Not only do I not think it’s not controversial, but I think it’s OBVIOUSLY Biblical, Todd. Christ’s message of grace is very “balanced”.

You can’t have James 1 without Romans 8, you can’t have the woman at the well having her sin stuck in her face without Christ offering living water in the same conversation. You can’t have sin without salvation (theologically speaking, of course).

You can’t have the expulsion from the Garden without the promise of the Savior. You can’t preach to 5000 without hiding away for a few days by yourself. (THAT is one we miss too often...)

You can’t have BeHim without Wendi. (Come on, guys… laugh, you know that’s funny...)

But seriously, it’s why your blog is my favorite and just about the only one I post to. Because in having extremes… it manages to have a semblance of balance. Not always, which is what get’s your goat sometimes, but often enough for me! Even when people answer questions only through what appears to be the lens of their peculiar agenda and perspective, I learn something valuable every day.

Thanks again! (Did you like my church signs? You should figure out a way to post everybody’s.)

Yep, Todd…

There are lots of “Christians” out there, who through their GOOFINESS give Christ a really bad name....

And they do attend our churches.

And yes, Christ died for them too.

You’re right.  It is all about balance.  You can’t have “turn or burn” without Christ’s love.  You can’t have “It’s OK, God loves us all” without some “turn or burn”.  While I deplore the picketing in the article, all of us at some time need to recognise that we need salvation or we pay the price. And that price was paid by Christ’s love for us. BALANCE!!

Dang!  Bernie… you found me out.  I was hoping no one would bring up John the Baptist.

But someone always does.  And Jesus was a little weird too, wasn’t he?  What with eating with all the prostitutes and sinners and such.  Come on.  Let’s not forget all the weirdos in the early church. 

John the Baptist had a message straight from God:  Repent for the Kingdom of God is at Hand.  Of course, this was also pre-Jesus being widely known as the Messiah.  This was definitely pre-cross.  This was pre God sacrificing His son to death on a cross because He loved us so much.  And it was pre-resurrection.  Yep, ole’ John was weird all right, but balanced.  He had a message; a very short and succinct message to tell; and he did it as only he could do.

(also… I didn’t mention anyone’s dress or diet when I said they were goofy… I said their thoughts were goofed up, thus bringing the ridicule.  John the Baptist had no problem with his message).

On the disciples… yeah, they were a unique group as well.  But there are people today who make that same choice with their lives.  People give up financial gain all the time to follow Christ.  People lose their families because of their decision to follow Jesus.  People make decisions all the time that don’t make sense from a human perspective, but make perfect sense from a Kingdom perspective.  People can be sold out and be balanced.

People can also be sold out and lose their balance, thus becoming extreme; and, as I said, “goofy”.  This can happen in Christianity or life in general.

That’s where I think the sign-holders; the pregnant woman in the HOV lane; the pagans who feel their under religious persecution; and many Christians sometimes fall.  That’s were legalism leads.  Unbalanced lives are not healthy lives.  That’s all I’m saying.

I’m going to start praying that we see eye to eye on one issue this side of Glory, Bernie!  That may be asking for a miracle.

Todd

pdl,

I don’t want to get into an abortion debate necessarily here (because we’re both on the same page here).  To me, and unbalanced stand on abortion would be one that said since they’re killing babies, I’ll kill them.

In the woman’s case I sited in this posting, I think she used her position on abortion to get out of a ticket.  Maybe I’m wrong… maybe she really believes this… but it’s a stretch for most people who know that that lane is for 2 or more people to think that a pregnant woman qualifies.  Seems like a pretty off-center, off-balance idea to me.

Oh well… this was just my hypothesis when writing the story.  Could be that I’m wrong (as I’ve been known to be from time to time). 

Of course, I believe that we are to be counter-culture; against sin; and pro-righteousness… I just hope that there are ways that we can do it that won’t appear silly and pretentous to 95% of the rest of the population, Christian and non-Christian.

Todd

We have to DO SOMETHING! PDL is out shooting Bambi or his mommy RIGHT NOW! Oh, no! Isn’t there some way to stop him!

(Just kidding… thought this board needed a little humour for the weekend… for balance of course… especially after the debacle over on the free gas discussion...)

Peter

PS… and for the record, pdl, I hope you bag a nice big buck!

