Camel Crossing quotes SBC Tomorrow as saying...
"...a Baptist Church is the closest thing going on in the world today to a New Testament Church."
Camel Crossing's response (also a Baptist) to the above merits the 'quote of the week'...
The NT church met in homes, drank wine, had no full-time paid staff, were intensely persecuted, spoke in tongues, healed people, sold all they had to meet each others needs... What part of this looks like the average Baptist Church?
We no longer go out to the highways and byways, we build campuses and ask them to come, we’re known more by what we’re against than what we’re for, we promote superstars that dictate policy and beliefs to “autonomous” churches. I agree our theology is strong, but only Jesus is perfect and we’re no where near it...
Guy, you nailed it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sad (and sick) of hearing how great we are.
We are far from the early church.
I remember when the apostles were speaking about Jesus, thrown in jail, beaten and warned never to speak that name again, their response was, 'we cannot stop talking about what we have seen and heard' then, they DID NOT PRAY for their safety-the prayed for boldness to speak.
Now that is distinctively Holy, the only distinction I desire.
Thanks for this post-short but powerful.
Alyce,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. I agree with you that CamelCrossing nailed it with his response. May the Lord grant us all the boldness to speak under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Brother Guy,
ReplyDeleteI too found Camelrider's comment refreshing and relayed that to him (her?).
Thanks for profiling our words here even if not in the best of light.
Grace to you and your ministry. With that, I am...
Peter
Peter,
ReplyDeleteGlad to have a writer from one of the more read SBC blogs to visit the missionary side of the blog world. I guess the way to get some of the "big guys" to read us "litle guys" is by quoting you! :)
Actually CamelCrossings quote got me interested in your blog and have added your feed to my blog reader. I may even comment one of these days!
Dear Guy, I have to say, sadly, that I agree with the CamelCrossing response, especially the part about not going out of the church to seek the lost, and also about the "superstar" comment. Acts 8:1-4 shows that everyone in the church went out to preach the Gospel (everywhere they went). And there are no superstars in the Bible, except maybe for Jesus ... all the rest of us are unworthy people who have the incredible privilege of being called servants of the Living God. Take care & God bless.
ReplyDelete- Kevin Bart
http://reachingbrazil.blogspot.com
www.intimacywithgod.com/brazil
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the "M Blog" and thanks for stopping by and commenting. I checked out your blog as well and enjoyed reading through several of the posts. Wow, your beaches look great! We have some pretty nice ones here as well, but sadly, hardly ever go.
Guy,
ReplyDeleteI think we need Jeff Foxworthy to do a "You might be a Pharisee . . . " routine.
The line between certainty in beliefs and the way of the Pharisees is very a fine line indeed. What scares me is that I doubt if anyone ever realizes when they cross it. It makes me want to consider my own presuppositions and beliefs carefully. I think the only real protection is to fully focus on Jesus.
Thanks for passing this on.
Jeff
Guy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for using the quote. I'm grateful for the interaction with you.
Peter,
Thanks for giving me a quote worthy of a discussion. I don't agree with you on much but I think I actually like you :-)
Camel Rider
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteOur family are great fans of Jeff Foxworthy. I hadn't thought of it, but agree it would indeed be right down his line to come up with a "You might be a Pharisee..." routine!
On another recent post, I quote Reggie McNeal as saying, The church in North America is not like the Pharisees--we are the Pharisees, and Jesus does not like Pharisees. :)
CmlCros,
Thanks for the quote! I too think we need a whole lot more dialog on just what a NT church is and looks like. I fear we have strayed far from Jesus' and the Apostles original intent for ekklesia.