When we last left our friend Paul the Apostle, he had just been rescued from a bloodthirsty mob by the Romans, and now he is on the steps of the Antonia Fortress, bruised and bleeding, propped up between a couple of soldiers, and he is about to address the crowd that tried to kill him. And what does he say? He tells a story, the story of his former life and his sudden conversion.
And that, said Pastor, is how we should witness. Just tell our story. Anyone can do it. But it didn't go so good for Paul; instead of calming the crowd down, it only riled them up even more, and he narrowly misses getting flogged by the Romans, which would have finished him off right then and there, if he hadn't played the "Roman Citizen" card. But he's not off scott-free, not by a long shot. The Romans are intensely interested in him now and they want to get at the bottom of why this man is the cause of so many disturbances. So, to be continued . . .
Anyway, back to telling stories. Yesterday was "Testimony Time" and one of the members got up, gave a talk about how dissolute his life was before he turned it over to God and now everything is hunky-dory. But for those who were saved as little kids, don't feel you are missing out on anything because you never went out and did anything majorly bad. You see, even as a little kid who never did anything you are still under God's condemnation because without him you are utterly depraved, so it doesn't matter, you are going to hell anyway. Well, if that's the case, maybe you'd better go out and have some "fun" and then repent, then that way you get the best of both worlds. I mean, the dice are already loaded against you, right? Yes, this is what they are teaching the little kids in Sunday School about their little selves. Not that there aren't some that probably deserve the description based on their behavior, but really, don't you think that's a bit harsh?
And then they turn around and wonder why people are afraid of God and don't like him. But note, it is always "other" churches that teach damaging doctrines that cause misunderstandings and problems that linger into adulthood and must be healed. They never, never stop to think about what it is they are saying to the little ones, and how it might affect them.
So now in our Sunday night group it has been decided to tell our stories. So far we have heard two. I have yet to tell mine. I can guarantee that it won't be like any of the other stories that they have heard. So last night I made a request. I said that I wanted the group to pray about my story (without telling them what it might contain). I wanted them to pray for wisdom and discernment, that they should ask the Lord (who presumably knows all) whether I should even be telling my story at this time. Because I do not want to be responsible for any harm that my story may cause. Not to exaggerate, but I am sitting on a case of spiritual dynamite here. "Theology is a fortress," says one of the characters in "The Crucible", "it admits no cracks." If anyone in this group has any cracks in their fortress, and they want to keep their fortress intact, it is best they do not hear what I have to say. Because doubt is a powerful seed, once planted and rooted, it's hard to eradicate, and by telling my story honestly I am afraid that that is exactly what I might be doing, planting doubt in their mind. I am going to start with the story of a little girl who had serious doubts about what the adults were telling her about God but who knew that unlike in the story of the Emperor's New Clothes, little children who said that the emperor was naked ended up being punished rather harshly. And so, in order to save her skin, she learned to lie, and to lie well. This is not the story they are expecting. This is not the story that they want to hear.
So I told them to ask the Lord, and only if He told them it was ok, then I would go ahead and tell my story. And you know what? They ate it all up. They thought it was wonderful that I was showing such wisdom and concern. How little do they know! How badly they want to see what they want to see! I have dropped hints here and there, and they don't question. They don't say, wait a minute, what do you mean by that?
But we shall see what the Lord tells them . . .
And that, said Pastor, is how we should witness. Just tell our story. Anyone can do it. But it didn't go so good for Paul; instead of calming the crowd down, it only riled them up even more, and he narrowly misses getting flogged by the Romans, which would have finished him off right then and there, if he hadn't played the "Roman Citizen" card. But he's not off scott-free, not by a long shot. The Romans are intensely interested in him now and they want to get at the bottom of why this man is the cause of so many disturbances. So, to be continued . . .
Anyway, back to telling stories. Yesterday was "Testimony Time" and one of the members got up, gave a talk about how dissolute his life was before he turned it over to God and now everything is hunky-dory. But for those who were saved as little kids, don't feel you are missing out on anything because you never went out and did anything majorly bad. You see, even as a little kid who never did anything you are still under God's condemnation because without him you are utterly depraved, so it doesn't matter, you are going to hell anyway. Well, if that's the case, maybe you'd better go out and have some "fun" and then repent, then that way you get the best of both worlds. I mean, the dice are already loaded against you, right? Yes, this is what they are teaching the little kids in Sunday School about their little selves. Not that there aren't some that probably deserve the description based on their behavior, but really, don't you think that's a bit harsh?
And then they turn around and wonder why people are afraid of God and don't like him. But note, it is always "other" churches that teach damaging doctrines that cause misunderstandings and problems that linger into adulthood and must be healed. They never, never stop to think about what it is they are saying to the little ones, and how it might affect them.
So now in our Sunday night group it has been decided to tell our stories. So far we have heard two. I have yet to tell mine. I can guarantee that it won't be like any of the other stories that they have heard. So last night I made a request. I said that I wanted the group to pray about my story (without telling them what it might contain). I wanted them to pray for wisdom and discernment, that they should ask the Lord (who presumably knows all) whether I should even be telling my story at this time. Because I do not want to be responsible for any harm that my story may cause. Not to exaggerate, but I am sitting on a case of spiritual dynamite here. "Theology is a fortress," says one of the characters in "The Crucible", "it admits no cracks." If anyone in this group has any cracks in their fortress, and they want to keep their fortress intact, it is best they do not hear what I have to say. Because doubt is a powerful seed, once planted and rooted, it's hard to eradicate, and by telling my story honestly I am afraid that that is exactly what I might be doing, planting doubt in their mind. I am going to start with the story of a little girl who had serious doubts about what the adults were telling her about God but who knew that unlike in the story of the Emperor's New Clothes, little children who said that the emperor was naked ended up being punished rather harshly. And so, in order to save her skin, she learned to lie, and to lie well. This is not the story they are expecting. This is not the story that they want to hear.
So I told them to ask the Lord, and only if He told them it was ok, then I would go ahead and tell my story. And you know what? They ate it all up. They thought it was wonderful that I was showing such wisdom and concern. How little do they know! How badly they want to see what they want to see! I have dropped hints here and there, and they don't question. They don't say, wait a minute, what do you mean by that?
But we shall see what the Lord tells them . . .
