and there he boldly, not quietly, not in a shy manner, hijacked the normal worship schedule, and preached that they were wrong, that Jesus was the messiah, that they beliefs were no longer correct, that they were missinterpreting the scriptures and that they needed to repent and follow him who died on a tree (a curse according to Jewish law). Paul did that so much, that some turned to Christ, but some started riots because of him and swore to kill him.
That kind of boldness is why the church (body of Christ) added hundred of new brother every day, although there were only around a couple of dozens of christians at first.
Christians today dont want to make it unconfortable, dont want to be seen as pushy or against diversity, neither we want to be called intolerant, we Christians today worry too much about what the world will say, but at the end "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
But Christians should be highly intolerant yes, intolerant to the Devil, intolerant of allowing a brother to be lost to him, intolerant of allowing confort go before saving someone's soul.
However, we still have to be respectful and loving, but not permissive and passive.
However, we still have to be respectful and loving, but not permissive and passive.
May God bless y'all
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