thinkings...

Hat tip to Vicki for both the Sunday Night convo and the scrapbook.

I was reminded of something when we were talking. Sadly, I don't remember the exact quote but I know it is from Vincent Cheung. A paraphrase:

"We must drag the unbeliever kicking and screaming, for he will not come to the Lord willingly."

We often talk about God drawing the sinner to repentance. (John 6:44) I do not dispute that. I do think that we tend to minimize our role in the process. It is God's job to bring the unbeliever. We eliminate the possibility of us being the means to accomplish that end. It reminds me of Romans 11, when Paul is telling the believers in Rome,

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" Rom 11:14

Where is the boldness in the proclamation for God? Someone says something insulting to God, we look down and shuffle our feet. Someone brings something that supposedly deflates the existance of God, and we get all flustered. Is not truth on our side?

Oh, but you know Christians aren't supposed to argue. We have to be loving. Is it loving to withhold the gospel message to people? Did not Paul and Barnabas argue with Greek philosophers in Acts?

Oh, well unbelievers are not idiots. They can weigh the information and they'll find God. Romans 1 says otherwise. People do not find God, God finds them. Most people are unwilling to change if left to their own devices.

Oh, well I don't want to look like an idiot. What if I get it wrong or say something misleading? I think this is the most common problem that prevents believers from sharing/arguing. I also think it is a very faulty, very self-oriented excuse. Maybe we're not supposed to win the argument? A temporary loss in battle, to win the overall war?^{1 2}

Whatever the reason, this can go on no longer. We have to put aside the false notions of the day: tolerance, mutual respect, fake love. These things stem from the world and not from God. They will pass away under scrutiny. I know that if athiests, muslims, hindus, etc. were put under the same criticism as Christianty, they would not last a week.

2 Tim 3:12 promises persecution for the godly follower. If you do not see the persecution towards yourself or your Christian brethren, you should seriously examine yourself. It is better to find fault now and repent than arrive at the gates of heaven to learn that God does not know you.

^{1 This is hardly a petition to be ignorant about God. Paul exhorts Timothy to be ready in and out of season. You should be ready at all times, as well. 2 Tim 4:2.
2 In fact, most arguments levied towards Christianity are the same over-used arguments that other Christians have answered. It is out there on the web. The hardest questions I have ever faced have come from other Christians who wanted to understand God more.}