GO FASTER!
In Judges chapter 2, the Bible records this:
“After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths (Judg 2:10-14)."
Here’s a question: How does a whole generation grow up and not know the Lord? After all, God instructed Israel to “Impress [my commands] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up (Deut 6:7).”
Thom Rainer says “Our recent research on the younger generation, the bridgers (born 1977 – 1994), indicates that only 4% of the teenagers understand the gospel and have accepted Christ, even if they attend church. Of the entire Bridger generation, less than 30% attend church. America is clearly becoming less Christian, less evangelized, and less churched (Surprising Insights From the Unchurched).”
Is our nation becoming less Christian? If a whole generation grows up and does not know the Lord, whose fault is it? Do we care more about our own personal comfort, religious tradition, and “branded” methods of ministry than we do about reaching the present generation? If the mission is the mission then mission accomplished is all that should matter. Add any string, hindrance, or barrier and you divert the mission.
Our founding General said this:
Does salvation keep pace with the increase in population? Make the calculation in your most favored Christian cities, and you will find we are terribly behind in the race. Do we keep pace with the devils in energetic and untiring labor? Do we go as fast as death? Is he not always stealing a march on us? Oh, say no more! We’ll close our ears, my comrades, to this cold, unfeeling, stony-hearted utterance of unbelief! LET US GO FASTER!
– William Booth–
So. . .what do you think? Do we attach strings to our mission? Are we effective? What else can be done to be more effective in ministry?
“After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths (Judg 2:10-14)."
Here’s a question: How does a whole generation grow up and not know the Lord? After all, God instructed Israel to “Impress [my commands] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up (Deut 6:7).”
Thom Rainer says “Our recent research on the younger generation, the bridgers (born 1977 – 1994), indicates that only 4% of the teenagers understand the gospel and have accepted Christ, even if they attend church. Of the entire Bridger generation, less than 30% attend church. America is clearly becoming less Christian, less evangelized, and less churched (Surprising Insights From the Unchurched).”
Is our nation becoming less Christian? If a whole generation grows up and does not know the Lord, whose fault is it? Do we care more about our own personal comfort, religious tradition, and “branded” methods of ministry than we do about reaching the present generation? If the mission is the mission then mission accomplished is all that should matter. Add any string, hindrance, or barrier and you divert the mission.
Our founding General said this:
Does salvation keep pace with the increase in population? Make the calculation in your most favored Christian cities, and you will find we are terribly behind in the race. Do we keep pace with the devils in energetic and untiring labor? Do we go as fast as death? Is he not always stealing a march on us? Oh, say no more! We’ll close our ears, my comrades, to this cold, unfeeling, stony-hearted utterance of unbelief! LET US GO FASTER!
– William Booth–
So. . .what do you think? Do we attach strings to our mission? Are we effective? What else can be done to be more effective in ministry?
posted by Bret at
12:19 AM
10 Comments:
Bret,
I am not sure your assertion that our nation was Christian to begin with is correct. Religious may be a better term. Maybe even framed around Judeo-Christian philosophy may be better.
Most of the framers of our constitution and founders of our nation were religious. Jefferson could best be described as a Deist.
I guess my other question is how do we define what "accepting Christ" actually means? I think that is an embedded theology that may not be very well thought out. If we mean knowing Jesus intimately and experiencing His Spirit forming our spirits and character, I am not sure that is so much acceptance as it is being reborn and renewed.
Accepting has to do with intellectual knowledge, being reborn has to do with a heart change. Maybe this is heresy. I don't think so. I don't see anywhere in the Bible where the term accept Christ is used. I will be glad to accept your word if you can show it to me. Being reborn and renewed are terms used in Holy Writ. Just a thought as we struggle through this together.
By
Larry, at 12:41 AM
I happened across your site and have found it quite intresting.Do you really feel an ENTIRE generation has grown up and does not know our "JESUS ?"I raised children the ages you have shown and they were all brought up active in the church.ALL have accepted Jesus! This was done in these so called "branded" methods of ministry. Are we teaching and preaching the bible?,or are we reaching out in any way we can to get their attention?Is your method working? I'm sorry but
religious traditions have worked for decades,Are we trying to satisfy our needs or those of our LORD?By the way how old were you when you accepted Jesus and were you reached by some new method? Talking in love concerning our Lord
By
Anonymous, at 10:47 PM
Anonymous,
The whole generation I was referring to was the generation mentioned in Judges 2:10.
I’m glad that you’ve raised children who ALL have accepted Jesus. Praise God!
