Agreed. And that is the only hope for any person.

Hello Steve, I am spending part of this morning on a random search for Christian blogs. Please check out my blogs thekingpin68 and satire and theology.

I am looking for links, readers, and comments and I participate on other blogs.

Cheers.

Russ

Another way I sometimes try to jolt my head out of “theoretical theology land” and bring it back to beneficial reality, is by this exercise: I pretend that I am talking to someone on the very real verge of death (maybe they have cancer or some other disease, maybe they are really old, etc.). I say to myself, “Okay, this is possibly the last time you will speak to this person. In fact, you may be the last one they are going to interact with before they die and pass over. What are you going to share that is the most important?”

I try to employ that when I talk to people in day to day conversation also (with reasonable modifications), because you never know how long any one really has. Also, you don’t know if anyone is speaking to the person in front of you about anything really important and eternal.

Matt Oskvarek

The comments are good too. I really appreciate the clarity and grounding in the word.

This particual post struck me because I feel that God is nudging me to share my faith and I feel stuck with what the central message should be. My most recent post talks about this internal turmoil.

Whenever I do get into a discussion about what Christians actually believe, Romans 10:9 comes to me as the defining answer.

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

I love that in Jesus God was reconciling the world to Himself and the result of His reconciliation is a new creation – a new heart.. a new inner person. I think that this new heart is often missed when we try to present the gospel message brain-to-brain instead of heart-to-heart.

In a sense we are ambassadors of the heart of God.. a heart that loves us and longs to be reconciled to us. In a sense the gospel message cannot be understood with our heads.. it is a message that must be believed and embraced at a heart level. I guess that is why it is so difficult to communicate at times – communicating at this heart level is often uncomfortable.. guess that is why most of us choose to speak to people’s minds instead.. it is what we are comfortable doing.

Gordon missed PEARS!

In fifty years of ministry, much of that in evangelism, amongst both Calvinists (to which Gordon was referring)and Arminians (PEARS), I have never heard spoken, or observed written, any reference to their particular doctrinal position.

We have always respected the others’ position and got on with the task of making disciples, rather than making converts.

I am always saddened to see sarcasm, or heated arguments, towards the other from either of the positions.

Of one thing I’m certain, their will be neither Calvinists nor Arminians in heaven, only brethren in Christ.

Yes! I do believe one of the two positions!

Great post!

You said, “So, the heart of the gospel? We are reconciled to God through Christ!”

Great definition. As I think about this, the only question that arises is whether or not we should add people, and possibly all of creation, to that which we are reconciled to. It seems central in our lives and practice, though it is a natural outworking from our reconciled relationship with the Creator of all things. Not really sure if they should be included and I’m really just thinking out loud here, but it does seem reconciled relationships (in a world where many relationships are shattered) is a key component of proclaiming the Gospel. On the other hand, it could be that this is just a natural outworking of reconciliation to God. On the other hand, how can someone be reconciled to God, who he can’t see, and not reconciled to people who he can see. Is this part of the heart or is this application? Either way, it is Good News!

Okay, enough thinking out loud! Thanks for making me think!!

His peace be yours in abundance,
From the Middle East

Let me guess…ummmmmm, oh I know! A DAISY! No? A PANSY! How about a PEONY?

All joking aside, this is a good post. The thought that comes to mind when I read this is that our understanding of the heart of the gospel will dictate our presentation of the gospel to the world.

I put up the Titus passage because I’ve always been stirred by how concisely those 7 scriptures go from our fallenness, through God’s redemption to our good works.

I wasn’t trying to suggest an alternative, but a comparative verse set that also illustrates reconciliation at the core of the gospel.