You may be thinking of another religious structure:
Posted on 04/19/2014 6:23:29 AM PDT by Gamecock
James 2:26
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Thank you for your questions and charges as it has served to solidify my belief that I am a field guy for Jesus. Always will be.
One of the problems you and I are having is that there is a missionary culture which is rather different than most people would expect. I had not realized how far inside that culture my wife and are.
Preaching comes in many different forms. Music, formal sermons, action taken to help a person or family in trouble.
For missionaries it is very effective to be of service to others. It causes those people as well others to ask why you are doing these things and at that point we educate them about Jesus and the Bible. Mostly one on one preaching.
Most missionaries have used this tool throughout the last 2,000 years because it works. And I mean it really works.
I have preached short sermons to 250 or so people but that is not where my gifts lie. My gifts are in organization, logistics and most strongly in the area of promotion which is used in bringing Jesus to others and uplifting others in the light of Jesus’ sacrifice. And love for us.
Each believer is imbued with gifts that are to be used for bringing others to Our Lord and Saviour or to edify the church. My wife’s gifts and my own are well suited to the field role.
So as to your charges, I shall not address them directly but simply will refer you to the above.
If your megachurch is solid, good.
But I did not say all megachurches are bad. There are enough bad ones out there that when they go astray it brings discredit to Jesus. That's what the YBPDLN ping lis is all about.
Your comments about “bottom line” are interesting because they point up one of the differences in cultures. As missionaries who take the Word to people directly we have a lot of bottom line issues to deal with as we are on the practical side of the church:
How do I move 1,000 lbs of food to the event area?
If the sound guy is late, do I have enough time to put up the sound system and test it?
How many pick up trucks will the volunteers bring?
Do I have enough lighter fluid to get the grills going and at what time should I do it?
How do I get enough money to keep a family in their apartment for another month until they get some money? They are flat broke due illness or loss of a job.
One of our neighbors has what seems to be an intractable medical problem that has not been handled well by their doctors. Which doctor in our church will step up and fix it if they can?
My nephew, who is studying to be a bush pilot missionary, will be worrying about whether he can drop his Piper aircraft onto a gravel or sandbar in Africa and take off again. Lots of challenges in this missionary area which are key to introoducing Jesus to others, but which have little to do with apologetics.
The bottom line is that we go after people whose lives will be enriched and whose places will be assured in Heaven by accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
Manytimes we have to be satisfied to plant seeds which will grow when watered later in life. Sometimes we are really surprised when they elect to come to Jesus immediately.
One of the key attributes of our mission is to develop a core Christian community inside the secular community. This serves to educate people in just exactly what Christians look like. They look like your neighbor, the really nice couple across the hall.
Another of our objectives is to get people in the pews of local churches in order for them to be with other Christians as well as being exposed to sermons and opportunities to take Jesus to others.
It sort of gets complicated.....but is rewarding. It is a bit of a different culture though.
And that is why I've come to you for illumination. From a Biblical perspective, what should a human being, whom God has blessed with extreme artistic talents, a Michelangelo or Da Vinci, say, do with those talents? Should they use them to promote the glory of God, or not? If yes, should they use them to edify and communicate the Scriptural message or not? If so, how, without painting or sculpting (as you call it), "a lie"?
I'm just curious what your take on that is...
I had hoped, but didn’t really expect, that you would answer the scriptures put to you. Then you go on to speak as if you believe that you are the only one of us that understands “ministry culture” and that I need some kind of education from you concerning how this works from your experience, not the how the Lord works in people’s lives. Wrong.
And since you consistently like to like to dance around many topics and skirt around scriptural evidence, withoug directly answering pointed question, I really see no reason to continue this conversation. I am sure your time isn’t worth it, I know mine isn’t. Although, in reality, your answer by not answering, has already been given.
Easy to answer. If the painting, or whatever is in direct violation of scripture, then it cannot be of God, much less "promote the glory of God". God does not lie. If someone has a talent for painting such things, then it is not "God given", although it is likely to a "god" given. Just not the true God who says:
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God...
Seems pretty clear cut.
If you look on my profile page, you will see a Crucifixion sketch that I did years ago when I was going through one of the most trying periods of my life. I felt a compulsion to draw it, and in doing so, it brought me to a deep contemplative state on the sufferings and wounds borne on my behalf. The act of rendering that sketch brought me closer to Christ and while I didn't hear God say in my ear, "Draw this," I feel that He led me to do so, to reinforce my faith, draw me closer to Him, and give me the strength needed to navigate that period of my life.
So feel free to tell me I'm disobedient for drawing it. I know in my heart of hearts, I would have been disobedient for not doing so...
I don’t have time to give a thoughtful answer your question. All I have time to say is that since Colossians tells us to do all things heartily as unto The Lord (very rough paraphrase) and since He gave men their talents and gifts, those talents and gifts can and should be put to work in His kingdom. But, at the same time, they must be employed in accordance with His commands regarding worship.
This from Chapter 22 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689:
Paragraph 1. The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all; is just, good and does good to all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart and all the soul, and with all the might.1 But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself,2 and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.3
1 Jer. 10:7; Mark 12:33
2 Deut. 12:32
3 Exod. 20:4-6
Pay extra attention to the last sentence in the confession and consider carefully Deuteronomy 12:32.
I readily admit I don’t have all my theological ducks in a row. I know I see through a glass darkly. To paraphrase Calvin, the human heart is an idol factory, so the sanctification process in my life is an ongoing project. My attitude on this and other such debateable questions is that I would rather err on the side of caution than presume liberty.
If you really want to delve into this topic I suggest you go to sermonaudio.com and search terms like “graven images” or “second commandment” or “biblical worship.” There are tons of free resources there.
Then I guess you win.
Meh....
There are no winners or losers. This is no game. There are just sinners, and sinners saved by His grace whom He brings into His kingdom.
Like I said, you win.
Don’t worry, be happy.
There is a radio personality who has exactly duplicated the voice of an announcer who was commonly heard in newsreels from the thirties and forties. Very crisp and energetic and the new guy is just as exciting as the old guy.
It was quite weird to hear that voice again.
Will it be bigger than THIS??
Been there...
It would be closer!
Why do none of the images I've seen of 'Jesus' ever seem to be JEWISH???
Paul said he'd be all things to all people in order to win some...
1 Corinthians 9:22
There ya go!
indeed
I think you can buy a toaster that’ll put an image of ‘jesus’ on bread.
http://greatideas.people.com/2014/07/23/toaster-selfie/
You may be thinking of another religious structure:
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