My friend Tara sent me this video. I think it bothered her and she wanted to be sure I was bothered too. It worked.
I don't know this guy. I don't know his program or what happened before the exchange in the video. He seems to be sincere. He seems to be trying to honestly present the Gospel to folks who need to hear it.
And it makes me sad.
In his quest follow Christ's "command to preach" he misses the point of Christ's message. He traps the young woman with a flawed analogy Christians use all the time: "If someone was in a burning building, wouldn't you tell them to get out?"
Here's the problem... you're assuming the person in the building can walk.
Burning buildings are loud, confusing, smoke filled places. People inside get hurt as they stumble around in the chaos. It's why firemen don't stand outside and shout. They go in.
It's easy to shout outside.You risk nothing. You sacrifice nothing. It costs you nothing.
When you go into the fire, when you enter someone's story, it's scary. You don't know what you'll find when you get in there. You don't know how the flames have scorched them or what has trapped them or if they'll need to be carried for a while. All you know is you love them enough to risk getting burned.
There is no doubt Christ told people the truth. But first he walked with them. Touched them. Healed them. Fed them. He sat with them in the fire. Then he led them out of the house and to the cross.
I don't know this guy. I don't know his program or what happened before the exchange in the video. He seems to be sincere. He seems to be trying to honestly present the Gospel to folks who need to hear it.
And it makes me sad.
In his quest follow Christ's "command to preach" he misses the point of Christ's message. He traps the young woman with a flawed analogy Christians use all the time: "If someone was in a burning building, wouldn't you tell them to get out?"
Here's the problem... you're assuming the person in the building can walk.
Burning buildings are loud, confusing, smoke filled places. People inside get hurt as they stumble around in the chaos. It's why firemen don't stand outside and shout. They go in.
It's easy to shout outside.You risk nothing. You sacrifice nothing. It costs you nothing.
When you go into the fire, when you enter someone's story, it's scary. You don't know what you'll find when you get in there. You don't know how the flames have scorched them or what has trapped them or if they'll need to be carried for a while. All you know is you love them enough to risk getting burned.
There is no doubt Christ told people the truth. But first he walked with them. Touched them. Healed them. Fed them. He sat with them in the fire. Then he led them out of the house and to the cross.
Beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteI agree Jeff. It's weird. Both participants in the video were both right and wrong. Both are motivated by a correct desire to see people come to Christ. Both use different methods of achieving their aim. But consider the onlookers here. What they see is two Christians slogging it out over whose method of evangelism is right or wrong or most appropriate. The interest was in watching two people having a public argument. Was the topic of great importance to them? Were they edified by the exchange? I doubt it.
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