Monday, February 12, 2007

Service vs. Evangelism...

I was recently reading a blog post from a new ministry called xxxchurch.com. This ministry is attacking pornography head-on through some creative means. For Valentines Day they are planning on giving roses to local exotic dancers as a way of demonstrating what true love looks like.

So far there have been 63 comments made regarding this post, including a very heated debate about whether or not service always needs to include a clear presentation of the gospel message. The debate is very interesting and raises a number of very good points. I am still wrestling with whether or not service alone in the name of Jesus is enough, or whether those actions should include the Gospel message. I have my opinion on the matter, but I would be interested to hear what you all think in response to the issues addressed in these comments. Here is the link for the blog entry: http://xxxchurch.com/07/blog_x3_full.php?p=28.

3 comments:

  1. I dont think it does at all. Except for maybe sharing why you are doing what you are doing. Infact, I would venture to say your service really is not service if you do it with strings attached. Its just manipulation.

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  2. HHMMMMM a good question you pose. Let me see if I can tackle it. I believe it has more to do with motivation than anything else. I think it is more important to care about the person than to go in guns blazing and trying to minister without knowing the person. That seems a bit hollow to me. Then again there are times when it is appropriate to make a blanket statement to the masses.
    The more I read of Jesus the more I realize the subtle way He worked.He goes out fishing to find and confront Peter, He hangs out at the well to minister to the woman...the stories are endless. More and more I see Jesus intentionally got to know the people before He brought the message needed. He assessed the situation and brought the message the person needed to hear, He knew their heart and what would touch them, or in some cases, what would anger them to motivation.
    Sometimes no Gospel words are appropriate, silence is the better healer. I believe it must come down to the good sense and spirit in which we have all been blessed. Over and out.

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  3. At what point does mission work simply become "kindness" and no longer have a Christian message to it. Jesus was not huge on 'evangelizing' in the way we typically think of evangelism, but he also did not allow people to remain in sin. He constantly called people to change their ways. But often, the people he was challenging were those who should have known better, the 'religious' people. Obviously I am still unsure about this issue.

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