However, the majority of churches who are growing generally grow in two ways: Transfer Growth and Biological growth. George Hunter suggests that less than 1% of the churches in America are actually growing as a result of “conversion” growth. Think about the growth that is taking place in your church. If the majority of the growth is a result of new people (not children or transfers), as Larry rightly put it, being reborn, then your church would probably rank near the top 1%.
I’m not saying that biological or transfer growth is not good. I’m suggesting that we need to get brutally honest with ourselves in regards to our ministry and our effectiveness. If not, we may just see history repeat itself (Judges 2:10).
As far as how I came to Christ. . . definitely not “traditional.” God spoke to me at 6:00 a.m. while tripping on Acid. After making it “official” by walking forward in a Baptist church, I became homeless, met The Salvation Army and was called to preach (It sounds condescending, but really, Christ changed my life).
Thanks for commenting. Feel free to comment anytime. I love to be challenged. . .and challenge.
Blessings,
Bret
By
Bret, at 11:37 PM
Larry,
Thanks for your comments. You've brought up some valid points. Research (that I'm familiar with) typically shows that church attendance is declining as a whole; that churches of today have, for the most part, become irrelevant in an "unchurched" culture. Churches are failing to impact their community in a spiritual way because people are no longer seeking out the church as they did in the 1950's when “church” had a more prominent place in the culture. The idea of the church "opening our doors" to the "whosoever" simply does not work.
As far as my term "accepting Christ,” I agree with you. Thanks for the insight.
Blessings,
Bret
By
Bret, at 11:46 PM
Hey Cappy...
Wondering if you are really splitting hairs here pulling out the "accepting Christ"...Have you, in your career, not invited people to accept Christ as their Savior? Or is this part of the new emergent movement to not use that terminology anymore??? Just curious!
Zanalice
By
Anonymous, at 12:05 AM
zanalice,
i think some of the theology and terminology has changed. i don't buy it all. i am struggling with much of it.
i have asked people to accept Christ. i am not sure that it was the best term to use, now that i think about it. it was not a bad term or bad theology, but may not translate very well these days. we just need to be thinking more these days about what we say. if bret's assertion is true that we are less Christian, people will not even have a grasp of much of the terminology. i think we are better just to use the Bible.
who know's maybe i am wrong.
By
Larry, at 9:24 AM
I think we're getting too caught up on samantics. The terminology is not the problem but rather does the terminology communicate the true need for a commitment in a relationship with God.
Whether we accept Christ:
* as our Lord
* as our King
* as a propitiation for our sin
* as our reedemer
* as our Savior
* as the way, the truth, and the life.
* for Who He said He was
Don't think it matters - what matters is if it thouroughly communicates the need for the person to make a change in their life.
Millions of people have "accepted Jesus" and I would hate to unknowingly minimize their life change because of semantics.
I agree that the Bible is the Living Word and people must "accept" that it is true, but if they fail to "accept" the Living God, what else is there.
May the Lord bless and keep you.
P. Lyons (didn't log in - at the hospital)
By
Anonymous, at 11:32 AM
In thinking on this issue, as well as others, I like to "dettach myself from the personal feelings I may have and look at it on the whole. In today's world, we are asked to accept pretty much anything, whether it be the better soda, candy bar, lawyer or political view. The idea for someone to accept something or person is not new.
Jesus did the same thing in His time. When He told the disciples to "follw Me" it was understood that when they did, they accepted Him as teacher, rabbi, and savior. We do the same thing today. I know I do.
As far as strings being attached, I do thin there are string to our mission. There are strings attached to just about everything. We, as a church, didn't woory about the strings or hindrances before this generation because they just weren't there. We have allowed ourselves to become so worried about how we say something, or politically correct, that we have allowed that worry to effect our evaqngelism. Then we don't say what we think we should and there goes one more down the road that could be in the doors and accepting Christ.
In all this, I have to remember this as well. Who are the parents of this generation....the sixties child. This was the time for a growth in new age theology to infect our culture and Christ was put on a backburner. Now these children are learning their parents ways. We need to be able to attract them without slamming them with a Bible in the forehead. How do we do that? Depends on the individual and what we are prepared to do.
Before I go to chapter 2, I close.
By the way Bret, this is Chris. Polka Pirates rule!
By
Anonymous, at 11:37 AM
Greetings in Jesus' name.
Maybe this isn't a big deal for the discussion, but NLT has Colossians 2:6 as, "And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him."
So, accepting Jesus is a throughly Biblical (and recommended) thing to do.
Much grace,
Stephen Court
armybarmy.com/blog.html
By
armybarmy, at 10:42 PM
Thanks for all your comments. Good stuff!
Chris- Yes. Polyester Polka Pirates Rule!
By
Bret, at 8:01 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home