Tag Archives: evangelism

Unity: “To be in Harmony and in Agreement”

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

This comes in the middle of the Lord’s prayer . . . in the garden of Gethsemane. The part most of my pastors have focused on is where he prays for unity. I’ve seen plenty of churches’ pastoral staff water down the truth and ignore doctrinal disunity in the name of unity. We seem to think being one means ‘the more the merrier!” Uh, no, it means those who are in your pews being of one mind and in one accord. We can’t have that unless everyone in the local body is functioning together, each using their individual gifts and natural abilities towards the same goals, which should include, biblically, for us all to grow to be more like Christ and worshiping him in Spirit and in Truth.

I think part of this comes from a common misunderstanding that the Church is all about making spiritual babies. No, evangelism is all about making babies, and for that Jesus sent his disciples out from where he gathered them together to teach them. Did he stop others who didn’t follow him from showing up when he sat down to teach his own? No, but he didn’t modify his message to appeal to them, he kept his focus on the spiritual babies he already had in his care to raise. In fact, he deliberately spoke in confusing parables when the crowds gathered around–exact opposite of what many churches do today.

Maybe that’s why we’re growing fat in numbers, but most of us aren’t growing up in the Lord, but rather still messing in our diapers. Brothers and sisters, on the judgment day, God’s not going to be counting how many babies we made and left to spiritually starve while we were busy focusing on making more. He’s going to be counting how many members of our churches grew up to full maturity and produced the spiritual fruits: love, joy, peace, goodness, gentleness, etc.

If you’re called to be a pastor or a teacher, your primary job isn’t to make new disciples. Your primary job is to train your existing disciples with the preaching of God’s word, to be their human coach as the grace of God flows through you to change those he’s already entrusted to you from sinners into saints. If you truly feel God’s call to be a full time evangelist, and you’re holding a pastoral or teaching position in (or out of) a church,  step aside so someone can raise your babies properly and take your good news out to the folks it is intended for, by any means but making everyone eat an exclusive diet of gospel-seed and milk.

If you’re laity, and you wish your leaders would read this, or you know you are not a doctrinal good fit within your local body, don’t wait for them to see things your way or to start feeding you properly and don’t ignore the disunity. Go find a church properly focused on discipleship who you feel you can trust to teach you right, if you’re sure it’s  your current body that’s in error and not you.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Gospel, Prayer and Devotions

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Are you a citizen of Israel, or a Gentile foreigner?

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” (Ephesians 2:19)

If you’re a Christian and you weren’t born Jewish, you’ve probably been told at some point that you’re a gentile. By birth, that is true. But you’re also a naturalized citizen of Spiritual Israel, aka the Kingdom of God. We have equal rights with the other spiritual heirs of Abraham, Issac and Jacob–while those with the physical bloodline are cut off from Israel if they’ve rejected Israel’s king (Jesus) and hence themselves renounced their citizenship.  We should of course still love, treat kindly and respectfully, and pray for the siblings who have disowned our eldest brother (Jesus) and deserted the family, but we do need to recognize the sad state of their relationship with Christ, the God of the bible, and hence also with us even as we long for their reconciliation.

We should be humble about it, as Paul says elsewhere. We’re also capable of being complete fools, renouncing our citizenship in Heaven, and disowning our spiritual family as well. But we are no longer gentiles, we are God’s adopted children, and adopted citizens of God’s nation, and God’s nation was always, is still, and always will be Israel. That’s why Christians from ancient times have felt a tie to the physical land both promised and given to our spiritual ancestors.

But our greatest promised land is the coming new heaven and new earth and the new Jerusalem Christ shall reign from.

Lord, we thank you for your finished work on the cross, reconciling your people to you and to each other. We thank you for adopting us and giving us an inheritance along side our brothers in the Kingdom. We pray for those who have departed from you and your household by rejecting the Firstborn, only begotten son, our eldest brother, Jesus. Reach out to the today, righteous father, with your loving hands and draw them (back) to the savior. Release our captive siblings from the chains of our enemies–and us where we are bound. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

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Easter Basics: Facing the Cross of Christ.

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

In context, if I understand correctly, Peter tells us in verses 13-25:

  • Obey the local, state, and federal government, and the leadership of any other institution you may belong to, attend, work for, or serve under.
  • This is God’s will because it silences the historical objection to Christians’ assertion that Jesus is Lord. Based on the the Emperor of Rome’s assertion that he is Lord, non-Christians of the day felt to be a Christian was to be a treasonous lawbreaker. Obeying the secular law silences that argument and any similar modern criticisms. (Interestingly, the apostles  did defy any civil regulation deliberately designed to hinder their god-given call to spread of the gospel.)
  • Obey God as Lord also. We are free in Christ, but must not use our freedom from sin to sin.
  • Respect everyone, believer or not, and love all Christians.
  • Employees, respect and obey your employers even if your employers treat you unfairly.
  • Do this because you only spiritually benefit and please God if you are punished unfairly or otherwise suffer unjustly.
  • We are called to suffer for Christ because he suffered for us; i.e. being his disciple requires we take up the cross and follow him.
  • Seek to follow also his example of not sinning or deceiving others, not returning verbal abuse with verbal abuse or threatening others, but trusting God to judge justly.
  • It is possible for us to die to sin like this and become righteous because he bore our sins on the cross and suffered the penalty in his own body. By his wounds, we have been cured of our straying and have been returned to proper relationship with God, like sheep with our shepherd.

Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you for freeing us from the bondage of sin and death and the lies of the evil one. Strengthen us in our resolve not to sin against you, give us quiet, gentle spirits that respect all people and honor civil authorities, our employers, etc. even when the unbelievers are not treating us fairly in return.  Grant us also the strength and wisdom to resist the temptation to enable sinful, unjust behavior  in Christian leaders, but hold them to account for blaspheming you by their actions. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in abuse, Bible and Theology, Gospel, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness, Suffering

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Pray for Authorities, God’s people, and the Lost

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

The context of this verse says, if I understand Paul’s complex sentence structures correctly is:

  • Pray for all people, including all government and authority figures
  • Pray that those in authority would allow God’s people to live peaceful, dignified lives (i.e. free of persecution)
  • It is also good to pray for those who don’t know Christ that they might be saved because God desires all know Him and the Truth
  • It is also good to pray this because the Lord is the only God and Jesus Christ gave himself to ransom all humanity and is the only mediator able to reconcile God to man (I.E. able to restore us to Paradise)
  • But actually give this testimony only at the proper time.

Paul doesn’t actually tell us out right when exactly the proper time is, at least in this chapter as far as I can tell. Reason would suggest the proper time is when our prayers have softened their hearts’s soil enough to receive the seed of faith we plant. Another scripture, “have an answer ready for the hope that is within you” suggests we’ll know for sure their hearts are ready when they ask us. Short of that, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, we pray for our governing authorities today and for all persons in positions to discriminate against Christians and make it difficult for us, in our nations as well as in lands where our brothers and sisters are dying rather than deny you. Change their hearts, oh Lord, so we might live in peace with the same dignity that they profess they want to ensure everyone enjoys.  Soften their hearts and the hearts of all those who do not know you, that they might be convicted of the truth, and ready to hear and receive our continued testimony that Christ died for all and only he can save us from our sin and make us pure enough to return to the Paradise we long for, which is found in your kingdom. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Gospel, Post-Modernism, Prayer and Devotions

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