Extras:
View My Guestbook
Christian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
|
No compromise - what I got out of it [Wednesday, Jan. 05, 2005, 10:17 pm]
This morning I did finally finish reading "No compromise", and it left me with a lot of things to ponder. Such as, what would Keith Green say about the state of the "Christian" recording industry if he were still alive today? I find it ironic that two of the most brilliant and humble Christian lyricists of all time both died in accidents. Keith Green in a plane crash when he was 28, and Rich Mullins in a car accident when he was 40-something. I could rave on for a while, but I think what I'm going to do is leave a few excerpts from the book on here, for you to ponder along with me. I hope it's not a copyright infringement, but I know it wouldn't be, according to Keith Green's ministry attitudes: "I just wanna say that God works in mysterious ways, and I am one of his mysterious ways. I know you haven't seen this much hair up on the pulpit before - but God doesn't look on the outside to see what kind of a Christian you are. He looks on the inside." "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger." [about "Christian celebrities"] "Can't you see that you are hurting these ministers? They try desperately to tell you that they don't deserve to be praised, and because of this, you squeal with delight and praise them all the more. How come no one idolizes or praises the missionaries who give up everything and live in poverty, endangering their lives and their families with every danger that the American dream has almost completely eliminated? How come no one lifts up and exalts the ghetto and prison ministers and preachers? Because we are taught early on that 1) comfort is our goal and security, and 2) that we should always seek for a lot of people to like us..." "How do you think the Lord feels, after giving his life for the sins of the world, to be reduced to something that helps sell merchandise? I'm certain he would make a whip and cleanse the Church of such garbage if he were on Earth today..." "It is obvious that there is no "set" sinner's prayer. The words are not important, it's the state of the heart of the one saying it. I believe that a true "sinner's prayer" will gush out of anyone who is truly seeking God, and is tired of being enslaved to sin." "I find it very disturbing when something unnecessary is added to the gospel. The term "personal savior" isn't very harmful in itself, but it shows a kind of mindset that is willing to "invent" terms, and then allow these terms to be preached as if they were actually found in the Bible....people solemnly speak of Christ as their personal savior, as if when He returns He will not have two, but three titles written across his thigh: "King of Kings! Lord of Lords! and personal savior!" I have to agree with him on that one - and this is something I've been thinking about before I even read the book. In the Bible, what does Paul constantly refer to? The church. I don't remember reading anything about having a "personal relationship with God". We just repeat these things so many times because we hear them a lot - maybe we need to step back and realize what it is we're trying to teach, and where it's found in the Bible. Lastly, something written by his wife after his death in the plane crash: "One guy I'd never met before told me he was driving in his car when he heard the news on the radio. Stunned, he pulled off to the side of the road and wept. Another fellow I hadn't known told me he took three days off work and grieved as if someone in his family had died. Both said they'd cried out to God saying, "Lord, who's going to speak to our generation now?" Both got the same answer, "You are." I wasn't alive back in the late 70's and early 80's, but if I was, I would've been a Keith Green fan, that's for sure. *Laura* Miss anything?
Vitality - Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009 |