Stop Pushing Your Beliefs
Stop pushing your beliefs.
No I'm not talking about Westboro Baptist protestors that blatantly push their beliefs on others, but I'm talking about you, the person who pushes your beliefs on others.
Too many times I seem to think that people believe that witnessing, or evangelism, is a form of pushing their beliefs onto someone else. While this idea of evangelism sometimes is effective, it's not what we are called to do as Christians.
Oswald Chambers said:
A spiritually minded man will never come to you with the demand - "Believe this and that;"
He's reminding us that we are not supposed to be those who tell others to believe that "homosexuality is wrong," or "become a Christian or you'll go to hell," rather, Oswald Chambers says that:
you [are to] square your life with the standards of Jesus
Since when have you stopped and realized that your intentions of witnessing to others may be ineffective and not what you are called to do? Are you just like those at Westboro Baptist, simply pushing what you seem to think is right or wrong?
May you come to understand that as followers of Jesus, we are not to push our beliefs on others, rather, we are to tell other people to turn to Jesus and follow and obey him.
What do you think? Are traditional ways of witnessing, i.e. knocking on doors and going into malls to pass out tracts, a way of pushing our beliefs just like those at Westboro Baptist do?
Exclaimer: I am not against traditional ways of witnessing that were previously mentioned, as fruit comes from the labor of witnessing that way, but I am wondering if their are more effective ways of evangelism.
Unwilling to Change
In about 13 days, America will bring in her newest President, Barack Obama. Prior to the events leading up to the night of the election on November 4th, many people volunteered and donated money to their candidate of choice. Those behind their candidates were quick to say that they were tired of the "same, old politics" and were willing to change this by getting behind their candidate of choice.
These people who served and gave their money and time during the election were willing to change. They understood that things needed to change.
I don't know what kind of change, but Church needs to change somehow. Not the definition of Church, but the methods that Churches use to reach the lost and keep the saved.
The problem that I see in Churches throughout America is the unwillingness to change. Why, you say, would they be unwilling to change? Possibly because of the fear of leaving a comfort zone, also known as Tradition. Maybe the Church does not want to risk losing the financial foundation of longtime members who are unwilling to change. Whatever it may be, how long will it take before the Church realizes that it's methods are outdated?
America has come far, so far that they have elected an African-American President, the first African-American President. I believe that change is coming to the Church. We must communicate to Church leaders our need to change. We must hold to Biblical Theology while coming up with methods that enable the Church to reach the lost.
Mega
I'm not too good at this update thing but here is my excuse this time: schoolwork.
/RANT ON/
It's ridiculous how much I have to do in so little time. What do papers accomplish? Someone tell me, so I can be motivated somehow.
/RANT OFF/
Excuse my rant, now I feel a little better, believe it or not.
Mega. This word is usually tied into other words such as megaman, which was a phenomenal game on the sega I must add. Other words that start with mega include mega-church, but I heard a new word this week that began with mega, and it made me pretty sad: mega-christian. Since when did we have to start labeling what a christian should be? Wasn't the original meaning of christian simply "an imitator of Christ"? Do I now want to take on this new understanding of a 'mega'-christian because it's better?
Where did this thinking come from? I am in no way speaking for Jesus, but I'm sure that Jesus didn't mean for us to obey him by becoming a mega-christian. I'm sure he wanted us to just imitate him, how he related to people, how he loved on people, how he connected with people, and how he obeyed the Father.
When I hear the words, mega-christian or mega-church, it does not set well with my understanding of Christianity and how it is played out in America for the most part. Disagree with me if you like, but Christ stands with open arms desiring to embrace us with his love, and the idea that we must excel in living out our "mega-christian" lifestyle may prove to be just a shortcoming of what it means to truly follow Christ in our lives.
May we escape this thinking that we must create another understanding of what it means to be a christian and embrace the fact that Christ calls us to love God and love others.