The French government has waged a campaign against counterfeit luxury items. Understandable as France is arguably the world's leader in cuisine, "haute couture," perfume...
Can you tell the difference?
Similarly, how might a person not well-versed in Scripture discern the difference between genuine and fake Christian spirituality?
If one's "testimony" to an unbeliever were, "Since I came to Jesus I don't drink, smoke, run 'round, ner swear." In this religiously plural world, the interlocutor might wonder, "Ok, is this person a) a Mormon ? b) Jehovah's Witness ? c) Muslim ? d) Fundamentalist ? e) all of the above?!
The French Evangelical Alliance's “Gospel and Culture” group’s third navigational principle for churches attempting to be fully Biblical and full witnesses in this perpetually fluctuating world (see previous entries for others) is "truth and coherence." (From David Brown, Servir à nos Français, 249-251.)
As the church engages the world she must resist "conformism." In John 17 Jesus expressed his desire for believers to be in the world (in order to pursue a salt, leaven and light, strategy of permeation) and to be pure and reserved for sacred use thanks to the truth of the Word. Jesus did not pray for us to choose between the two, he prayed that both would happen simultaneously.
Simultaneous contrast of the Hermann grid — Ludimar Hermann (1870)
"A major part of the work of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, is therefore to give form to the 'reality' [the Truth of God's eternal story] by providing a concrete expression of its existence and that through the life of its members" (Brown, 250).
One way to state this is found in the Charis Commitment to Common Mission: (http://www.gbim.org/about-us/commitment-to-common-mission). In the section entitled "Integrated Ministries" we read:
We affirm that God has created human beings with
physical, emotional and spiritual needs and that the
Church expresses the compassion of Christ in
proclaiming the Gospel while caring for various needs
of mankind.
We call upon the Church to bless believers, strengthen
churches and reach the lost by showing the works
which reflect true faith (Jam 2.26):
· Assisting those in need,
· Promoting economic, family, and personal
development…
Attempting to "walk the talk" often feels like…
Or as the old urban saying went, "walk the talk."
Why? Because that is truly following Jesus.
And because people are concerned about being duped; they are afraid of counterfeits: fake luxury items, fake religion.
true or false?
I was in a couple of 100% Christian meetings this month where I wonder what an unbelieving "fly on the wall" would have concluded about our collective relationship to Jesus, in light of the Master's words, "by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." A sobering reality.
Is my life, are our relationships one believer with another, coherent with the Truth we proclaim?
So the Gospel and Culture group encourages experimentation saying that "a humble attitude but with confidence seems to be the order of the day" as the church attempts to live out the truth coherently, to be Good News in a world that is confusing to both believers and unbelievers alike.
2 comments:
Paul and others, you gave us a lot to think and pray about. We think you are all on the right track! Be bold and honest! We will try to be more realistic too when sharing with unbelievers.
Love in Christ,
Thanks "anonymous" for the encouragement!
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