Saved Part II

I wondered last night after I posted SAVED, if I would be offensive to some. It is not my intent. If you are Baptist and that is your walk, I have no issue with your walk. I believe that both walks, Time & Date and Always Accepted, are both valid. My issues come about when others persist that there walk is the only valid way, and they quote some scripture to "try" and prove their point.

By the way, Always Accepted (in my words) means that you grew up knowning Jesus Christ. You knew he was the Savour, Son of God, Light of the World, so on and so on. You didn't have to be convinced at a later time. And over time you internalize this knowledge as truth. You may make a profession of faith statement at confirmation or through baptismal or some other means. As opposed to Santa, who you grew up as a child believing in, but later found out was not real and rejected that previous knowledge (although you secretly wish he WERE real to keep on getting those gifts!).

I was affirmed somewhat today when the first couple of people in the Study came in and they were not liking what they had read. This form of evangelism, where you go up to people and ask about their relationship with Jesus Christ, is a turn off for them as they have had people approach them in this manner. At times it can be offensive. The temperature of this group is one where we demonstrate Christ to others through our lives, actions, outreach, or some other means, and not the overly overt method implied by this study. It may just be what we are comfortable with. We also try and be as authentic as we can, and for outsiders may not look like quote "Christians" overall, but that view is a bad distortion of what Christianity is supposed to look like anyway. Plastic smiles and three piece suits do not a christian make.

So I had to begin the lesson by disclaimer. That both walks are equally valid depending on where you are in life. There is certainly some good to come out of introducing people to Jesus the Christ, there are just differences in how we wish to do this. Some folks were threatening that they would not come to this study if it was going right by the book. I assured them we were not, but we would explore the meaning of Evangelism in the process. It was a lively discussion. I also promised I would preview future studies in the past before signing on to one the church suggests. I should have known better as my church's latest attempts at ministering to the people have failed miserably. But I'm an optimist, damnit.

There are one or two people in this group who came to Christ by being introduced to him by someone else and having the Time & Date moment. I do not wish to minimize their experience. Nor do I like for my experience to be minimized either. The rest of us are still having those moments, where we try and place Jesus where he needs to be daily, as so well put by Endlessly Restless in the comments on the first Saved.

So if you feel compelled to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone, please check your approach to people. It would be worse to turn them completely off than to show them Christ by your very being. And to be fair to Bill Hybels, he does use this modified approach, that if the person isn't interested he backs off - but his motive is still there and he just tries another way. Very persistent.

One day I'll blog about the verse in John "the only way to the Father is by me...". Whew, thats a fun one to debate with fundamentalists.

Saved

This topic bothers me. Constantly. I'm not Saved. There, I said it. The truth is out. I have never been saved. Never said the prayer of salvation or four spiritual laws of this or that or read Romans with any conviction whatsoever. Never, never, never.

I have never had a conversion moment. I don't have a day and time where I asked Jesus into my heart. Don't have a moment where I went down to the front of a church and cried on some pastors shoulder and he gets to score another one in the column for souls saved for Jesus. My fundamentalist friends are sure I am going to hell. They say this is the formula. You must accept Jesus into your heart and make him Lord of your life...blah blah blah.

But how can I accept Jesus if I have never Not Accepted Him to begin with? I mean, its like not accepting the air that I breathe. Is that possible? I grew up in a christian home, went to church and sunday school and youth and camps and stuff from infancy to present. Knew about Jesus my whole life. Figured he is part of the family. Pray, listen, led by His prompting, followed the teachings, etc. What's left? So how does one who has always Accepted Jesus, Accept Jesus again to get saved? Its a strange concept to me. I have friends who did not grow up going to church or in a christian home and never really heard about Jesus and later in life was introduced to Him and accepted him then, but that seems to be a totally different thing.

I was at a conference once where the speaker asked the attendees who had a Date and Time experience when they accepted Jesus and who always knew Jesus. It was about 50/50. So I'm trying to figure out why my some folks put so much emphasis on "being saved". Is it purely a denominational thing? Do Baptists follow some pattern that they see being emulated before them in their worship structure. They are the predominate denomination who seems to require this Time and Date thing. I have been told recently that my salvation hangs in the balance because I have not really been saved if I don't have the time and date thing.

Now if you know me or have been reading my blog for a while, you know how I feel about this. Its a bunch of bunk. If someone feels that the process is the important thing, following the right set of rules, then more power to them. I guess I wasn't baptised correctly either. Somehow I have done Christianity all wrong. My theology is wrong. Just living a christian life isn't good enough without the right formulas.

Whats brining this on is that I agreed to teach a study over Bill Hybels book "Just Walk Across the Room". I was warned it is a bit evangelical, but that there is good stuff to be taken from the study. I read the first 2 chapters and reviewed the DVD and its about taking the time to lead someone to Christ, which isn't bad in and of itself, its just the motive. ITS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BRING PEOPLE TO CHRIST AND THE WAY TO DO IT IS TO ASK THEM ABOUT JESUS IN THEIR LIFE AND GET THEM TO ACCEPT HIM AND RECITE THE PRAYER OF SALVATION AND .... Argh@#$%!

I guess I suck at evangelism. I am more in tune with St. Francis of Assisi, paraphrased here "preach the gospel, use words only if you have to." I don't feel it necessary to ask people if they know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savour, cause 1. if they don't they'll think you a nut job cause that terminology makes no sense to non-believers or 2. yeah they do and why is this nut job asking me this? I have had more conversations with people about Jesus and Christianity and changed their worldly walk, and guess what? not once did I bring it up. They come to me. They ask me about my life, walk, whatever and it turns to that. Some start going to church and some stick out their marriages and some say thanks and keep on going... but not once have I felt compelled to say a prayer of salvation with them. If they want to do that its fine with me. That is their personal journey, their faith walk, between them and God. I'm just a middle man.

But my fundamentalist friends persist. They insist they will save me yet. I told 'em someone did that for me over 2000 years ago. If they can top that, more power to 'em.