Yikes! Jack, you lost me at “enforcement”. Our walk is about Jesus! ….and it’s a slow walk sometimes.
Our conversion is to Jesus! We help someone walk closer to Christ by walking with them, ie discipling them, not attempting to enforcing behavior. It takes time and it takes building a relationship with them.
I am currently discipling a young woman (wife and mother). She has made meaningful changes in her life but still has much to learn. She doesn’t yet discern as she needs to. If my husband, an elder, were to present her with a list of behaviors and activities to which she needs to conform, it would push her away from us and, quite possibly, Jesus. Instead she and I spend time in prayer, in the Word, in constant discussions about Jesus. I then SHOW her, with the word and with my own example HOW to then walk within the will of God.
Jack, I hear your frustration. I like so much what you said in Church Reset. In fact, it gave us a voice to the desire for “more”.
I fear we have “converted” a generation (or two) to a building and now are seeing the results….lack of true disciples. But the answer is Jesus!
couple questions come to mind as I'm not sure how to interpret the article -- how does this jive with "work out your own salvation with fear & trembling"? is "enforce" the right word? is this a pendulum swing from "do nothing" elders to the opposite extreme? thought provoking post
In as much as we cannot change someone but self, I also believe we can help shape a child or direct them become better children but we have a limit.
So my question or worry is ' to what limit or extent can we enforce'? And what next if after all said and done the brother or sister changes not??????
Yikes! Jack, you lost me at “enforcement”. Our walk is about Jesus! ….and it’s a slow walk sometimes.
Our conversion is to Jesus! We help someone walk closer to Christ by walking with them, ie discipling them, not attempting to enforcing behavior. It takes time and it takes building a relationship with them.
I am currently discipling a young woman (wife and mother). She has made meaningful changes in her life but still has much to learn. She doesn’t yet discern as she needs to. If my husband, an elder, were to present her with a list of behaviors and activities to which she needs to conform, it would push her away from us and, quite possibly, Jesus. Instead she and I spend time in prayer, in the Word, in constant discussions about Jesus. I then SHOW her, with the word and with my own example HOW to then walk within the will of God.
Jack, I hear your frustration. I like so much what you said in Church Reset. In fact, it gave us a voice to the desire for “more”.
I fear we have “converted” a generation (or two) to a building and now are seeing the results….lack of true disciples. But the answer is Jesus!
couple questions come to mind as I'm not sure how to interpret the article -- how does this jive with "work out your own salvation with fear & trembling"? is "enforce" the right word? is this a pendulum swing from "do nothing" elders to the opposite extreme? thought provoking post