Keeping 20-30's

If you say you cannot win them unless..........


What is the unless?

1. Culture
2. The gospel


The rich young ruler wanted to remain in his culture too. Jesus gave him an option. My concern is not the culture itself but the focus on the fabricated need for the culture in order to keep people in church or even win them.

 

I don't think I said you cannot win them unless...the Holy Spirit is not confined to our finite attempts to reaching the lost.

The RYR story is not one of culture, it is one of wanting to remain in sin...apples and oranges.

Curious...does your church do VBS or something similar?

 

Really what sin did he want to remain in? What it was was a refusal to bear his cross. He wanted his security in his money more than God. Today many churches would say well his money is just his culture. But the money is no different than music or anything else. Should we cater to those who say "i will not come to God unless.......

1. The music style is just right
2. The room temperature is just right
3. The clothing standard is just right

A church may have those things but if the motivation behind it is winning the lost the the gospel gets hid.

 

I have not seen any "true" church that supported sin, particularly the one the RYR was involved in. That is still not culture. If someone says "I will not come to God unless"...they will not come to God, period, regardless if suits are worn, hymns are sung, etc. Culturally relevant does not mean supporting sin.

Does your church do VBS or something similar?

 

This could not be more wrong. So what sin was the RYR involved in?

If you have something to say about VBS say it.

 

And by the way things like music etc is sub-culture not simply culture and there is a distinct difference.

 

The rejection of Christ for wealth...you disagree?!?

I did...twice. I asked you a question. It's quite simple, yes or no.

Wrong...

Main Entry: 1cul·ture
Pronunciation: \ˈkəl-chər\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, cultivated land, cultivation, from Anglo-French, from Latin cultura, from cultus, past participle
Date: 15th century
1 : cultivation, tillage
2 : the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education
3 : expert care and training <beauty culture>
4 a : enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training b : acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from vocational and technical skills
5 a : the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations b : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time <popular culture> <southern culture> c : the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization <a corporate culture focused on the bottom line> d : the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic <studying the effect of computers on print culture> <changing the culture of materialism will take time — Peggy O'Mara>
6 : the act or process of cultivating living material (as bacteria or viruses) in prepared nutrient media; also : a product of such cultivation

 

Which would be the same as rejection of Christ for a sub-culture.

Actually did you look up the definition of sub-culture?


Sociology.
a. the cultural values and behavioral patterns distinctive of a particular group in a society.
b. a group having social, economic, ethnic, or other traits distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society.

 

Thank you for reminding me I don't do boards like these. There is enough "fighting" in the world. I thought that the name of this board suggested that there would be some common ground since I would assume that we are all on the same side of the cross.

I was talking to my husband last night about some of the back and forth and was reminded of (like I said) why I normally don't come or stay too long on sites like this. I came in here to get some support, talk over some ideas and to find out what some of you have done that has worked and not. To be honest I am not sure I want some of those ideas anymore.

Why not work together for a common goal? Good grief there is enough strife out there to deal with without some of you splitting hairs til there isn't anything left. Do you think God is up there with a score board? I highly doubt it. From what I know it saddens him to see it I am sure.

I pray some of you will re-direct your energy to helping others find Christ rather than biting each other...I doubt there are any crowns for that.

 

What does any of this have to do with this thread?

 

Thank you for proving my point.

 

Well it would seem you are engaging in the very behavior you are condemning. It is much like humility, once you claim it you have lost it. It is a contradiction to bemoan the disagreement since you in fact are being disagreeable when you do. You have just engaged in that which you condemn.

Now maybe you could explain what that has to do with this thread.

 

I was trying to be polite and point out that arguing goes nowhere fast and yet somehow it would appear that you are either looking to argue or debate or something. No matter what is said it seems as though you have a response.

It frustrates me when hairs are split over non-issues. My response was appropriately placed in this thread because that is precisely where the debating/arguing is.

 

It is not a non-issue. How we reach people is very important. And the church has worked to fill its pews with lost people. Take away their sub-culture an many will turn their back on Christ.

As far as my posts there is no imperative that you need to respond to them.

 

This is a debate forum...if you want fellowship, there are separate forums here for that.

Welcome to the BB, btw :thumbs:

 

Isn't the header at the top Baptist FELLOWSHIP Forums (Baptist Only)

 

Oops...you're right

 

I have always said, "Give them a reason to be there." When they recognize substance then they will stay. Nobody wants to waste time being a part of a losing team.

 

Wait -- each generation becomes MORE depraved? How is that possible if we believe in TOTAL DEPRAVITY? Perhaps you mean that each generation degenerates further, as it is further from creation/perfection...

Okay... One could use Romans 1-3 to make that case -- but this talks about the WORLD. BUT, this gives precious little credit to the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ as He leads the church to reach it's generation to Christ.

The Holy Spirit reaches the lost world THRU the Church, in a way that the lost world can RELATE to. To RELATE to is NOT to COMPROMISE with. I believe in expository biblical preaching, and varied styles of worship. They are NOT mutually exclusive.

Oh, and tread lightly in tossing around that "heresy" charge. It becomes meaningless when overused -- and it's NOT Biblically called for in this case.

JDale