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Labeling

Discussion in '2005 Archive' started by gb93433, Jun 27, 2005.

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  1. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
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    The following is an excerpt from a newsletter.

    June 2005
    Volume 6, Issue 12

    Denominations and Labeling
    by Dan Reiland

    Keep the main thing the main thing.

    Some of the most heated conversations I have listened to or participated in have been about doctrine, not practical issues of living out our faith. Let's be honest - if the church put half the energy into evangelism that it has into the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism we would all be further down the road of advancing God's Kingdom. From my days in seminary to the present I have observed some of the most blatantly unchristian behavior over topics that were clearly Christian. If you will allow me to state the obvious: We really are all on the same side and need to focus on what matters.

    The larger a church gets, the more common it is that issues of 'labeling' begin to fade. The very nature of a large church, because it attracts so many people from so many different backgrounds, naturally becomes more accepting of different faith journeys. The large churches that continue to make their 'label' an issue often stop growing, are unhealthy, and some seem to miss a spirit of freedom in Christ.

    Knowing the key doctrines and tenets of your faith is important. Simply put, we all need to know what we believe and why. At the end of the day, the basics of the gospel are all that is needed to live the life Christ called us to live. Matters of "Post-Trib, Pre-Trib, and Mid-Trib" don't have a heavy influence on living like Christ on a daily basis!

    Organizationally, we all 'get' Matthew 28:19-20. But you must admit that vast amounts of church resources and energies go into things that have nothing to do with the Great Commission. My plea is that we all fight to keep the main thing the main thing.

    "This article is used by permission from Dr. Dan Reiland's free monthly e-newsletter 'The Pastor's Coach' available at http://www.INJOY.com."]www.INJOY.com."[/url]
     
    #1 gb93433, Jun 27, 2005
  2. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    #2 Salty, Jun 27, 2005
  3. jdcanady

    jdcanady Member

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    The "main thing" is not evangelism. The main thing is to worship God in Spirit and Truth. Everything else will flow from proper, biblical, God-centered worship.
     
    #3 jdcanady, Jun 27, 2005
  4. Aaron

    Aaron Member
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    In other words, the most heated conversations have been about doctrine, not doctrine. The guy's confused.
     
    #4 Aaron, Jun 28, 2005
  5. Lorelei

    Lorelei <img src ="http://www.amacominc.com/~lorelei/mgsm.

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    The freedom in Christ is not freedom to follow any "faith journey."

    The Bible says we should understand doctrine. We should not live on milk forever. We need to move past the basics.

    ~Lorelei
     
    #5 Lorelei, Jun 28, 2005
  6. Gold Dragon

    Gold Dragon Well-Known Member

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    He is saying that the most heated conversations have been about orthodoxy and not orthopraxy.
     
    #6 Gold Dragon, Jun 28, 2005
  7. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
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    Mt. 22:37-39, "And He said to him, " `You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
     
    #7 gb93433, Jun 28, 2005
  8. Jim1999

    Jim1999 <img src =/Jim1999.jpg>

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    With proper labelling, poison is identified and we do not consume it. ANyone who has tended sheep or cattle knows that these animals are better led than driven. People are much the same. We can lead them into truth, but it can be rather frustrating to drive them.

    As I have said before, I am not in love with the name Baptist, but I am in love with what it is supposed to stand for. Leave labels where they belong; medicine bottles and mail.

    Cheers,

    Jim
     
    #8 Jim1999, Jun 28, 2005
  9. TexasSky

    TexasSky Guest

    JD wrote:
    The "main thing" is not evangelism. The main thing is to worship God in Spirit and Truth. Everything else will flow from proper, biblical, God-centered worship.


    We all should be worshiping God in spirit and in truth every day of our lives. Christ said, "If you love me, feed my sheep." Christ gave the great commission. Christ said the 2nd greatest commandment was to love your neighbor.

    Evangalism is vital to Christianity.
    Evangalism is love.

    The bible says without love you're just a clanging symbol.
     
    #9 TexasSky, Jun 28, 2005
  10. All about Grace

    All about Grace New Member

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    I am not sure Reiland is the one who is confused.
     
    #10 All about Grace, Jun 28, 2005
  11. All about Grace

    All about Grace New Member

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    Did Jesus speak more about evangelism or "proper, biblical, God-centered" worship? What did his final words address?

    The main thing IS evangelism.

    I do not prioritize evangelism OVER worship. I am simply saying that our main responsibility in relationship to this world is evangelism.
     
    #11 All about Grace, Jun 28, 2005
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