Posted on 12/31/2006 8:41:18 AM PST by Gamecock
IN essence, this post seems to be wailing about why RW isn't marching to the prescription, timing, priorities etc. of the poster.
I believe it's because he's Biblically marching to the drum GOD GAVE HIM.
You've been at this thread too long....you've lost it.
He teaches what might be called "another" gospel -- one that promises worldly peace, if only the "purpose-driven" rules handed down by Warren will be obeyed.
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Hogwash.
SCRIPTURE SAYS--BLESSED ARE THE PEACE MAKERS. JESUS SAID THAT.
Now if he ends up joining in the Anti-Christ's waging war with peace--we'd have a different situation. But I see no convincing evidence of that.
I am happy to give him a lot of grace as a boundary worker for The Kingdom.
We have some dear friends who started their own church. These friends are very vocal about their dislike for anything seeker sensitive or purpose driven. Our dear friends pride themselves on teaching meat to their local body and refuse to offer anything watered down, seeker sensitive or purpose driven.
We recently visited their church and enjoyed visiting with our friends. Then they asked us some very interesting questions. They asked us what our church does to attract new members. Unfortunately their church isn't growing but they really want to attract new members. We mentioned some of the outreach our church does, we talked about the music, the messages and pointed them to our church website where they can hear previous Sunday messages.
As it turns out, our dear friends who are very vocal about their dislike for all things seeker sensitive and purpose driven, are now seeking gimmicks, techniques, methods, features, emphasis, etc. to attract new members to grow their local body of believers.
They now want unbelievers at their Sunday morning worship services and are looking for additional ways to attract the unchurched. We think that's great and encourage them all the more.
What brothers have I bashed ruthlessly, etc. for umpteen threads without end week in week out; month in month out???
Bill Clinton is the favorite repentent sinner at Willow Creek Church, another Mega Scam fooling people into believing they are being righteous, while affirming their One World Socialist agenda.
He's a chameleon who leads because he wants followers.
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Hogwash. I'm beginning to think that not only are Jr Accusers of the bretheren extremely poor psychologists about RW, they seem to know next to nothing about his past; his personality or his priorities.
Straw dogs from bits and pieces is nonsense.
[...the Holy Spirit is convicting people to a saving knowledge of God through Warren's ministry...]
I've noticed the same thing. People are talking about Jesus because of PDL. I'd say that's fruit.
This has been an interesting year here. We have gone from a minority status to a large majority. The more Warren is publicized, the fewer people defend him.
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What egregious assumptions.
Folks avoid defending him because they don't want to get dirty getting that close to the venom on such ruthlessly RW bashing threads.
Rick Warren is doing what he believes God is calling him to do, the Holy Spirit does the actual work. And if that happens through Warren's ministries then I'm going to rejoice the Body is growing through Warren's ministries.
God doesn't need Warren just like He doesn't need anybody, but God is using Warren's ministry to grow the Body.
I will admit that I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to that deal when it went down (the drug-culture patois somehow seems appropriate given the context) -- I really do NOT appreciate the steady bombardment of tabloid "news" (while REAL news goes unreported) -- so, I only caught the occasional highlight, such as the fact that Mr. Convert turned into a Muslim.
But, I am almost certain that I heard somewhere that it turned out -- after it was too late to do anything about it -- that his selection of her apartment was not, how shall we put it, "random."
Didn't it come out that they knew each other prior to his murderous jailbreak?
Maybe I'm misremembering this, or mixing it up with some other "pop crime" story, but I'm pretty sure I heard something about them being involved before he was originally incarcerated.
If so, it would indicated that Little Miss Purpose-Driven Bringer-to-Islam was also a liar.
Thanks. But it's more than a little wearying.
But the lurkers are worth SOME effort at such.
But I have other threads to attend to. So will likely leave this one shortly.
THANKS TONS FOR YOUR EFFORTS.
Lot of "choking on a gnat" goin' on here.
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My best pastor--in my teens . . . tended to call it majoring in minors and minoring in majors.
Actually, there's a lot of
CHOCKING ON GNAT'S FARTS!
WHAT a sweet compliment.
May God bless you for such Christian thoughtfulness.
One thing I can't argue with is the Holy Spirit is convicting people to a saving knowledge of God through Warren's ministry.
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INDEED.
And the proper Biblical response is not therefore to undermine and throw rocks ruthlessly, relentlessly, wholesale and only.
Rick Warren is doing what he believes God is calling him to do, the Holy Spirit does the actual work.
Did God call him to play those games with Farah, saying he didn't say what he actually did say in Syria? Saying that he didn't tape anything, when he really did? And then pulling his tape offline when confronted with it?
Did the Holy Spirit do the actual misrepresntation for him?
Be real careful how you answer those questions. This is heady stuff...
Not everyone has the same experience with a church. If they did there would never be any dissent or church shopping. But remember this that the day someone finds and joins the perfect church the church immediately becomes imperfect.
This is because we do not leave our human frailties at the door but bring them in with us. Good churches know this and do their best to become a place of refuge, solace, love and support. These things are not separate from the teaching of sound doctrine but part and parcel of it.
Am quite happy to let Christ judge her on that score.
He alone has perfect knowledge of all that.
I'm happy He used her in spite of that.
I realize some folks can't imagine that.
I can.
God has used all kinds of unlikely people in all kinds of situations and ways in my life. And vice versa.
I guess all of us can't be lily white Sunday School prima donnas all our lives.
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