I am ashamed...although, I did not shoot it--I did field-dress and process a little doe that kinda looked like a pre-antlered Bambi...I’ll try to esuage my guilt over a tenderlion and a side of fries
pdl

ps...next Saturday I’ll get that big one!

Sure he would...every generation has it’s legalists who hate the fact that Jesus hung out with sinners.  I’m sure the folks from the Church of the Divide would ablige…

Franklin wrote: If you are told by the world you fit in rather nicely, then you probably do fit in rather nicely.

“If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified.” - Leonard Ravenhill

Kent: you are right on Franklin.  Something the 82 year old Saint I heard preching last night conveyed was that, as improtant as frienships are, if we put them over the Truth of the Bible, we’re Wrong.

When we slap ourselves on the back for how great and loving we are but thurn our backs on Scripture, or we request that our brothers & sister condone and coddle our sin because of “our liverty”, trust me, it doesn’t put a smile on God’s face.

Though I agree with the article about “balance” in the speaking of the gospel so that you preach about the love of God and not a “repent sinners” only message...I think that the church has gone much further in the opposite direction.

I hear much more “Jesus loves you, so come to Him” messages that do not explain to the unchurched what they’re coming to Jesus for...except for love. I see people respond to altar calls that don’t “alter their call” and as a result are inoculated from the real thing because they believe they have Jesus - but no mention of sin, repentance or the perfect righteousness/justice of God is ever mentioned.

Romans 1:16-17 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for the salvation of those who believe...for in the gospel, a righteousness of God is found by faith from first to last...” For the power of God to move to change lives, a balanced gospel of Law & love must be preached.

It was the self-righteous that were upset by Jesus.

They were offended becasue He spoke of Hell, sin, judgement, and the wrath to come. He exposed there deeds for what they were, evil.

If you, like those that hated Jesus, hate it when someone mentions sin, judgement, wrath to come, hell, then you fit more in with the ones that crucified Christ.

The ones who follow Jesus, Paul, and many other Godly preachers through the ages that preach about sin, judgement, hell, wrath to come are not legalist.

Am I judemental when I say “God said do not committ adultery?” No! I am saying what God said, and I am just warning and He not I will Judge.

Am I being judgemental when I say, “all liars will have thier part in the lake of fire?” No, I am just pointing out what God thinks about lying and those who do it.

Jesus said if you are “ashamed of Me or my words, I will be ashamed of you.” We are not ashamed of Jesus, but are we ashamed of His words.

We have the bllod of the Lamb over the door frame, but have we eaten the whole Lamb?

You can not earn your way to hevean, nor can you keep yourself there. However one that is going wants to obey and be faithful to God.

Well, I didn’t get to read everything above, but I love the balance idea. It seems to me that you have to the whole approach through the entire New Testament to come up with the right balance at a given moment.  If you are talking to someone (assuming you have built a relationship that has earned the right to talk to them) who is already beat up over their sin, you don’t need to talk too much about wrath etc.  Tell them about the woman at the well; tell them about the substitution of Christ for them; tell them that Jesus died for sinners; tell them to trust Him and embrace Him and follow Him. Tell them to believe and act on the belief that He paid for their sin.

If you are talking to a person who is of the “I’ll do it my way...” mentality, tell them of the consequences-that God will not be mocked, and that He doesn’t have an understanding with them, and they they will perish if they don’t repent.

If you meet someone who is self righteous, take it away from them, and lead them to seeing that their only hope is His righteousness.

On and on it goes.  What kind of message you present depends on what kind of soil you are planting in.

What’s so hard about that?

For what it’s worth,
Roger

Sometimes we are not “Christian” in all that we do—even though we are “Christians.” In 1 Peter 1:15, But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;…

Note that we are to be “holy” (set apart) in all that we do.

I just bet that the author of the article we read (Todd) is not holy in all that he does!” If the author is “holy” in all that he does, he has me beat by a long-- long yard.

The controversy (I can hear it comming) is what does “all that you do” mean.  You do know what the GREEK word for all means, it means ALL, the whole enchalada-- everything—every action—all of them.

So this poor miss informed christian girl was stepping out and using her “christian RELIGION” as her arguement for finding a loop hole (is that how you spell loophole)in the law.  I bet that a relationship with Jesus may bring her to a different decision. 

The other story was just foolishness, so why respond to foolishness.  We have atheists trying to take God out of everything—to their own detrement I might add. 

I have myself under a constant state of Check and I still mess-up.  Go figure!!

Love Ya

pastor Bill