"The true Christian...is not only to teach truth but to practice truth in the midst of such relativism," said Francis Schaeffer, and this will "bring forth confrontation--loving confrontation, but confrontation."
Yet confrontation is something most Christians seem to want to avoid. Not only because we want people to come to our churches, but because of our fear of offending and being rejected...
Conviction must precede conversion. You cannot present the gospel truth until you have also presented the fact of sin. Without this message we are simply offering our own brand of therapy. And therapy can only modify behavior. It is the gospel that transforms character.
The object is not to make people able to live with themselves; it is to make them able to live with God. Forever. (p. 209)
posted by Rob @ 9:31 AM
2 Comments:
I don't hear many sermons about sin. Society has defined it out of existence and ministers have no desire to offend their church members.
Confrontation is one of the hardest things about trying to be a Christian. Quite honestly, when I have a confrontation, it's one of the times I doubt myself as a Christian the most. As a parent, I understand a loveing confrontation. However, I confess to having plenty of confrontations when I don't feel so loving.
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