the slow death of faith
if faith is being sure of what we hope for, then i think we lack faith. we don't hope anymore. we don't hope for resurrection, but for a heaven beyond the clouds; we don't hope for the world's redemption, but for our being saved from it; we don't hope for God's effective work in bringing people to himself, but proclaim that the local church is the hope of the world.
spiritual listiplines suck. preaching without hope sucks. giving me something more to do, well, sucks.
this is a rather ambiguous post. i think i more needed to put it in front of me to get it off my mind.
spiritual listiplines suck. preaching without hope sucks. giving me something more to do, well, sucks.
this is a rather ambiguous post. i think i more needed to put it in front of me to get it off my mind.
posted by Aaron Perry at
5:12 PM
7 Comments:
I remember when I was younger (since it is impossible remember any other way) listening to a Steven Curtis Chapman song that started a quote, perhaps from mr. colson. He said:
"I meet millions who tell me that they feel demoralized by the decay aroun them...the hope, that each of us has, is not in who governs us or what laws are passed or what great things we do as a nation....the hope is in the power of God working in the hearts of people."
just a paraphrase
But i'm with you. hope has either evaporated or been placed in the wrong things. As usual, i blame most of this on dispensationalism.
AP, I read something about hope today that kinda suprised me. Paul writes about "Christ Jesus our hope." It's not like He gives us the gift of hope but He Himself is our hope. In knowing Him we find all hope. I thought that was neat. Your word "listiplines" is also neat. and very accurate for what many call Christianity but in reality is hopeless religion. Just some thoughts inspired on by your post.
Laura: Great umm.....I can't think of any other word, exegesis. I've always thought of Jesus as my giver of hope. As in, it is in Christ and through him I have hope. When it is Jesus is hope, itself.
AP: Tonight I preached on Jesus' advent and how in looking back to his first coming, we shown to look forward to his secomd coming. Through this we realize in looking forward to Christ's seond coming we are to prepare the world for his coming.
In my looking forward would you say, I've lost hope for today?
no, not at all dave. i think advent is a tremendous source of hope. vindication is a great part of the martyrs hope, so they cry from beneath the altar in heaven, "How long, O Lord?"
Laura: definitely a great reminder.
Matt: your post made me smile.
i think a great deal of this post comes from the neo-gnosticism (we're on our way outta here, so just bring as many as you can), projection-pelagianism (i can't save myself, but i sure better save others; "the local church is the hope of the world"), and out-right liberalism (my feelings vindicate my [errant] theology) that is present in lots of churches and believers.
It seems to me that you fully and completly missunderstand the statement "the local church is the hope of the world"
hey aj. tell me what my understanding is and where it comes up short.
Hey AP:
The local church is the hope of the world. It's all we've got, man! Jesus left us here to get the job done and he's going to be mighty mad at us if it's not when he returns. Isn't that what Matthew 25 is all about?
So we'd better watch out, we'd better not cry, we'd better not pout--I'm tellin you why. Jesus Christ is coming to town!
I mean, you don't actually think that He stayed with us through his Holy Spirit, that He washes us in baptism, that He feeds us spiritual food in bread and wine, that He draws His own to Himself, that through His Spirit, he calls and strengthens and transforms and blesses and raises. Are you so naive to believe that His sure return is merely a making visible and complete of what is an hidden, already reality.
It's not all about Him! It's all about Saddleback, I mean, us! Yeah, that's it.
My hope is built on nothing less than Tim LaHaye and End Times Press!
Sarc4
Some guy in MB
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