Replies

I understand your technique, no problem. You're doing good! One can't have a discussion without its being clear what people mean.

By "personal conditions," I meant the religion they were brought up in, or the circumstances of their life, or anything that might affect the way they conceive their faith. For instance, some people have had very bad experiences with "Christianity": abusive parents, abusive pastors, "customs" taught in the place of Christian doctrine, etc.

Some people are not psychologically in a place to accept what you or I might want to offer, faith-wise. In that case, I think the way to go is simply to be a friend, without conditions.

We had a pastor once who said, "People should meet you in the grocery store, and think, 'I want the life he has!' People should see our congregation, and be beating down the door to our services, saying, 'I want to be a part of what they have!' If they're not, it's because we aren't 'in Christ' the way we should be."

Richard Wurmbrand, founder of Voice of the Martyrs (a Lutheran :-), said that Communists exists because Christians don't *live Christ* the way they should. If the Church (in the global sense) was what it should be, Communism would have no appeal.

I can continue this discussion, but I've got to shower and then feed Vlad again :-). Might not get back to it until tomorrow, depending on the boy's digestion!

We had a pastor once who said, "People should meet you in the grocery store, and think, 'I want the life he has!' People should see our congregation, and be beating down the door to our services, saying, 'I want to be a part of what they have!' If they're not, it's because we aren't 'in Christ' the way we should be."

That's an important thing to keep in mind. God's Word condemns, and we are to speak that Word, but we have no authority to personally condemn anyone for being a sinner, lest we begin to consider ourselves gods.

I am in full agreement with what you have said, now that we're clear. What you are talking about is basically meeting people where they are at. Saint Paul wrote of "becoming all things to all men." That doesn't mean that he participated in pagan rituals or denied Christ or didn't proclaim the Word of God, depending on the audience.

Remember the scene at the Areopagus in Athens. Amid all of the shrines dedicated to this god or that god there was a shrine to "the Unknown God." The polytheistic Athenians wanted to cover all their bases so that no gods would be offended. Paul used this shrine as an opportunity to tell them about YHWH and his redeeming work in Christ. He didn't just come out and say, "This is what I've been told!"

There is a tendency in some churches to de-emphasize traditional evangelism. They say, "Your life is your witness." That is true, but not the whole story. The Lord's Great Commission does not exhort Christians to merely be people magnets without speaking the Word to them. That is accidental evangelism.

I once had friends who thought that letting people know that they attend church could replace real evangelism. In all likelihood, they might have been afraid of offending people--though Scripture says in no uncertain terms that the Gospel is offensive--as they were from a liberal church body.

Now I'm just rambling.