Words of Wisdom from Andy Stanley
My wife and I are going through this class at church called "Starting Point". It comes with a book and set of cd's originally done by Andy Stanley at North Point Community Church. On one of the cd's today he said one of the most interesting and thoughtful things I've heard in a long time. I listened to it like a hundred times trying to memorize it, so I hope I can do it justice. (I could have written it down but I was too lazy, plus I didn't have a pen handy and it was too much to text into my phone) He says, (and I quote loosely),
"One of the greatest evangelistic tools, that is, one of the greatest environments where non believers can become believers is by being around Christians who are simply being 'Christians'. It is the closest they will ever get to being in the presence of Jesus Christ."
Wow...that's amazing. Did it hit you like it did me? In case you might misunderstand, let me put it in context. He was talking about how it is the responsibility of believers to build healthy relationships with one another becuase it is through followers of Jesus Christ that God continues to work in the world. He was relaying that just as God worked during the time of Abraham, Moses, David, and the Prophets, he now works in the world through Holy Spirit in the church and through His people.
Now please view his statement in this context. He wasn't trying to say that unbelievers were never "in the presence of God" in the sense that God was not "around" them or working "in" them drawing them to salvation. He was simply rephrasing the old adage that "You may be the only Bible another man ever reads". It was just a little more potent.
In other words, there is something supernatural about the healthy relationships that believers have with each other. They truely are "brothers and sisters" in Christ. As a result, the work of Jesus in their lives together and the observations that unbelievers draw as onlookers is one of the most powerful "tools" as he says, to draw unbelievers to Christ. It kinda sounds like something else I once read...
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another"
-Jesus in John 13:35
"One of the greatest evangelistic tools, that is, one of the greatest environments where non believers can become believers is by being around Christians who are simply being 'Christians'. It is the closest they will ever get to being in the presence of Jesus Christ."
Wow...that's amazing. Did it hit you like it did me? In case you might misunderstand, let me put it in context. He was talking about how it is the responsibility of believers to build healthy relationships with one another becuase it is through followers of Jesus Christ that God continues to work in the world. He was relaying that just as God worked during the time of Abraham, Moses, David, and the Prophets, he now works in the world through Holy Spirit in the church and through His people.
Now please view his statement in this context. He wasn't trying to say that unbelievers were never "in the presence of God" in the sense that God was not "around" them or working "in" them drawing them to salvation. He was simply rephrasing the old adage that "You may be the only Bible another man ever reads". It was just a little more potent.
In other words, there is something supernatural about the healthy relationships that believers have with each other. They truely are "brothers and sisters" in Christ. As a result, the work of Jesus in their lives together and the observations that unbelievers draw as onlookers is one of the most powerful "tools" as he says, to draw unbelievers to Christ. It kinda sounds like something else I once read...
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another"
-Jesus in John 13:35
Labels: Kim Reeder
posted by Kim Reeder at 11/27/2007 06:30:00 PM
|
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home