Showing posts with label Emerging Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emerging Church. Show all posts

Monday, May 12, 2008

Imagine there's no Heaven


Imagine there’s no heaven

I was fortune to hear a replay of John Lennon’s final interview before his tragic and senseless death. They asked him something like, “do you really mean to say there’s no heaven?”

To which John Lennon replied, “I didn’t say there was no heaven. I just wanted people think about the possibility.”

This reminds me of some of the fruitless questions that people from the Emergent Stream are asking during their Conversations, and then passing themselves off as profoundly spiritual. First of all, questions never make you wise. Just because you can ask questions that can’t be answered, doesn’t make sagacious – any 2 year old can ask questions that can’t be answered. Secondly, wisdom does not come from continuously questioning truth and reason; instead wisdom comes from believing and understanding the truth. The problem with many people is that they never find the answers to their questions – so they never become wise, and they fail to find the true and living God.

Does it matter that they don’t find the answers to their questions? Yes. God enlightens the mind and the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. You can get the answers you need.
My brothers, find the truth. Don't ask fruitless and pointless questions, that only lead to unbelief.
In God's Service,
John Wheeler

Monday, May 5, 2008

Being Missional

“Give me souls or I die!”
Unknown

I’ve been reading everything that I could get to on Post-Modernism, The Emerging Church, and the idea of being missional. I think all of each of these ideas have merit, and they each have some places where people have aligned themselves with the idea and gotten into some heritical belief system. I especially like the idea of being a missional church. From the little I know of the concept, I think it’s a great idea and will bring us closer to being the church that Jesus intends us to be. However, I don’t think any of these ideas by themselves (or even in concert) will bring about the revival we need in America.

I firmly believe that America will continue to spiritually decline as long as we Christians allow it to.

Okay, I’m going to say it again so that we hear it – People will continue to dishonor God and go to hell as long as we allow it. We need to remember that the Saviors name is not Obama, not Hillary, and not McCain – the Saviors name is JESUS, and we are the ones that he commissioned to bring the gospel of Christ to a lost and dying world.

People don’t usually come to Christ without some Christian praying fervently for them, and sharing the good news. Rarely do people come to Christ by themselves.

When someone comes to Christ there are usually 3 agents, (although there can be only 2), and 1 tool. The 3 agents are: The Holy Spirit, A Christian who shares the good news, and an unbeliever. The tool by which we are brought to God is the Truth, or the word of God. We know that God desires to see everybody come to Christ, and doesn’t wish that any be lost – so we KNOW the Holy Spirit is doing everything he can to reconcile men to Christ. And it seems the Unbelievers are doing a fine job of unbelieving. We also know that the Word of God is effective in the salvation of men. So that only leaves Christians that are doing a poor job.

Two things will happen if the Church of America continues the way they’re going:

1.) People will continue to dishonor God by ignoring him and pretending there are more important things in this life than serving God with all your heart.

2.) Unbelievers will continue to fill Hell.

As long as we’re content letting our parents, our children, our family, our friends, our co-workers, our neighbors, our community, and our nation rush headlong into an eternity of divine punishment, then that’s exactly what will continue to happen at alarming rate. As long as our hearts are cold, and we’re so disinterested in our neighbor’s eternal soul, then things won’t change, no matter how many new measures we come up with.

It’s high time the American church wakes up and repents. We need to examine our actions to see what we’re doing for souls. Does our heart beat and bleed for souls like Jesus’ does? Are we doing everything we possibly can to save as many as possible?

If the answer is no, then we need to beg forgiveness from God for not having his heart and his best interest in mind; and then we need to change. It does no good to ask forgiveness without changing. This is not the Biblical idea of repentance. We need to have a change of heart, and a change of actions.

We need to be about the Father’s business. We need to be fervent and passionate about bringing the lost to Christ.

John Wheeler