quote from John Stott . . . . .
“The Christian landscape is
strewn with the wreckage of derelict, half-built towers (referring to Luke
14:28-30) – the ruins of those who began to build and were unable to
finish. For thousands of people still ignore Christ’s warning and
undertake to follow him without first pausing to
reflect on the cost of doing so. The result is the great scandal
of Christendom today, so called ‘nominal Christianity.’ In
countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people
have covered themselves with a decent, but thin, veneer of Christianity.
They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved; enough to be
respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable. Their religion is a
great, soft cushion. It protects them from the hard unpleasantness of
life, while changing its place and shape to suit their convenience. No
wonder the cynics speak of hypocrites in the church and dismiss religion as
escapism.
from MacArthur's The Gospel According to Jesus -
When Jesus called disciples, He carefully
instructed them about the cost of following Him. He turned away those
reluctant to pay the price – like the rich young ruler. He warned all who
thought of becoming disciples to count the cost carefully. Scripture teaches
us to deny self (Matt 16:24), consider ourselves dead (Romans 6:11), lay the
old self aside (Eph 4:22), and in a sense, treat the selfish aspect of our
beings with the utmost contempt (1 Cor 9:27). Why does Christ use such
offensive terms? Because He is eager to chase the uncommitted away and to
draw true disciples to Himself. He does not want half-hearted people
deceived into thinking they are in the kingdom.
Can you imagine us Christians doing that today???
Instead of being inclusive – EVERYBODY is welcome – we instead might be
exclusive? Weeding out those who are not serious, those not willing to
give up self, family, comforts of this world, etc. Isn’t the road narrow
and the gate small? So why have we paved this wide road and erected a huge gate for
ALL to come to Jesus when we know that’s not going to be the case? And by doing so, have we not given so many the illusion they have secured eternal life with the Creator?
MacArthur -
One who is not willing to lose his life by taking Christ is not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:38). That person cannot be a disciple (Luke 13:27). These statements cannot be made to accommodate the kind of casual approach to conversion that is in vogue in our generation. Jesus does not ask people to add Him to the milieu of their lives. He wants disciples willing to forsake everything.
Thanks Lisa. Have read your blog and thought a lot about it.
ReplyDeleteFor me. It has always been the kindness of Christ that has drawn my heart and soul. His mercy. His grace. The price He paid on the cross. I lived long under the shadow of judgment from man. And tried to measure up. And while it is my sin that has brought me to the cross. It is the mercy and grace of our Lord that sustains my walk every day. And I am so grateful to live in grace because my heart cannot survive without it. That is why I scribble grace. To all who might have had my experiences. To see the kindness of Jesus. And to trust Him to work in the hearts of others. Through all of us. With differing perspectives. But the complete gospel. Truth plus Grace. In Jesus our Lord. Because we cannot measure up. We cannot be enough. Only He can. And to offer this amazing truth to the world. Because it astounds me every day. His unfailing Love.
I, too, am so thankful for the grace of God and His mercy. Without it I would never have the blessing of an eternity with my Creator. No one would. I realize the words here are tough and the stance unpopular with mainstream Christianity. But with God's love also comes God's wrath - they cannot be seperated. Yes, He is love. Yes, He is truth. Yes, He is judgment. The judgment of man and the judgement of God are miles apart. God help all of us who have suffered under the pain of man's judgment.
ReplyDeleteThe concern of MacArthur and others is not that we shouldn't appreciate and bask in the love of our God, but that we be careful not to paint a picture of God that is one-sided and therefore mislead others into a false hope.
While we all have different experiences, different personalities and different purposes in His Kingdom, there is only one Truth, one Gospel message that must be told - in its entirety.
I appreciate your loving spirit which God has blessed you with. It is sweet and nurturing and your blog brings a smile to my heart whenever I read it. And I realize my style/personality is a polar opposite in many ways. So perhaps we balance each other in the Kingdom. And I have no doubt that God directs the appropriate persons to each of our blogs as needed. He is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. Praise Him!
Thank you for your comments. I really appreciate them and take them to heart. If you are interested in reading MacArthur's book it is called The Gospel of Jesus. He is a much better writer than I!
P.S. To proclaim a gospel that does not speak about repentance is to proclaim a false gospel. And that is what makes the path narrow and the gate small that only a few will find (Matthew 7:14). These are Jesus' own words as he often discouraged people from following him. Why would Jesus do that? Here's an article to read that really helps explain it:
ReplyDeletehttp://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible-questions/what/narrow-is-the-gate/
I so very much appreciate your thoughts. I agree with you on every point. And it is true. God uses each of us for His purposes. My most recent blog on truth/sin as I am mindful of representing the whole gospel. It is also a concern for me and I share your perspective. My intention is to use the blog as an art form to describe a relationship with the living God. To hopefully make someone think about things from other than a secular perspective. To share my vulnerability in order to perhaps help another identify with brokenness. To normalize it because it shows our great need for God. It is a theme of mine. Always leading to God.
ReplyDeleteAnd sometimes just to write about the things of life.
I listened to Os Guinness today encouraging us to live life out of our calling; a cultural mandate to engage the world. To quote Wilberforce, in so doing "there a thousand flowers bloom".
Love discussing this with you and hearing your perspective. Love getting to know you.
Love sharing our passion. Thanks! I appreciate you.
And I you, sister!
ReplyDelete